The Top 10 Albums Of The 00s

11. Portishead - Third (2008)

Electronic Trip Hop
Spotify

When an outfit as universally idolised as Portishead announced that their third album would finally be released after 11 years of waiting, one could be forgiven for envisioning the worst. Times had changed, the scenery was not what they used to reign, and their old witchy tricks may no longer work. Thankfully, these trip hop legends are omnipresent, all too aware of the stakes, and instead elected to distance themselves from their original formulas whilst still lightly stroking a few fingertips upon their famed trademark shivers—not a repeat by any means, but a wink towards the past whilst adventurously marching forwards, draining life from a whole new array of uncharted styles the group had not yet explored. And together, they dragged the old school analogue warmth towards the new school electronic games they’d conquered so long ago, and presented us with an eerie image of a mother trapped in solitude, gripping the bed sheets as she achieves an orgasm during labour, and then promptly dies in the shadows due to severe bleeding, murdered during the bliss of birthing her own child. And yet even this traumatic illustration is not enough for me (or anyone) to claim this as Portishead’s greatest work, because nobody truly knows the answer to that question.

Selected Accolades:
#71 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.
#225 in Spin’s list the 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985-2014).
#330 in NME’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of all Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

10. The National - Boxer (2007)

Indie Post-Punk Revival
Spotify

Whilst attempting to articulate my praise for The National, I always find my tongue tripping up on backhands seemingly laced with insults, and I usually end up warding off potential buyers rather than securing a sale. But what other way is there to describe it? Their overall mood is undeniably worn bare with melancholy, an obstacle primarily planted by Matt Berninger’s unmistakable baritone vocals, casually tamed and subdued until they are reduced into one lethargic reflection of monotony, leaving craters of empty spaces within your energy, void of all enthusiasm and colour. But it is within these very crevices that an indirect allure resides, pleading with the listener to turn inwards on themselves and surrender to the scent of sadness which will ultimately abandon you with a lot to think about, amplifying your problems yet putting them into some sort of a perspective, granting the required apathy to get on with life, but only after you have a lie down for a bit. And I’m not even specifically talking about Boxer here either, as you can go ahead and apply this review to any of their albums, because each one of them is equally as enjoyable, and equally as heartbreaking.

Selected Accolades:
#110 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.
#20 in Paste’s list the 50 Best Albums of the Decade.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

09. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

Neo-Psychedelia Pop
Spotify

Opening on a personal note, when I first heard Yoshimi, I almost quit music due to the sudden realisation that the album I had always wanted to make, had already been made. The eccentric cartoonesque concept detailing a struggle between our determined mortal hero and some artificially soulless machines were lesser expressed via the lyrics, but rather more accurately portrayed by the united sound from the record as a whole. In my education, it has perpetually stood as the quintessential accomplishment of where the more human acoustics of traditional art competed with today’s advanced mechanical blippy electronics—and this was exactly what the fictional battle had always intended to illustrate. Furthermore, it achieved said conflicting combination without taking itself too seriously, alternatively calculating the glitches and challenging the pop ethos with a comical approach, painting a colourful scene which was dementedly quirky and humorously surreal without diluting the fundamental emotions of sentimentality and the optimism of hope. Ultimately meaning: they beat me to it. Luckily, shortly after this release, The Flaming Lips took too many drugs and their later records suffered tragically from a random haze of impenetrable doodlings, which means there is still a gap in the market if you’re keen?

Selected Accolades:
#27 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list the 100 Best Albums of the 2000s.
#11 in Uncut’s list the Top 20 Albums Of The ’00s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

08. The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)

UK Garage Hip Hop
Spotify

Written, performed, produced, and mixed by Mike Skinner alone in his Brixton bedroom, Original Pirate Material was never asking for much or even trying to be anything whatsoever. Rather, it was perfectly chill within itself, one refreshing and down-to-earth-album about everyday working class lifestyle, featuring: getting drunk at the pub, chasing a few girls, getting into a fight, watching the football, smoking a spliff with your mates, oweing your drug dealer money, eating a full English breakfast ... you know, the type of shit you do, the type of shit I do, the type of shit we all do, keeping it real. However, representing the simplicity of British youth as honestly as possible would never be enough to carry a full record by itself, and thankfully, it doesn't need to. Enter Skinner’s distinctive mockney deliveries, which run unusually sharp from his philosophical wit, packed full of decent life advice, and concluding as a release nobody knew exactly what to do with. Was it garage? Was it hip hop? I don’t know, but it definitely wasn’t like anything the world had heard before, a true fluke of 2000s music, especially because The Streets could never even get close to this classic’s stature again. It’s cool though, I have a feeling he doesn’t care either way.

Selected Accolades:
#36 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004.
#9 in NME’s list the 100 Best Albums of the Decade.
Deemed the Best Album of the 2000s by Observer Music Monthly.
#46 in NME’s list the 100 Best Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

07. Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)

Indie Chamber Pop Rock
Spotify

I’ve always found myself frustrated by my love for Arcade Fire, which never seemed to reach the same peaks as everyone else—least of all, Arcade Fire’s love for themselves. And I suppose that was where the problem started: the self-importance these musicians held for their own craft, which only grew more and more apparent per each release until they were entirely digested by their own anuses (Reflecktor *cough cough*). But what bothered me even beyond this nuisance, was that the narcissism was almost justified, as even from their debut Funeral, it was obvious that the band had taken the whole indie genre to the next level. They focused their talents towards composing solid songs without relying on tricks to impress the listener, never attempting to reinvent the circle yet still pushing the familiar sounds into a brand new territory, using their arty eccentricities to fine-tune the experience rather than lead it, and then stuffing the center full from all the emotional melodrama one would expect from an album written entirely about death. So, yes, this is one of the best records of the decade. And yes, Arcade Fire are probably the most essential band from recent times. But we should have never let them know, because now they know, you know?

Selected Accolades:
#6 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Top 100 Albums of the 2000s.
#4 in Slant’s list of the Top 250 Albums of the 2000s.
#2 in Consequence of Sound’s list the Top Albums of the 2000s.
#2 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.
#66 in Spin’s list the 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years.
#151 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#13 in NME’s list the The 500 Greatest Albums of the All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

06. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

Progressive Sludge Metal
Spotify

Before you even plant the needle into Leviathan’s groovy grooves, you already know this is not going to be your average metal ride. For starters: the whole concept revolves around the tale of Moby-Dick, accentuating this idea by saturating the sound as if drowning in an ocean of water, leaving me to wonder... who actually does something like that? Well, Mastodon, duh, a band who have continuously proven themselves to be one of the most dependable outfits in modern history, often (understandably) christened as the ‘metal band even non-metalheads can enjoy’. And it was particularly back on their sophomore effort where they managed to perfect their technique by charging all the mass amount of stocky brawn they could channel directly into the eye of the storm, leaning their weight forward with a fury as colossus as the whale on the cover, but with enough technical diversity that even the meatiest of riffs should appeal to the more intellectual of listeners, whilst glossing the adventure with production so bright that the noises slide through our ear canals like lubricated cocks made from liquid rabidity. Secure this with arguably the most engaging drummer in heavy music right now, and you have a staple of any rock monsieur's testosterone enhancing regimen.

