15. The Outbreak - Zomboy
Zomboy takes the first spot on my list with an absolute banger of a trap album. Zomboy is the king of unique drops, filthy bass lines, and enticing melodies. Unlike Random Access Memories (which appears later on this list, this album is packed-full of festival ready bangers. When I'm in the mood for a car ride full of bass, The Outbreak is always at the top of the list.
Highlights: Beast in the Belly, Nuclear, Outbreak
14. Because the Internet - Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino, also known as actor/comedian Donald Glover, came back into the rap game after a so-so first album with a sophomore concept album full of masterful production, genius couplets and similes, and an overarching storyline that was far richer and far darker than I could have ever expected. This underdog of an album secured Childish Gambino's spot among rap royalty, making himself the king of creative and brutally honest concepts.
Highlights: I. Crawl, IV. Sweatpants, II. No Exit
13. METAL RESISTANCE - BABYMETAL
The sophomore album from J-Pop/Heavy Metal idol group BABYMETAL is a feat we haven't seen from the metal genre in years. It created its own form of digestible metal for those not privy with the genre, while taking everything that makes J-Pop so fun and enjoyable and weaving it together masterfully to form one absolutely epic album covering everything from karate, to bubble gum, to intertwining destinies. Textbook production values and ultra-catchy hooks help elevate this album from a great one to an incredible one. METAL RESISTANCE is easily one of my favorite albums from 2016.
Highlights: KARATE!, Metal Resistance, Awadama Fever
12. Nevermind - Nirvana
Nevermind is the only grunge album I've ever truly liked, with more than half of the songs on the album used for all sorts of movies, TV shows, and advertisements, the album has made its way to all sorts of different media outlets. Kurt Cobain's anti-establishmentarian lyric structures and unbridled passion make for an overwhelmingly aggressive album, full of ear-shredding guitar solos and heart-pounding drum fills. If nothing else, the album contains "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which is one of my favorite songs, particularly thanks to Dave Grohl's face-melting opening fill. The album has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever made.
Highlights: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium, Come As You Are
11. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
This entry is my most recent listen, and it was a captivating one. The only Daft Punk album to rely almost entirely on live recordings rather than samples, they robots wanted to create a true album. These aren't a bunch of dance-floor ready tracks, they're a collection of tracks that work together to create a synthesized sound that feels overwhelmingly human. The album feels multi-dimensional, and when you really sit down to listen to it, it shackles your brain into absorbing every last detail the robots and their cohorts have shoved into this masterpiece of an electronic album. Gracing the subjects of touch, love, and what comes after, the album stands tall as the duo's best work, as well as their most mesmerizing. The academy seems to agree with me as well, with the album winning five Grammys, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year. It has been the soundtrack to this the penning of this list, and "Touch" is one of the most complete, entrancing, and beautiful tracks I've heard in a very long time.
Highlights: Get Lucky, Touch, Instant Crush
10. Hamilton - Original Broadway Cast
The cast album of Hamilton is the album that brought me back into the world of musical theatre after a summer without any sort of theatrical outlet. It renewed my faith in the future of musicals, and the genres that may inspire them. Lin-Manuel Miranda has helped me learn more about myself, and how I approach the creative process and how to evaluate what I have to offer. It is also the most well produced musical theater album ever crafted. If you're familiar with the artists that inspired the show and the characters, you can see their influences everywhere. You can find the likes of Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar in Alexander Hamilton himself, and 2Pac and Common in Washington, as well as Busta Rhymes and The Notorious B.I.G. in Hercules Mulligan. The list goes on and on. Aside from being the best musical of this century, it is also a love letter to those who inspired Miranda, and it is so evident within the confines of this album.
Highlights: My Shot, Dear Theodosia, History Has its Eyes on You, Guns and Ships, Wait For It, The World Was Wide Enough
9. Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles
Before I was introduced to this album, I always thought of John Mayer as a pretty good pop artist, and never gave him much thought. Once people I respected as musicians began to tell me how incredible he was, I was so confused; I just couldn't see it within the confines of his studio albums. Over this summer, I was heavily encouraged by two YouthWorks staff members (shout out to you, Caleb and Sara) to listen to it, and even watch the documentary that was released alongside it. After listening though it, and watching the film, I immediately understood what I was missing. I discovered the raw passion and talent that came alongside exquisitely written songs. The guitar riffs and solos spoke to me, and his immaculate vocal ability was mind-blowing, and I appreciated blues in a whole new way. It is heralded as one of the greatest live albums of the 21st century, and I understand why. John Mayer's performance in Los Angeles will forever be immortalized within my mind, and within the walls of the album he's so carefully crafted. I'm still waiting on the day the "John Mayer Trio" released a studio album, because the chemistry there is so real. I just wish I could have been there.
Highlights: Vultures, Out of My Mind, Who Do You Think I Was, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
I love this album in the traditional music lover's way. The album was one of (if not the most) innovative albums of all time, and frequently takes the top spot on any "Greatest Albums of All Time" lists. There's no denying the masterpiece it is, and each one of the tracks on the album are listening to for their own reasons. But this album means more to me personally than I actually enjoy it. It taught me how to listen to music critically, and how to recognize influence from other artists. It taught me how to enjoy an album, and how to sit down and focus on an artists work and judge it properly. It's the album that started me on the path to create this list. And for that, I am forever grateful. If you want to start listening to full albums, and learn from them, start here. You'll be glad you did.
