partthree. (by the way, why do I keep starting these album posts with albums colored in swamp green?)
60. Modest Mouse- Good News for People Who Love Bad NewsModest Mouse sounds really good most of the time (Understatement). Yes yes yes this album came out when I was just being blinded by the indie light and had not yet seen the likes of the youthful age of MM, so this was pretty much my first experience of them (Before there was Moon and Antartica, before there was the lonesome crowded West, there was the good news for those people who love bad news, for me at least), and I’m glad this was my first experience. This was really the band becoming more mainstream, therefore their message was more clear, and their unique sound was distinguished easily and by means of making you fall in love with that new sound. Kick-A album with Kick-A songs. I pick this over some of that old stuff because it’s simply a more familiar project to the band I first met, I really do like the old stuff, a lot, but I love good news.
mp3: Modest Mouse- The World At Large
mp3: Modest Mouse- Black Cadillacs
mp3: Modest Mouse- The View
Buy here
59. Original Soundtrack to the Motion Picture MagnoliaONLY SOUNDTRACK ON HERE (although others would qualify, Eternal Sunshine, Garden State, Twin Peaks, Rules of Attraction, Cabin Fever, Kids, Marie Antoinette, I could go on and on). I could have put others, but this is here for a reason! Yes, Magnolia does happen to be my favorite film ever created, and yes that helps contribute a lot, but that’s not it. The soundtrack is simply filled with great music, I mean where can you go wrong when you have Jon Brion composing, Aimee Mann rocking original songs, and Supertramp? A great collection that fits perfectly and contributes to the charm of a great great film.
mp3: Aimee Mann- Save Me
mp3: Aimee Mann- Wise Up
mp3: Jon Brion- So Now Then
mp3: Supertramp- Goodbye Stranger
Buy here.
58. Loney, Dear- Loney, NoirThis is one that came out this year. 2007. You’ll be seeing a few more from this year, and this one has the right to be at this point in the charts. Such a sexy album. Emil Svanängen rocks my socks off with his voice that sounds as if he were singing lullabies to children. His soft vocals and careful craft of his instruments comes together for this unique sound that is just so cute and amazing that you can’t help but daydream with it as a soundtrack. I literally can’t get enough of this band, and this album has about as much climax in every song as the scene in Star Wars Episode 2: The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke is told by Vader that Vader is in fact his father. I’m trailing off now. Please (listen) and thank you. --- p.s. long live Sweden for producing a chunk of indie awesomeness…all the time.
mp3: Loney, Dear- And I Won't Cause Anything at All
mp3: Loney, Dear- Saturday Waits
Buy here.
57. The Beatles- The Beatles (White Album)Oh the Beatles, once again this should be at the top of my list, but I have not yet reached those depths, those depths that will show me the greatness that I can faintly hear and understand and those depths that everyone talks about, I’m getting there, I mean it made it this far. This album is excellent, some of my favorite individual Beatles tracks were born on this album, and continue to live long lives. It’s a funny thing, how the Beatles still are revolutionary today. Songs I hear that were made in the late 60’s reflect on what new styles of great bands are being heard today. Oh wait what’s that called again? Oh yes, influence. But Beatles influence is different than any other influence, because I believe in another 20 years, areas that the Beatles had already covered will be at the head of the scene.
mp3: The Beatles- Blackbird
mp3: The Beatles- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Buy here.
56. mc DJ- Illin'Noise! The Sufjan Stevens Remix AlbumThis thing was kept very quiet, and was really hard to locate, but once I did, the work was all worth it. Truly an excellent, and my favorite remix (one artist remix) album I’ve ever heard. MC DJ spices up and flips around and kicks over and picks up again the Sufjan songs to recreate them in so many different ways that broadcast the pleasure of the original while adding a unique twist to captivate whoever is lucky enough to be listening. Who could ever think that ”A Prarie Fire Wanders About” could be made into a high school fight song? I certainly couldn’t. Also, you may recognize mc DJ from Derrick Comedy as Jerry who pooped his pants (hilarious, this guy is seriously multi-talented)
mp3: MC DJ- jacksontown
mp3: MC DJ- casmir
Or download the thang right here and check out Glover's (mc DJ's) blog here at Childish Gambino.