Selected Accolades:
#126 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.
Deemed the Best Metal Album of the 21st Century So Far by MetalSucks.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

05. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

Neo-Psychedelia Pop
Spotify

Remember the 1960s? Yeah, me neither. But I hear it was a wonderful time when music was blissfully lost in a dreamworld of its own creation, explored with a juvenile sense of euphoria, warmed by all the magic in the world, cheered on from the abundance of summery optimism and livened by a synthesized sort of spiritualism—all of which was a wonderful idea, sure, yet dangerously unrealistic and naive in practice. However, it sure looked like a rush of fun! And that’s where Animal Collective come in, harking back to these ideals by honing in on the catchy Beachy Boysy density whilst welcoming you into the dance with open arms of love. That said, it does come with a warning, as this is a fucking mess of murky slosh, washing a strange artiness all over the sample based orientation until everything runs thick from a colourful mud, animating all over your face just like the album cover would suggest (except on even more drugs). Which, in a word, is heavenly. To summarise: Merriweather Post Pavilion is easily the ‘go-to’ modern day neo-psychedelia album I suggest to my friends, and if nothing else, is the greatest way to start a morning, like, ever!

Selected Accolades:
#14 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

04. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command (2000)

Post-Hardcore
Spotify

This album is like an unpredictable train screaming full speed ahead, driven by an aggressive passion and a calculated primal energy, yet completely barren from any malicious intent. Which is why, if you should lose your footing on this mission and get shredded into segments by the violent wheels below, you cannot blame the determined machine for your demise, but should rather be grateful at how lovely it is to be torn apart by something as significant as Relationship of Command. However, for now, just try your best to hang on, as the bumpy tracks pummel cryptic lyrics into your head, perhaps treating your exhaustion with an occasional stutter of melodic breathing space, but generally racing towards the madness, then abruptly slamming straight into a brick wall and exploding outwards into little pieces as the final At the Drive-In effort ever released, indifferent to the monumental amount of new followers the album had just coaxed and murdered. But its influence rages strong, considered by many to be the most important post-hardcore record of all time, and somehow still sounding better per each listen, over a decade and a half later.

Selected Accolades:
#94 in Guitar World readers poll the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of all Time.
#117 in Uncut magazine’s list the 150 Albums of the Decade.
#6 in Slate magazine’s list the 100 Albums of the Decade.
#83 in Spin magazine’s list the 100 Greatest Albums 1985–2005.
#47 in Kerrang!’s list the 50 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century.
#90 in MTV2’s list the Greatest Albums Ever.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

03. Joanna Newsom - Ys (2006)

Chamber Folk

Ys is an appendage from the rarest of all calibres: an album so extraordinarily odd that it simply cannot have been born from this world, more likely dwelling in a magical land all by its lonesome. Said land is surely found exclusively in fairy tales, imagined by the unorthodox squeaks from an injured mouse, illustrating medieval narratives which drift on for an eternity, teasing our boundaries with a childlike mischievousness, ambling with more mythical wordplay and poetic metaphors than any other record I can recall. Naturally, something so astoundingly fresh and densely pretentious could never be penetrated upon first listen, but once you eventually break through and submerge yourself in the richness of these plucky-harped fables, you will come to appreciate Ys as a precious gift presented just to you, saturated with affection and wrapped in integrity, serving as one of the purest albums ever made—and yet far from the only example of where Joanna proved herself to be in the most creative songwriting league of our time. Perhaps even in all of time. And perhaps even as the greatest.

Selected Accolades:
#83 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.
#32 in The Times’ list the Top 100 Albums of the Decade.
#21 in Uncut magazine’s list the 150 Greatest Albums of the Decade.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

02. Deftones - White Pony (2000)

Alternative Metal
Spotify

Around the time White Pony galloped in, nü-metal had already flourished into one profitable cluster indeed, having forced itself into the mainstream and clawing towards the upper-ends of the commercial charts—much to the dismay of the more elitist metalhead crews. In hindsight, then, it’s interesting to analyse Deftones’ part in all of this, the group unquestionably leading as one of the pioneers from the pack, yet still smart enough to predict the genre’s imminent demise a few steps ahead. With this foresight, they avoided the temptation to greedily cash in on the blind followers’ extended palms and casually jumped ship, preferring to progress their crafty atmospheres by uniting shoegaze daydreams with trip hop textures without fully abandoning their trademark arty-darkness, fearlessly delivering their violence with a much softer (almost sexual) touch—and in that respect, forging a more dangerous entity than anything their counterparts had achieved up until that point. Furthermore, their forecast could not have been more accurate, nü-metal perishing a shameful death a few years later (perhaps owed, in part, to this very album), whilst our heroes continued to build upon their flawless discography forever, as undoubtedly one of the most consistent bands metal has ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Selected Accolades:
#28 in Metal Hammer’s list the Albums of the Decade.
#5 in Kerrang!’s list The 50 Best Rock Albums of the 2000s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

01. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

Experimental Electronic Art Rock
Spotify

After the unstoppable success of 1997’s OK Computer, Radiohead were once again hailed as the poster-gods for anthems-to-slit-your-wrist-to, and in a self-fulfilling reputation-prophecy, were unequipped to cope with the pressure of the fame, breaking down into tears from the stifling anticipation for their follow-up record, suddenly disinterested in the industry or even rock music whatsoever. Luckily, all the money and acclaim and popularity came with the perks of trust, and the band received the label’s blessing to take as much time as they needed, to do whatever they wanted to do. What they wanted to do, as it turns out, was to take the only direction they could in order escape the creative rut: by running away from themselves completely. Instruments were abandoned in favour of ambient synthesizers with mechanical drum machines; comprehensible lyrics were shattered, isolated into abstract one-liners, then pushed out of the spotlight, backwards into the freezing cold of the mix; while the pop formulas were disconnected, stripped of hooks and trapped in a claustrophobic paranoia, forced to watch their own chaos from a distance. Naturally, something so unfriendly initially dumbfounded critics, ultimately embarrassing many who disregarded the album far too prematurely, but for those of us who spent the (excessive amount of) time required to puncture the meandering drones and distressing anxiety, we still effortlessly recognise this as the most groundbreaking album of our millennium thus far.

Selected Accolades:
#48 in Spin’s list the Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years.
#2 in The Guardian’s list the Albums of the Decade.
Deemed the Best Pop Album of the Noughties by The Times.
Deemed the Best Album of the Decade by Rolling Stone magazine.
Deemed the Top Album of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.
#67 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.


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The Top 10 Albums Of The 90s

12. Tindersticks - Tindersticks [II] (1995)

Chamber Pop Slowcore
Spotify

If I had to get poetic about it, I’d compare Tindersticks to the aftermath of a murder, committed by yourself, gently forced upon a loved one. Not that I would know how this would go exactly, but I imagine such an affair to occur from an accidental event, perhaps where the affection or seductive intimacy got a little overbearing, and your graceful little hands carefully took control of matters for themselves. And now, here you sit, some time later in the guilt-ridden darkness of the night, moping over the passive body you have already neatly disposed of, overcome by tiredness but too melancholic to sleep, asking yourself the same question over and over: Why did you do that? You didn’t want to do that. Maybe Tindersticks made you do that? With all their mumbly storytelling and sophisticated orchestral instrumentation and audacious running time and stupid practice of naming both of their first albums the same name—this was surely their fault! Which might not hold up in a court of law, but it at least I got a review out of it.

Selected Accolades:
Nothing worth mentioning really.