55. Cake- Comfort EagleCake is their own type of band, this is a master album. John McCrea voices out songs like preaching to a point. And with melodic ties and balance, each track comes out like a neatly wrapped gift resulted from the holidays. The scene that this album creates is epic, and the words paint a picture. There’s not much more I can say about this album... besides that it rocks? Each song is like a powerful punch to the face, and although it’s not too personal to me, it still needs to be up here because these songs come together to make something that should be a greatest hits album. Cake is their own band, and listening to these will be like listening to a completely new style of music.
mp3: Cake- Shadow Stabbing (p.s. originally recorded for McCrea's old band John McCrea and the Roughhousers who played around in the 80s... Cake in the 80s sounds great)
mp3: Cake- Short Skirt/Long Jacket
Buy here.
54. Belle and Sebastian- Dear Catastrophe WaitressScotland should be proud. Because wowee zowee this thing is great, this thing, this band, this album, this feeling when listening to songs about letters being written to a certain Mets baseball star. They most definitely mix it up, having light fluffy harmonies with soft male and soft female voices guiding it through an open field, because in all the songs familiarity and clarity are screaming in presence. A sensational pop album from a sensational group. By far their greatest work because it captures everything from how good the song sounds through my big old headphones to the point the song is trying to make. Wait? Like I said before? Clear. Remarkable and Classic, would be two one word descriptions of this album.
mp3: Belle and Sebastian- If She Wants Me
mp3: Belle and Sebastian- Piazza, New York Catcher
mp3: Belle and Sebastian- Wrapped in Books
Buy here.
53. Pedro the Lion- Achilles HeelThis is like, my first middle school album that I still am more than satisfied with still being attracted to. Pedro the Lion is a killer group and each song on Achilles Heel is just doused with heart and beauty. David Bazan’s dark and calm voice presents a country folk alternative feel that sticks with you and is branded in your memory after that pleasant experience of listening. Each song has the same kind of sound, but Pedro finds a way to create individuality somehow, they don’t use different instruments because they don’t need to. The creativity that comes from this album makes the outcome majestic, because when you have creativity spliced with a stable alternative song, you’ll get one hell of a result, aka. Achilles Heel
mp3: Pedro the Lion- Bands with Managers
mp3: Pedro the Lion- A Simple Plan
Buy here.
52. Phantom Planet- The GuestI love this album, Phantom Planet is just so cool, because anything they do I adore, and the reason that is true is because of this album. This was my first experience of Phantom Planet, having not heard Phantom Planet is Missing, and their pop sound attacked me and held on like a leech. I mean, you can’t fight it, it’s a fact: ”California is an unbelievable song, and in my opinion one of the best made, and the whole album is like that! I cannot express how much some of these songs mean to me except by repeatedly announcing how songs like ”Anthem” of ”Lonely Day” were built me by excessive nighttime listening sessions, and I think mp3s work a lot better at expressing this feeling.
mp3: Phantom Planet- Anthem
mp3: Phantom Planet- Wishing Well
Buy here.
51. Speechwriters LLC- ClonesThis band is so under the radar it’s not even funny, and it makes me kinda mad too, because this much talent shouldn’t be hidden from the world. Speechwriters is a band of their own style, and they promote this style perfectly on this album. Although it’s only 5 songs, the case is definitely quality and not quantity. Each song is flawless acoustic guitar with lyrical movements that mirror one of that in the rapping/rhyming scheme, this element simply just adds to the band’s touch and unique style. And basically every where you want the song to go, it goes, satisfying your every need while taking a good listen. I love the style of this group, and I love their final product.
mp3: Speechwriters LLC- Hitchhiker's Guide
mp3: Speechwriters LLC- Beach Song
Buy here.
50. Guster- Keep It TogetherWow. Flawless record, another one that was really hammered into my memory through a roadtrip with nothing but a heavy CD player, some headphones, and this work of art. Each track as amazing as the one before, building up to an anthem with glimpses of The Wizard of Oz. Truly a spectacular feat was reached by Guster when releasing this album. Each song is radiant and exciting and perfect in its own way, and any song could be the one that speaks most to anyone, it could all easily vary because every song is packed with so much emotion and fun. It is literally hard listening to a song on this album, because once your finished with that bliss, you need to hear another, then another, until you’ve gone through the entire album while sitting in the parking lot, 23 minutes late.
mp3: Guster- Come Downstairs and Say Hello
mp3: Guster- Homecoming King
mp3: Guster- Diane
mp3: Guster- Ramona
Buy here.
49. Nick Drake- Pink MoonI still don’t know the story of Nick Drake. Who he was, what time he was, when he died, for why he died. I never dove into that pool of questioning to a deeper understanding of this mysterious legend (I would do so with Elliott Smith), I don’t know why I never did, I just didn’t. All I did was sit back and listen to his folk music. Soft and tranquil, seemingly effortless and impossible to hate, these songs nourished their listeners with imagery of beauty, and this was courtesy of Mr. Drake. Pink Moon captures this sales pitch from Drake wonderfully and shows the magic that this individual can make the best out of anything else he has masterfully put together. Possibly one of the best acoustic albums of all time. Need I say more?
mp3: Nick Drake- Which Will
mp3: Nick Drake- Pink Moon
Buy here.
48. Final Fantasy- He Poos CloudsOwen Pallet is a Lord in my books. He names his album He Poos Clouds and in all honesty this makes it very hard to determine what kind of album it will be. But immediately, right off the bat, the album identifies itself as something new and different. A breath of fresh air, and a sign for hope. And, given the songs are about Dungeons and Dragons, they still pose a striking feature that really connects with the listener. The lyrics are silly at times but mean well. The violin is impeccable along with all the other instruments. And this guy has some clever clever hooks in the melody that the listener never sees coming. An artist that definitley needs to be watched, for he will be great.
mp3: Final Fantasy- ->
mp3: Final Fantasy- Song Song Song
mp3: Final Fantasy- Many Lives 49 MP
Buy here.
47. The Magnetic Fields- iThe Magnetic Fields are simply amazing. They rarely show any signs of disappointment (rarely to never), and they just pump out song after song after song of this music you just want to listen to. On i, Merritt has the listener follow the chimes of bells and the hollow echo of his deep voice to reach the area of satisfaction with this album. Here, with a concept album, everything is played out in terms of (cough cough) i, or me (or you, or Stephin Merritt). That openness and familiarity that is created with that concept is so breathtaking to me because it creates a world of comfort with what your listening to, and when you are comfortable with enjoying something, love for that thing is built quite easily.
mp3: The Magnetic Fields- I Wish I Had An Evil Twin
mp3: The Magnetic Fields- I Looked All Over Town (p.s. like just listening to this makes me amazed at how good this music is, how good music can be in general)
Buy here.
46. Feist- Let It DieLeslie Feist is a very pretty girl with a very pretty voice. I’m pretty sure she’s about every indie kids Wonder Woman because she captivated the lot of them with Let It Die. And just like them, my heart was stolen as well (as of now Kate Walsh is also stealing pieces of my heart). This album is just so…so…what’s the word? Good. Everything is in perfect arrangement, and intricately placed in are little jabs of electro or foreign or lounge or funk or disco sounds. All this with good music and her beautiful voice, just come together something that is so revolutionary and fun that it’ll keep you locked in your room for days dancing with yourself and singing along with a much more attractive voice than your own.
mp3: Feist- Let it Die
mp3: Feist- Gatekeeper
mp3: Feist- Secret Heart
Buy here.