11. The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land (1997)

Big Beat Breakbeat Hardcore
Spotify

The Fat of the Land is not the most flawless of all 90s albums, granted, but it was without a doubt the greatest representative of what the decade had to offer. The wired ravers happily ground their back molars into dust, lost within the easy-stick dance floor bangers. The gothy alternative scene found some disruptive medicine in the unapologetic violent aggressions and punky fashion sensibilities. The hip hop crews energetically bounced their appreciation to the rhythmic big beats and short spats of poetic verse. And, most importantly, they all moved together, under one same roof, complete with agitated hair styles, a fistful of drugs, and piercings shoved into just about anywhere. Who knew that the most convenient way to get these adversarial genres to play nice was to simply set the whole fucking thing on fire? Of course, such a quick assault would always have some sort of a shelf life, and in hindsight, the singles did generally fight louder than the rest—not to mention the uninspired lyrics which should only be appreciated on attitude value alone. However, even the music videos were enough to prove that this album was a force never intending to make friends, to the point that most of these offensive messages wouldn’t even get onto the television in today’s politically correct-ridden society of vaginas.

Selected Accolades:
Entered the 1999 Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling UK album.
#43 in Q magazine’s list the Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime.
#47 in Q magazine’s list the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#9 in Q magazine readers’ voted list The Greatest Album of all Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

10. Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible (1994)

Alternative Rock
Spotify

Despite hardly featuring on the album whatsoever and spending most of the recording sessions either asleep or in tears, The Holy Bible is 100% Richey Edwards in musical form. It is the frightening sound of pure mental deterioration, suffering and falling apart in front of an audience, tormented by life itself, empty and angry and on the verge of death. By this point, he was a severe alcoholic, drinking before breakfast. He was regularly self-harming, at times accidentally cutting too deep and ending up in hospital. His anorexia nervosa had spiralled, his body weighing a mere 38kg at its worst. And his only meager liberation from this painful prison of dark nihilism was to expose his disturbing pessimism through the words you find on this very album ... but even this was not enough. Six months after its release, Richey disappeared at the lucky age of 27, presumed dead but never officially found, The Holy Bible working as some sort of a cryptic suicide note, rejecting the world and confessing his inability to endure anything anymore. A true tragedy. However (and surprisingly), the Manics have since continued a very successful (albeit more commercial) career without the man, but not they nor anyone else could ever reach these depths of intensity again.

Selected Accolades:
Deemed the Darkest Album Ever by NME.
#37 in NME’s list the 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made.
#15 in Q’s list the Greatest Albums Ever.
#15 in Melody Maker’s list the Top 100 Albums of all Time.
#10 in Q’s list the Best Albums Released During Q's Lifetime.
#10 in Kerrang!’s list the Top Albums of all Time.
Deemed the Best Album Ever in a poll from BBC Newsnight viewers.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

09. Nas - Illmatic (1994)

Hardcore East Coast Hip Hop
Spotify

In a decidedly guitar-dominated decade, one should be careful not to overlook the coexisting insurgence of a much more dangerous incarnation from the hip hop scene. And there is no rap album in history more crucial than Illmatic, which remains the go-to East Coast hip hop flavour above any other, even till this very day. Nas fired his intellectual philosophies with a confidence beyond your traditional debut, utilising sharp narratives to authentically illustrate his own daily struggles through the New York ghettos, casually flexing a sophisticated wisdom whilst name-dropping actual people and places, dodging the drug violence and gang rivalries, and simply striving to keep his head above the poverty line. The skillful rhyming flows and stream-of-consciousness poetics gelled so tightly with the old-school beats that they subsequently changed the game the very instant they were dropped, becoming the essential master frame for the black youth to follow from that point onwards, and growing into the prime hip hop album even non-hip hop fans could get into. Make no mistake, Illmatic is consistently considered the greatest rap record ever made for justifiable reasons, as Nas was quickly hailed as the saviour of hip hop—a title he could never quite sustain. Which is understandable though, because no one could follow up something like this.

Selected Accolades:
#4 in Vibe’s list the Top 10 Rap Albums.
#2 in MTV’s list The Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time.
#33 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.
#314 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of all Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

08. Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

Alternative Rock
Spotify

Dying young is not a particularly unique story for rockstars to tell, but the accidental drowning of 30-year-old Jeff Buckley did come with an it’s own special sob of poignancy. And it was all because of Grace. His only complete album. One of the very few records which knew how to massacre the listener’s emotions without forcing entry, rather earning its intensity with eloquent lyrics and soaring arrangements, sneaking in a soft romantic manipulation which strips you naked and leaves you exposed, covered in goosebumps for everyone to see. But above even this devastation, was the angelic vocals from Jeff’s own mouth, often hailed as the greatest rock voice of all time, sensitively seducing the high notes and then passionately tearing them down as perhaps the most overall naturally gifted person to have ever been born into our world. And then, just like that, he abandoned us when we needed him more than ever, leaving behind perhaps the most agonising tragedy in all of music’s deaths, purely in terms of the unrealised potential from the songs which could have been.

Selected Accolades:
Deemed the Greatest Modern Rock Classic of all Time by Mojo.
#303 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of all Time.
#39 in The Guardian’s list the Top 100 Albums Ever.
#23 in British Hit Singles & Albums and NME’s poll the 100 Best Albums Ever.
#13 in the Q reader’s list the Greatest Albums of all Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

07. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... (1996)

Experimental Instrumental Hip Hop
Spotify

Armed with nothing but a few bits of insignificant equipment and a fuckload of vinyls, DJ Shadow put his love for music knowledge to the test on his debut, and accidentally changed music production forever. The reason Endtroducing..... is perpetually hailed as such a milestone case, is because it stands as the first album to truly popularise the idea that one could create a full body of work simply by sampling other musician’s creations alone, working like a historical journal or a capsule of sounds rather than your usual over-the-counter group of compositions. And he achieved this feat like a conductor in front of an orchestra, pinpointing brief fragments of brilliance within his obscure collection, kidnapping them out from their natural habitat, weaving them into a newly borrowed family, and then looping everyone together until they assembled ideas so far removed from the originals that even their creators may have missed them upon first listen. Which not only resulted in a fusion record that somehow maintained its cohesion, but also provided a fun little game for musos, who desperately hunted the globe to find just where the hell all these tunes had initially come from. And it was around then that sampling was finally considered an authentic artform, and that whole ‘stealing’ argument died immediately afterwards.

Selected Accolades:
#71 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list the 100 Best Albums of the Nineties.
#20 in Q magazine’s list the 90 Albums of the '90s.
#10 in Spin magazine’s list the 100 Best Albums of the 1990s.
#7 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

06. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

Indie Folk Rock
Spotify

If you’ve had your musical ear to the ground for long enough, you will remember a time when it became impossible to escape the pitter-patter sounds of a thousand little indie puppy paws impulsively following this album wherever it went, whilst drooling their worship to anyone who even mentioned the word ‘vinyl’. I myself spent some time living amongst these creatures, taking notes, attempting to decipher the hype, and gently nudging the lo-fi acoustics into my own canals, encouraging these dreamlike lyrics to flick at my skull as much as they wanted to. Hushed rumours between the indie-dog people spoke of a concept, one focused upon the story of Anne Frank, but such specific details were difficult to clearly hear, trapped beneath a somber absurdity, or perhaps not even there at all, simply a result of these followers’ disorganised imaginations, damaged and mournfully reflecting upon their personal demons, drenching their sentimentality with dread until I suddenly and utterly understood exactly what they were getting at. It seems they have accepted me as one of their own now, and I embrace Aeroplane as my new cult leader, as well as arguably the greatest recent folk landmark that never broke the mainstream.

Selected Accolades:
#98 in NME's list of the Greatest Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

05. Björk - Homogenic (1997)

Electronic Art Pop
Spotify

According to Björk herself, Homogenic was intended as a ‘one flavour’ ode to her birthplace, the Nordic island country known as Iceland. She fearlessly approached this ambitious tribute from two seemingly paradoxical standpoints: the untamed yet romantic nature of the country’s landscapes, and the hi-tech yet automated progression of their modernised cities. She then directed the anxiously programmed beats to work their misshapen trip-hoppiness into the freezing cold string arrangements, whilst the primitive vocal melodies performed as bewitching instruments themselves, collectively painting detailed visualisations so euphorically vivid and profoundly dramatic that you can teleport to Iceland whenever you want to, simply by closing your eyes. Can you see it now? The moss protecting the waterfall from the sharp edges of the rocks. The photograph of a snow storm, captured in time between the breaths of the forest. The ribbons subtly unravelling themselves within each other’s heartbeats. It’s all here in one complete package, not a footprint out of place, and frequently (but, impressively, not always) cited as the peak of Björk’s perpetually evolving style—as well as occasionally baptised as the greatest electronic album of all time (and not only by me!).

Selected Accolades:
#10 in Slant Magazine’s list The Greatest Electronic Albums of the 20th Century.
#20 in Pitchfork Media's list the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.
Deemed the Best Album of 1990s by Slant Magazine.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

04. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

Grunge
Spotify

I remember it clearly. I knew it from the opening chords. The big hair, flashy videos, and convoluted compositions were dead. We had been sick of them for quite some time without even realising it. And Nevermind showed that to us. It demolished everything with a syringe into the mainstream, contaminating the overground fashion with a destructive simplicity, overpowering all trends by popularising depression and drug addiction, inventing the grunge genre and defining a generation. It was a divine intervention, immediately exploding from the arms of its makers and running away without them, an accidental success galvanised by lost teenagers discovering a rebellious power within the angsty anthems, free of gimmicks and frills, just straightforward permission to stop-giving-a-fuck. And it changed everything for me. It was the first real thing I ever felt a part of, and is still unchallenged as the album which made the biggest impact on my musical life. So, yes, perhaps it’s not the ‘cool’ Nirvana album to choose. And, yes, perhaps it has suffered from overplaying and accusations of overproduction. But now that these decades have passed, we can finally accurately and objectively appreciate this release for what it really was. It was the 90s record, and you fucking know it.

Selected Accolades:
#8 in Guitar World's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Recordings.
#6 in Pitchfork Media's list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.
#17 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#10 in Entertainment Weekly's list of the Best Albums of All Time.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2005).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

03. Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

Alternative Art Rock
Spotify

As much as the accolades for OK Computer have constructed an immovable pedestal beneath the album and risen it beyond the stature of almost every other landmark 90s masterpiece, I have always considered it to be more of a bridge release, of sorts. After the substantial success of The Bends, the band had built a reputation for themselves as a bleak, intellectual indie rock band, most publications exclusively harassing Yorke’s gloomy dispositions and sardonic sense of self-deprecation as the music’s focal point. Radiohead themselves grew despondent of this notoriety, and (as we already know) have spent the majority of their career rebelling against it by challenging audiences with electronic studio mischief and the isolation of their complex ideas beneath multilayered piles of abstractness. And it was on OK Computer specifically that the transition had begun but was not yet complete, exhausting the previously dispirited (sometimes aggressive) guitar riffs, with the polished alienation and dystopian foreboding only the apathy of technology could deliver. Which, as it turns out, was the final bullet needed to put Britpop out of its misery and bring art-rock back to the masses, cementing Radiohead as the most ambitious and important band of the last three decades.

Selected Accolades:
#3 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 100 Best Albums of the Nineties.
Deemed the Top Album of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media (in 2009).
#2 in Q’s list The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#171 in Guitar Magazine's list Album Of The Millennium.
#162 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#111 in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time.
#20 in NME’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1998.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

02. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

Shoegaze Noise Pop
Spotify

In a rare accomplishment of conceptual design, this album cover describes the musical content much more accurately than I ever could. Essentially, it’s a guitar record (featuring a large quantity of my favourite riffs ever written) except with the performances blurred out of sight, drenched in a pink euphoria, drowning in a harsh fuzziness, and absorbed by a wet candyfloss. In fact, the washed-out distortion of this album is so extreme and overly-textured, that the instruments are all but lost, swamped into one thick puddle of mess, each sound completely inseparable, buried and suffocating whilst fighting one another just to stay afloat and breathe. Which, during the early 90s, was a style unlike anything the world had ever heard, the shoegaze prototype, never paralleled yet imitated repeatedly, and still so ageless that it could have easily been released today. Hell, some have even suggested that Loveless was perhaps too good, as the band’s key mastermind (Kevin Shields) struggled to write a follow-up, his genius slowly crumbling into madness, shelving at least two fully recorded products and turning into a recluse, until he eventually got the job done 22 fucking years later.

Selected Accolades:
Deemed the Top Album the 1990s by Pitchfork Media (in 1999).
#22 in Spin's list the 100 Greatest Albums 1985–2005.
#20 in The Observer's list the 100 Greatest British Albums of All Time.
#219 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#18 in NME’s list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

01. Slint - Spiderland (1991)

Post-Hardcore Math Rock
Spotify

When you learn that the four day recording sessions of Spiderland were so traumatic that at least one member checked into a mental institute directly afterwards and then the band broke up five seconds later, the jittery restlessness and detached tension of this record makes a lot more sense. Upon first listen, do not be alarmed if you find yourself abandoned, floating aimlessly in the middle of a calm open ocean with nothing to hold onto but your own thoughts. And then the claustrophobia closes in. Your hysterical urgency for rescue amplifies. Hushed whispers turn into scarcely audible mumbles turn into spoken word narratives turn into strained screams for help, performing an outright panic attack through agitated time signatures and manic dynamics—all very hopeless and terrifyingly quiet within the chaotic disorder of your looming respiratory failure. And once the record has played out and you are gasping for air, unable to make eye contact with your usually trusted bottle of water, you will understand why this technical progressive complex masterpiece is lauded as a pinnacle of the 1990s, often considered the primary catalyst for the whole post-rock genre, as well as the most essential math rock album ever made.

Selected Accolades:
#12 in Pitchfork Media's list the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.
#6 in Alternative Press' list The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90s.
#94 in Spin Magazine's list the 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005.
#55 in Melody Maker's list the All Time Top 100 Albums.
#53 in NME's list the 100 Best Albums.


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The Top 10 Albums Of The 80s

11. Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982)

Experimental Art Pop
Spotify

By description, Big Science could easily be dismissed as yet another album which gratifies itself into a pompous snooze-fest by punching way above its weight. It pushes the avant-garde pop-guard as far forward as it can, attacking the ‘conventional’ in hopes of camouflaging itself as some futuristic visionary, attempting to reinvent the wheel by throwing all the intellect and creativity Anderson can assemble into a 45 minute time frame. However, when surrendering to these synthy soundscapes and spoken words encompassing one apocalyptic mechanical world, it isn’t quite as bombastic as one may have initially assumed, rather freed from the shackles of unnecessary artiness by a minimalist apathy, like a friendly robot who has no interest in showing-off but merely wants to play, amused by your primitive shell and curious as to what makes your species tick. Nothing demonstrates this extroversion/indifference paradox better than the choice of instruments used, at times employing electronics you’ve never heard of (the farfisa organ, or the Oberheim OB-Xa, for examples) and at other times utilising tools you can already play (hand claps, bottles beaten with sticks, etc), which together depict the perfect image of the progressive computerised nature of the 80s, no matter how overlooked and misunderstood that may be.