45. Stephen Malkmus- Stephen MalkmusSo my friend had this gold mine just sitting on his computer, and as I was searching through his iTunes one night to see if I could find any gems, I found about 12. I am seriously blown away by this effort. This self-titled album explores the depths to some of the strangest things (My favorite subject being the song that tells of a certain Captain James Hook) in a new found style by Malkmus, although the listener misses the hardcore Pavement sound, he/she cannot help but adopt this new style and fall in love with it on the spot. Each song pretty much rules your mind and your ears, so be prepared for this thing if you haven’t had a sample. By far Malkmus’s best solo album to date.
mp3: Stephen Malkmus- Church on White (p.s. the rip Malkmus provides on this song is one of my favorite solos of all time)
mp3: Stephen Malkmus- Jo Jo's Jacket
mp3: Stephen Malkmus- Pink India
Buy here.
44. Bush- Sixteen StoneBush rocked the 90s, and my brother’s stereo in the 90s. It was about the only alternative noise I heard from there (Besides R.E.M.), and boy I’m glad I did. This album is classic, and unforgettable in the way that it just kicks you to the floor and leaves you there to help yourself up. And might I add ”Machinehead” is most likely my top pump-up song, it gets the adrenaline going, just like all sixteen stones. It saddens me that I don’t see Bush around so much anymore, the name may be one of my favorite band names ever, and their sound was all their own, untouchable. And seeing that performance of ”Gylcerine” in the rain made me sit on my knees in awe and say, “wow, Bush is pretty damn badass.”
mp3: Bush- Machinehead
Buy here.
43. Bob Dylan- Highway 61 RevisitedI have to put this here. It should be higher I guess, but nonetheless this needs to be talked about. My parents were predominantly dead heads and Dylan fans, Dylan was the exception in their tie-dye blinded world. And basically every Dylan record that now sits in their record collection (which is immense and very impressive) was played with a crackle trailing it on the record player as I grew up. This album astonishes me, because it feels like it defines an entire era, which is hard for one album to do. The lyrics are amazing and so deep and open that you could get lost inside them, searching for a proper meaning that relates to you. The folk sound is clearly so good that it will serve to countless successful acts in the future. Pretty darn good album.
mp3: Bob Dylan- Queen Jane Approximately
mp3: Bob Dylan- Like a Rolling Stone
Buy here.
42. Thomas Dybdahl- ScienceThis album has been controlling my mindset for the past 2 weeks, and I am obsessed with it. Such a delicate sound on an impeccable album, every song has its own thing that makes you fall deep into it. It’s almost like a dream when listening to Science you forget everything around you and focus on the sounds coming from your speakers, headphones, ect., and you focus on what the song is bringing out from you, you focus solely on that. This album has had an immediate effect on me since first listen, Dybdahl’s soft voice seems to be a suffice answer to any question I have ever had. Please listen to this album, I beg of you, for the sake of what music should stand for these days.
mp3: Thomas Dybdahl- No One Would Ever Know
mp3: Thomas Dybdahl- Everybody Knows
Buy here.
41. Winter Vacation- The Netherlands, 1980Winter Vacation is a band that I found on a little record label called Asaurus Records that continues to impress me with each release, but Winter Vacation was just plain old awesome. Winter Vacation is like sitting in a cabin at night as snow slowly falls, or standing in a parking at night lot as snow slowly falls, basically sitting somewhere, calm and happy as snow falls, or as whatever you love happens (mine being slow snow fall at night). But this album is one guy, working all the instruments, and making exquisite sounds. Sounds that evoke such feelings like I described, and what makes it even better is the fact that it’s so lo-fi and so natural. A great release from someone who needs more credit.
mp3: Winter Vacation- Balloon Township
mp3: Winter Vacation- Upstate Estate (p.s. **SITF highly recommended song)
Buy here.
kiss it part three, your'e outta here. stay tuned.
"We all slide down the surface of things,".
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