Selected Accolades:
#44 in Slant Magazine's list the Best Albums of the 1980s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

10. Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)

New Wave Post-Punk
Spotify

The oft-uncelebrated hero of music’s most inventive periods is Brian Eno, his name suppressed in the linear notes of such masterpieces as Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, and the three most important albums of Talking Head’s career. Which brings us to the time Remain in Light rolled around and our producer/co-writer had just about reached toppling point, initially unenthusiastic to stamp his label on yet another one of the band’s offerings. However, upon hearing the demos, he immediately changed his mind, enthralled by the more communal direction which no longer gravitated around Byrne’s awkward instability, but rather looped African grooves and unconventional funk values with a style no one had ever heard before (or even since, now that we mention it). So he joined their ranks once again, and I can only imagine how grateful Mr Eno still is for that decision, because (while Talking Heads were already notorious for their adventurous magic and improvisational introspective lyrical content) Remain in Light grew to become their magnum opus, defying time and age and defining experimental art-punk for generations to come. Unfortunately, Brian stayed true to his original threat eventually, leaving this as the final Eno/Heads collaboration, and the band quickly fell from their pedestal of glory shortly afterwards :(

Selected Accolades:
#27 in Q's list the 40 Best Albums of the 80s.
#11 in NME's list The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s.
#6 in Slant’s list the Best Albums of the 1980s.
#4 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list The Best Albums of the Decade.
#2 in Pitchfork Media's list the Top 100 Albums Of The 1980s.
#129 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#88 in VH1’s list the 100 Greatest Albums.
#68 in NME's list the Greatest Albums Of All Time.
#43 in The Guardian's survey of the 100 Best Albums Ever.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

09. Prince and The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)

Pop Rock Synth Funk

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. But do not fear if you discover yourself lost and directionless, for we can all find guidance from the ardent gospels screamed at us from the most elevated of altars, spurting out the mouth of our divine androgynous preacher, Prince himself. Praised be his name! Now watch as the front row break into fevers, the unholy spirit colourfully laminating their panicked visions with one hand, and pestering their loins with the other, a cheeky sermon designed to deliver the soul from evil by kindling a previously suppressed sexuality, ensuring we find God within these new intriguing feelings one way or another. To clarify: this is the best Church ever! As well as the frequently cited ‘best Prince ever’, a rare example of when a soundtrack has eclipsed its partner film so severely that many listeners aren’t even aware of the movie anyway, a unique feat achieved by pretty much doing everything, including the layers upon layers of distinct instrumentation smearing together an interminable array of popular 80s genres until pop threatens to erupt love all over itself. And that turns me on.
Please Note: I wrote this review whilst listening to said album on the morning of April 21st, unbeknownst to me perhaps the very moment Prince died. One very eerie (and painfully heartbreaking) coincidence. Rest in Peace, you legend.

Selected Accolades:
Becoming the sixth best-selling soundtrack of all time, at over 22 million copies shipped.
Deemed the Best Soundtrack of All Time by Vanity Fair.
#18 in VH1's list the Greatest Rock and Roll Albums of All Time.
#2 in Slant Magazine's list the Best Albums of the 1980s.
#2 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the Greatest Albums of 1980s.
Deemed the Best Album of the Past 25 Years by Entertainment Weekly.
#76 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#15 in Time's list the Greatest Albums of the All Time.
#2 in Entertainment Weekly’s list the 100 Greatest Albums Ever.
Won two Grammy Awards in 1985, as well as an Album of the Year nomination.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2012).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

08. Joy Division - Closer (1980)

Post-Punk
Spotify

The story of Joy Division is so legendary that it almost reads like a tragic work of fiction written by an author who grew bored halfway through. Two uneasy albums were released in the space of two years, and in between their fruition, frontman Ian Curtis had already hung himself to death at the delicate age of 23. His reasons for the self-inflicted passing were a terrible combination of uncontrollable epilepsy (which at times caused embarrassing fits in front of large audiences), and a crippling depression that is well documented throughout Joy Division’s brief discography. His gloomy hopelessness and tortured pain left him weak, mumbling his black soul all over the slow gothic textures and claustrophobic production which, in hindsight, could not be considered anything but a forlorn sob for help. But while both their debut and swansong suffered by a comparable amount of troubled loneliness, and while the previous Unknown Pleasures did define the entire post-punk genre, it was the aptly named Closer which perfected the scene, as well as striking with an additional potency; the recently deceased stinging the fresh wounds inside of our guts. Oh, Ian. So sorry to see you go.

Selected Accolades:
#72 in NME’s list The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#10 in Pitchfork Media’s list The Best Albums of the 1980s.
#8 in Q’s list The 40 Best Albums of the 1980s.
#7 in Slant Magazine’s list The Best Albums of the 1980s.
#157 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

07. Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)

Worldbeat Pop Rock
Spotify

In a decade known for its artificially programmed audio, it’s refreshing when the roots of Mother Earth are dug up to produce an album which has maintained its relevance throughout forever. However, while much can be said about Graceland's content (including some of the best lyrics ever fused to tape), the backstory (and consequences) almost overshadow the music within. It started when Simon found himself captivated by the soulful arrangements and rhythms of the African land, and promptly set off to South Africa to refine his own sound towards that direction, weaving the intricate black spirit into his white arty-smartiness, collaborating with the locals to capture the severe yet upbeat vibes of the township, and connecting their culture to the big budget production of the west. Which seems friendly enough, but in reality was one controversial move, primarily due to South Africa’s apartheid regime at the time. He was accused of exploiting the country’s craft, taking advantage of resident musicians, and even plagiarising some of their compositions. A ban from South Africa loomed and Simon was blacklisted from the United Nations for a while, but in hindsight, he did help to globally popularise the traditional style and push some financially advantageous interest their way, so maybe all is forgiven by now? I hope so.

Selected Accolades:
#85 in Pitchfork Media's list Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1980s.
#39 in Q Magazine's list The 80 Best Records of the 80s.
#19 in Slant Magazine's list Best Albums of the 1980s.
#56 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list The Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years.
#84 in Channel 4’s survey The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#81 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#69 in The Guardian's list The 100 Best Albums Ever.
#26 in USA Today's list Top 40 Albums of All Time.
#4 in Entertainment Weekly's list The 100 Greatest CDs of All Time.
Won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2007).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

06. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

Contemporary R&B Pop
Spotify

There is a reasonable argument that Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer that ever moonwalked our earth. His contagious songwriting, his unreasonable dance moves, his restless face, and his alleged kiddy-fiddling habits developed into an enigma, one where the very mention of his name demanded attention so severely that the pop crown has been permanently glued to his head without any threat ever since. However, all customary sentiments aside, his sound has suffered from being perhaps a bit too 80s. Even on Thriller (his most iconic achievement) the synthy grooves have fermented slightly like a cheese with an overdue sell-by date, owed in part to the countless amount of times we’ve been exposed these songs—which isn’t its fault, really. But even these feeble gripes cannot detract from the facts: Thriller is a phenomenon. It is immediately recognised by every household in the world as a staple of our culture, as well as the most substantial commercial juggernaut that has ever been committed to music. And this was intentional, invoked by a man who was so deludedly arrogant that he thought he could create the best record ever made, yet so aggressively determined and naturally educated that he actually succeeded somehow? It’s beyond an album, basically.

Selected Accolades:
Sold one million copies worldwide per week at its peak.
The best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 65-70 million copies shipped.
7 of the 10 songs were Billboard Top 10 singles.
Won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year.
#20 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#11 in National Association of Recording Merchandisers’ list the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.
Deemed the Best Album of the 1980s by Slant Magazine.
Deemed the Best Album Released Since 1981 by a collection of critics from MTV Base and VH1.
Deemed the Best Album of All Time by an MTV Generation poll.
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2008).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

05. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)

Thrash Metal
Spotify

There was no shortage of heavy music in the 80s, as the metal gods had finally reached the depths of viciousness they were always destined to sink to, but this album will forever stand as the rock-bottom as to what the outbreak was capable of. It charged in at 220bpm with the cleanest production any metal album had been burdened with at the time, invading the genre with a bloodthirst so ferociously focused and intensely aggressive that no other record even had the foresight to put up any defences. Everything the scene had a reputation for was under sudden attack, Reign in Blood leading a violent rampage and ultimately tearing out the other side victorious after ceaselessly massacring and then abandoning every other band as one obscenely bloody landscape, decorated by mutilated chunks of faces and fingers and hair—all within a mere 29 minutes. It was over. We had been conquered by the finer details of Satan worship and the insanity of human experiments conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp, and now it was simply too late. The new Kings had arrived, and we bowed down to what is still considered by many (including me) to be the greatest metal album of all time.

Selected Accolades:
Deemed “The Heaviest Album of all Time” by Kerrang!
#27 in Kerrang!’s list the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time.
Deemed the Best Metal Album of the Last 20 Years by Metal Hammer.
#67 in Spin Magazine’s list 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005.
#7 in IGN’s list the Top 25 Most Influential Metal Albums.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

04. Pixies - Doolittle (1989)

Alternative Indie Rock
Spotify

What makes Doolittle such an exhilarating album, is that it sounds like a crazy person. The contradictions are endless: the clean production and catchy commercialism battle the dirty noise and raw punk rock essence; the easy-stick listenable pop principles antagonise the genuine staying-power which comes from an incurable case of unorthodox neurosis; the dark surrealism and biblical discomfort argues with the mischievous whimsy and light hearted sense of humour; and the masculine aggressions wrestle the maternal lovings for the spotlight; all the while the lunatic yearns for your affection yet keeps biting your hand when you get too close. The very dynamics of this record are at war, the loud vs. the soft fighting until everything is dead, which is exactly what happens. Everything dies, in one very quick journey of such unbroken perfection that the whole game was never the same again. This is because the Pixies' sound was ripped to ribbons by everyone with a guitar shortly after, and while we pray that they rest in peace (ignoring subpar reunions), not even Nirvana can deny that the 90s alternative scene actually started right here. Please pass the tiara.

Selected Accolades:
#36 in Spin Magazine’s list the 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005.
#34 in Slant Magazine’s list the Best Albums of the 1980s.
#4 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.
#226 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#2 in NME’s writer poll of the 100 Best Albums.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

03. David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980)

Art Pop Rock
Spotify

By this point, Bowie’s career had already built an immoveable reputation for dabbling in almost every genre the musical spectrum had to offer, including commercial chart toppers and alienating experimental wankeries, with all the meat between. And it is this very disorientated meandering which set Scary Monsters as the epicenter of the man’s extensive catalogue: no overly-arty complications, yet no conventional friendliness either, rather a summary of the man’s collected infinite knowledge, erected as one crooked poppy rock record that didn’t try to be anything it wasn’t, existing as the most consistent and ‘Bowie’ Bowie record he ever made. But that is not to say this classic doesn't have it’s own peculiar character, because, by God, it does. It’s a threatening nightmare, aggressive and ugly, yet with a comical edge, urgently stabbing at a masterpiece with all the exertion its arms could gather, and ultimately violating the mark with the precision of a trained expert, because, obviously, he was. Unfortunately, this too became its curse, commonly considered David’s final significant piece of work and the go-to comparison milestone which haunted his career for the rest of his life (especially because 80s Bowie kinda sucked after this). But no matter! It’s my favourite anyway.

Selected Accolades:
#30 in Q Magazine’s list the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#93 in Pitchfork Media’s list the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.
#27 in Slant Magazine’s list the Best Albums of the 1980s.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

02. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)

Alternative Noise Rock
Spotify

Daydream Nation could be argued as evidence towards the idea that planets shake hands occasionally. Its timing was immaculate and stuck immediately like a safety pin holding the band’s entire catalogue together, working as a transitional piece of where Sonic Youth were no longer who they were before, and yet not quite who they were to become. The jammy waffling and unnecessary feedback they were known for, was traded in favour for a tighter noise, a focus on a more captivating style of songwriting, and a certain melodic delicacy stubbornly repressed beneath all the rowdy filth. On the other side, however, the uninitiated agonised at its length, over an hour of clamour with the production as muddy as all hell, the band’s final rebellious testament against the 80s studio polish before they ‘sold out’ and went major themselves. Yet what nobody could have predicted, was that this noise would prove to be exactly what the decade was craving, the most logical next step, breaking the avant-rock scene out from the underground and prophetically predicting the whole untidy 90s grunge movement before anyone could even say ‘nevermind’. Which is a taste worth acquiring, you must trust me.

Selected Accolades:
#11 in Guitarist’s list the 101 Essential Guitar Albums.
#9 in Spin’s list the 100 Alternative Albums.
#45 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.
#30 in Q’s list the 80 Best Records of the 80s.
#30 in Slant Magazine’s list the Best Albums of the 1980s.
#13 in Spin Magazine’s list the 100 Greatest Albums from 1985 to 2010.
Deemed the Greatest Album of the 1980s by Pitchfork Media.
#329 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2006).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

01. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986)

Indie Jangle Pop
Spotify

Apologies to Rourke and Joyce, but they should be used to this by now: The holy spirit which manifested itself through the entity known as ‘The Smiths’ was a sole and direct consequence of the artistic romance between Marr and Morrissey. And as every magazine since has agreed, The Queen is Dead was where their musical jizz climaxed and consolidated into a concoction which grew a life of its own, ultimately ruining everything for everyone else forever. Just listen to Marr, at his most bouncy and effervescent, his distinguished jangly guitar riffs so instantaneously recognisable that he is irrefutably the true hero behind the stylistic innovation. And now listen to Morrissey, at his most hilariously sarcastic, drearily whining or condescendingly preaching some poetic one-liner or the other, delivered with such a disinterested contempt that you don’t know whether to laugh or cry or never talk to anyone again. Which is why I consider this to be the best indie album ever created—certainly the most influential—and a perfect record from one of history’s only perfect bands, with a perfect four album career swiftly followed by the perfect dissolution, complete with bitter court cases, media name-calling, and decades of unfulfilled reunion rumours.

Selected Accolades:
#16 in Slant Magazine’s list of the Best Albums of the 1980s.
#3 in Q Magazine's list of the 40 Best Albums of the '80s.
#2 in NME’s list of the Greatest British Albums of All Time.
#216 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Deemed the Greatest Record of All Time according to NME.


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The Top 10 Albums Of The 70s

11. John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Contemporary Folk Rock
Spotify

As the 70s ushered in their dawn, the aura felt distinctly different without the pollen of the 60s spreading their affection everywhere, which can be probably best represented by this very album. Let’s start with The Beatles themselves. The leaders of the revolution. The epitome of the love love love generation. They were dead. The dream was over. And this debut solo album from John Lennon was the confirmation bullet to its forehead. Said bullet was delivered without the colourful psychedelia or catchy refrains that embraced us from before, but rather fired defensively via some stripped back guitarwork and a voice which wailed and snarled in agony about one single issue: the abandonment of his childhood self. The untimely death of his mother. The desertion of his father. The invisibility of any tangible God. The incessant desire to be admired because of this emptiness. All surfaced together in one ball of suffering, aggravated by a recent bout in primal scream therapy, guiding Lennon to present this introspective confession and exposing his long buried insecurities, now as a vulnerable man, bitter, scared, with no one but Yoko to lick the wounds clean. And it puts all other post-Beatles work to shame. Perhaps even some early-Beatles work too.

Selected Accolades:
#62 in Q’s list The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#60 in Pitchfork Media's list of the 100 Top Albums of the 1970s.
#4 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of 1967 - 1987.
#22 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

10. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)

Art Pop
Spotify

It’s difficult to listen to an album as progressive as The Kick Inside and not become fascinated by the lady herself, at times above even the music within. Such enchantments stand particularly firm on her debut due to her age at the time of its conception, released before our Kate was even 20 years old, with certain tracks written when she was as young as 13. Based on this information, a certain enigmatic quality magically glows from her character, would you not agree? An eerie expansion, magically exuberating beyond her maturity with quirky melodies so creative and abnormal that she grows more into a mythical creature rather than something as simple as a human. It's almost as if a certain romance allures you with its witchy spell, yet the temptation comes with a warning of thorns, threatening trespassers with an eccentric poison, one defence mechanism designed to only allow a select few to be embraced with love like a child in the womb. But it didn't even end there. As while Wuthering Heights may have become the first female-written UK number-one single ever, and while every other song on offer here stands just as tall during the fillerless journey, her discography continued to blossom for the next decade until she coiled back into her rotten candy-house and slept, now a recluse who only occasionally reappears to sell tickets at £100+ a pop.

Selected Accolades:
none, which is stupid.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

09. Ramones - Ramones (1976)

Punk Rock
Spotify

During the 1970s, rock took an annoying turn. It had begun to feel important, serving itself by flaunting ‘profound’ themes whilst masturbating all over their instruments, declaring the act as ‘progressive’ or ‘arty’. Which was all fine, until it managed to crawl so far up its own ass that we couldn’t even hear the music anymore. Thank God, then, for the Ramones, who came along just in time to prove rock ‘n roll didn’t need to be taken seriously, and what’s more, you didn’t even need any talent to create it. Instead, we got a band who were more akin to the class underachiever, inebriated and rambling uneducated rubbish about Nazism or drug-use or prostitution in such utterly ridiculous and sloppy manners, that you couldn’t help but feel some sympathetic love for them within your own amusement. And then suddenly, before you had even realised what was happening, they accelerated the conversation, forming upbeat anthems which all sounded exactly the same and ended as fast as they began, yet were hammered into your head for a lifetime, indirectly jump-starting punk rock before it even had a name, and changing the history of music forever. And not a single rock record since has escaped its influence. I mean, just ask the Sex Pistols, who may wear the punk crown according to many, but blatantly ripped it right off the Ramones' heads, which simply isn't fair and a little bit rude.

Selected Accolades:
#4 in Mojo’s list The Best Punk Albums.
#74 in Q’s list The 100 Greatest Albums Ever.
Included in the National Recording Registry (2012).

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

08. Queen - A Night at the Opera (1975)

Hard Art Rock
Spotify

There is nothing worse than a review which exclusively focuses on the frontman whilst the otherwise deadly proficient musicians get scribbled into the margins like annotations, and yet here we are again. My excuse is because A Night at the Opera is Freddy Mercury to the very core, the absolute finest example of the legend melted down like an iron statue and then converted into audio form for convenience sake (bar I'm in Love with My Car, but let’s not go there). The very arrogance of this album leaks delusions of grandeur at amounts so unnecessarily excessive that you can feel your own ego being mashed into an inferior wad of pulp, and yet decade after decade, it survives the weight of its own egomania. How? Simple! Its charm! Because while it will upstage you, it does so with such a cheeky flamboyance and cocky humour that you’ll discover yourself delighted rather than defeated, flattered by the flirtations, joyously clapping for the coats of harmonies and genres which offhandedly animate from one style to another as effortlessly as a wink. It’s only flaunting its pride to entertain you! So enthralling! And without a doubt the most impressive piece of work these stadium giants ever produced, including Brian May, who is also really good too.

Selected Accolades:
Debuted at No. 1 in the UK and No. 4 in the US.
#19 in Kerrang!’s poll the 100 Best British Rock Albums Ever.
#17 in Q’s poll the 50 Best British Albums Ever.
#25 in Classic Rock’s list the 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever.
#231 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#19 in NME’s poll the Greatest 100 Albums of All Time.
#13 in Channel 4’s poll the Greatest 100 Albums.
#9 in BBC’s poll the Top 100 Albums.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

07. Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express (1977)

Electronic
Spotify

As far as altering the modern world goes, no country can boast quite as much of an impact as Germany. Certainly, this hasn’t always exactly been a badge of honour, but in almost exclusive regards to Kraftwerk, this nation’s monumental influence on programmed music deserves unquestionable worship, incomparable to any other, to the degree of absurdity. Said development had already started a few years before Trans-Europe Express, as the outfit had pretty much single-handedly defined electronic music some albums previous, breaking into the history books by revolutionising the very concept of what organised sound could entail. But while various fanatics will draw blood over which Kraftwerk masterpiece warrants the highest approval, it’s their sixth record which is oft-considered the most accessible from their arsenal, depicting a lonely train ride over Europe, delivered by means of repetitive chugging rhythms and manipulated robotic vocals, perpetually progressing forward from the momentum of determined mechanics fighting their way through the winter cold. Even now, four decades later, its minimal textures and droning innards still sound like they are coming from the future, which is the very apotheosis of immortality, and so ahead of its time that it’s difficult to even consider this as a 70s album whatsoever.

Selected Accolades:
Deemed the Greatest Electronic Album of the 20th Century by Slant Magazine.
#6 in Pitchfork Media's list of the 100 Top Albums of the 1970s.
#253 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#71 in Channel 4’s the 100 Greatest Albums.
#56 in VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Albums (of Rock & Roll) of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

06. David Bowie - Low (1977)

Experimental Art Rock
Spotify

It was during the 1970s that art rock had finally begun to furiously flourish, and there still isn’t any figure better equipped to explain the movement than the King of Everything himself, David Bowie. All of his contributions to the entire decade were embarrassingly unrivaled, but retrospectively, it is often agreed upon that his experimental Berlin Trilogy was what truly entangled the public’s imagination, kicking off with arguably the most exciting of the lot, Low. What rose this specific record into such elevated regards, was that it's essentially two contradictory albums sold as a single package: side one of the vinyl performing as an eclectic sputtering of defective Nintendo pop, with short almost incomplete explosions of hyper-happiness and overstimulated joy; whilst side two birthed a primarily instrumental ambience, with lengthy atmospheres of dramatic foreboding and a somber exhaustion. Jolt this with the best drum sound in all of production history, and it’s no wonder that a large percentage of his die-hard fans vigorously defend this as Bowie’s greatest release—which is a pretty big deal when you consider there are 30 of them to choose from.

Selected Accolades:
#14 in Q’s list The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#249 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Deemed the Top Album of the 1970s by Pitchfork Media.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

05. The Clash - London Calling (1979)

Punk Rock
Spotify

"Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust!" couldn’t have come from a more credible source. The youth of the late-70s were clogged to the brim by the artificial love and psychedelic drug era, and instead found themselves angry at everything, shouting aggressive obscenities at the British politicians in between gulps of beer, rebelling against unemployment, excessive consumerism, social displacement, and racial rivalry, if only they could find their way out of this damn supermarket. Which is why I ask: who better to lead this gang of misplaced reprobates than The Clash themselves? I mean, not only did this four piece harness the recommended amount of discontented attitude, but they also drove enough ambitious smarts to glue together over an hour of punk music which skittered around reggae and ska and rockabilly and R&B and jazz and pop and hard rock all together, stuttering and mumbling and marching itself right into our children's heads and festering there forever. I mean, those kids are all old now and didn’t really achieve shit, but at least this album did, standing as the greatest punk record ever made, by the greatest punk band that ever existed. Because, really, who else is there? The Sex Pistols? Fuck right off, mate.

Selected Accolades:
#4 in Q’s list The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
#22 in Mojo’s list The Top 50 Punk Albums.
#6 in NME's list of the Best Albums of the 1970s.
#2 in Pitchfork Media’s list of the Best Albums of the 1970s.
Deemed the Best Album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone Magazine (despite being released the decade before, which just shows how good it was).
#8 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

04. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Hard Rock
Spotify

Like some polluted egg, the corrupt birth of heavy metal may have been laid near the end of the 1960s, but the final hatching definitely took place during the early 70s, irrevocably revealing the wicked demon salivating from within. And while people often (reasonably) credit Black Sabbath as the mother of this sound, even that villainous group had a lesser case of blasphemy than that of Zeppelin. This is because no other band in history had a higher value of talent fairly distributed between the members, each as preposterously on par with one another, never outshining nor obstructing their own separate paths of potent glory. It seems unlikely, then, that such a meet of artistry would happen by accident, which is why legend tells us that they acquired these skills from a deal made with the Devil himself. There is even evidence that they hid the Dark Lord within the reversed grooves of this very album, granting the music a power beyond our world, so consistent and timeless that it remains the epitome of hard rock’s capabilities until this very day. Which begged many to ask: what did such a trade cost the musicians of our rustic folktale? Well, nobody knows for sure, but it may have been the souls of John Bonham and Robert Plant’s son, which Lucifer stole a short time later.

Selected Accolades:
Remained in the UK charts for 90 weeks, entering at #10, rising to #1 the following week.
Became the highest selling US album ever to not top the charts (peaking at #2).
At one point, was one of the top five best-selling albums of all time.
#26 in Q’s list The Greatest British Albums.
#7 in Pitchfork Media’s Best Albums Of The 1970s.
#2 in Spin’s list of The Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time.
#69 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#24 in Mojo’s The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made.
#21 in Q’s list The 100 Best Albums Ever.
#4 in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time.
Deemed the Greatest Rock Album Ever by Classic Rock.
Deemed the Greatest British Rock Album Ever by Classic Rock.
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

03. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Folk Rock
Spotify

After an uninterrupted spree of masterpieces during the 1960s, Bob Dylan’s poetic genius had finally come to a crashing end. His early 70s work was condemned by critics and even his fans felt betrayed by what they perceived as their prophet’s laziness, brought on by a disinterest in his own former glory. What a tragedy. But just as everyone was about to permanently turn their backs in abandonment, fate smashed through our hero’s jaw whilst riding upon the most classic of inspiration trains: the agony of heartbreak. A divorce from his then-wife Sarah had shattered Dylan’s trademark cool, and he exposed himself in spates of articulate anger and sentimental depression, venting venomous confessions of a damaged man, as cryptic as always in their dramatic broadcastings, but more intimate than we could ever feel fully comfortable conversing with. Even the live quality of these folky recordings felt purposefully shoddy, as if this cathartic surrender was completely unplanned, spilling from his guts and out of his control. Which, in turn, brought the disciples rushing back, aggravated by their own dark memories of past lovers. The adolescent prodding. The romantic insanity. The infectious laughter. The inevitable fighting. The ultimate demise. Each step of the way scraping their markings into the dent of our hearts. And I miss you so much. Please come back home to me. I'm sorry about everything.

Selected Accolades:
Reached #4 in the UK charts.
Reached #1 in the Billboard 200 charts.
#5 in Pitchfork Media’s list The 50 Best Albums of the 70s.
#16 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

02. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)

Soft Pop Rock
Spotify

Upon first listen, Rumours disguises itself as an upbeat, radio-friendly record where three romantic vocalists subtly weave their silky harmonies over crafty guitar pluckings, expanding onto a soft surface where you can sit and relax, nodding your head with a content little smile upon your face. But this charade does not last long. Unbeknownst to you, each time you listen to this impeccable collection of songs, you unintentionally pick away at the merry exterior to reveal one of the nastiest, most passionately distressed albums ever created. Mick was in the process of a divorce. Christine and John had recently separated after an 8 year marriage, refusing to even acknowledge one another. And the Lindsey/Stevie relationship was all but shattered, their only communication via deafening arguments. They all loved each other. They all hated each other. They wrote lyrics designed to hurt one another. They forced each other to sing along to those very words about themselves. And no matter how hard they tried to cover it up with all the free-love principles of the 70s, their tangled relationships spewed nothing but anger and hurt and sadness into their art. Which is what makes Rumours the emotional mammoth it is, as one of the most perfect, interpersonal, and untouchable recordings in history.

Selected Accolades:
Won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978.
Remaining in the UK charts for 522 weeks.
Became the 14th best-selling album in UK history.
Became the 6th best-selling album in US history.
Sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
#3 in Q’s list The 50 Best Albums of the 70s.
#25 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
#23 in USA Today’s list The Top 40 Albums.
#16 in VH1’s countdown The 100 Greatest Albums.

I OWN THIS ALREADY :)

01. Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)

Contemporary Folk
Spotify

If we’ve learned anything from history, it would be that heartbreak is one persuasive demon who has mastered the skill of encouraging powerful art that tears outwards from the soul. Ask yourself: is misery your favourite flavour? Do you relate deeply to the anguish of others? Then you need not look towards anything else in the world other than Joni Mitchell’s aptly titled Blue. After having her emotions gutted from her sternum by the abandonment of her lover, Joni was hollowed out, left empty of everything except for a weight of songs which required almost nothing but her naked angelic voice to carry out their devastation, a frailty of words resisted only by the strength of her delivery, exposing the final cry for help from a woman who had already lost all of her defences. She was lifeless. Defeated. Broken. And oh so fucking alone. Which is why I beg all of you newcomers: do not tackle this classic unless your heart is broken, otherwise you may never understand it. However, once you do grasp the severity of this record, it will never entirely let you go, as the sincerest, most grief-stricken, most cry-worthy album ever made—as well as the greatest record of all time, in my current opinion.

Selected Accolades:
#8 in Q’s list The Greatest Album of All-Time by a Female Artist.
#2 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 50 Greatest Female Albums Of All Time.
Deemed the Greatest Canadian Album of All Time by Chart.
#30 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (the highest female).
#14 in VH1’s list The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (the highest female).
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.


(sorry Pink Floyd)


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