Highlights: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, With A Little Help From My Friends, She's Leaving Home, Within You Without You
7. Five Score and Seven Years Ago - Relient K
Relient K is one of those bands I discovered at a young age and have loved ever since, and this album is the culmination of everything I love about Relient K. Each track is jam packed with Matt Thiessen's signature tone and level of detail. The way the band weaves classical elements alongside their trademark fast paced, off-beat pop-punk is remarkable, and Thiessen's vocal range and piano skills are unparalleled within the genre. As a Christian band, they've also done a remarkable job at creating true music. So many modern Christian artists focus on the message rather than the music to tell the story, and that has never been an issue with Relient K. The final song on the album, "Deathbed", is a perfect example of message and music walking hand in hand. The twelve minute epic is one of the smartest, most impactful, and varied works I've ever heard, and ranks very high on my list of favorite songs. When I discuss Relient K with anyone, this song always makes its way into the conversation, and I cannot help myself but show them, then and there, the majesty and brilliance the song has. Five Score and Seven Years Ago is the best Christian album I've ever listened to, and I know it'll be quite a while until I find another one like it.
Highlights: Forgiven, Must Have Done Something Right, Deathbed
6. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
This is the album that reminds me of my father. It's not a very long album, track-wise. There's only five tracks. Granted, both halves on Shine On You Crazy Diamond push 12 minutes, but still. Pink Floyd has packed in so much content, so much emotion, so much innovation, and so much dedication into this album, it's impossible not to marvel at what an achievement it is. Dedicated to former lead singer and guitarist Syd Barrett, the album harkens back to the time where the band was struggling. They had lost the frontman, and had lost the initial spark. Syd was the driving force of the band, taking it to its initial fame and acclaim. Once Syd's addiction took over, he forced himself into hiding, and lived out the rest of his life a slave to his own follies. Now all that may contradict the statement I made originally about my father, but that's because it does. All that has nothing to do with my father, or the kind of man he is. This album reminds me of my father because when I try and think about him, and all that he's done for me, this album immediately plays in my head. My father is ambitious, and level-headed, as well as gracious, intelligent, and loving. He introduced me to music, and the importance of it. And when he talked about the greats, this was always at the top of the list, and it's always been so high on mine. It helped lay the groundwork for the man I was to become, and I'm glad my father chose this album as the the building blocks of my future. Whenever the day comes that I no longer have him, I'll have this, and I'll be able to remember every word he ever said to me, and all the crazy things he ever did for me, and that one time we heard it all live and it was everything we could have ever hoped for. This album will always remind me of my father, for all of the very best reasons.
Highlights: The whole album, just listen to the whole album.
5. American Idiot - Green Day
Dookie may have been the band's claim to fame, and the album held in highest regard by critics and fans alike, but this pop-punk rock opera is the album that encouraged me to pick up my guitar and learn some power chords. The opening chords set you up for a whirlwind of emotions, distorted riffs, political intrigue, and a reminder that this album made it to Broadway. The trio have crafted a love letter to concept albums, something that isn't often attempted in their genre. The heights of this album are dizzying, and it is full of varied and fleshed out characters and ideas. It's chock full of harsh realities, damning comments, and the idea that dreams aren't always fulfilled, but you should pursue them anyways. It was the album that sent so many youngsters, like myself, to pursue the rock and roll dream. It's one of the only albums I've ever seen that almost every single track has had significant air time, but that stands as a testament to how well done the album is. American Idiot defined punk rock for me, and still stands as one of the best things to come from the genre in a while.
Highlights: American Idiot, St. Jimmy, Homecoming, Jesus of Suburbia
4. good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Kendrick Lamar
At the 2014 Grammys, this album was up for 4 nominations, and was shut out, with Album of the Year going to Daft Punk for Random Access Memories and Best Rap Album going to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for The Heist. Both albums are excellent in their own regards, and I still think that Daft Punk should have won that year, but even Macklemore disagreed with his win over GKMC, claiming that "you got robbed". good kid, m.A.A.d. city is a genius album, full of fantastic jams that are stuffed with metaphors and not-so-hidden meaning. The album is relatable, certainly in regards to tracks like "The Art of Peer Pressure", as well as introspective and smart. It's not afraid to be loud, and fun, as well as being able to talk about one of the hardest things, losing a brother to gun violence. It's about the gang lifestyle, and how bad choices can create a false persona, that can quickly overwhelm the true you, depending on who you're with. It's very similar to a short film, and sonically it's just as vivid as visuals could be. Each character is distinct, and the true stories of Rosecrans he speaks of are packed with details, and he makes you feel as if you're there. Kendrick describes this album as great work, but not his best, and he's right, but if this is great work, and To Pimp a Butterfly is mastery, then I cannot wait to see what's next. With one album, Kendrick Lamar positioned himself to take over the rap game in one monstrous piece of art. And he wasn't even close to being done.
Highlights: Backseat Freestyle, Swimming Pools (Drank), Poetic Justice
3. ...Like Clockwork - Queens of the Stone Age
...Like Clockwork is arguably Queens of the Stone Age's best work, and it is also one of the most underrated albums of the 2010's. It met great critical success (as shown by a Metacritic score of 83), but commercially, it was a bit of a failure, with only true fans of the band giving it a chance. It was probably the best rock album of the year, but was completely glazed over by the academy and other award shows. This album's blend of alternative rock and raw metallic decay make for a sonic experience unlike anything else I've listened to. It was the very first album I consciously listened to a the way through, and it was one of the best decisions I made that year. The lyrics are wrought with turmoil and introspective rage told beautifully through gritted teeth and watering eyes. Enticing piano melodies and spectacular synth additions make for more unique layers than an album like this would typically harbor. Its sound is unlike any other, and Josh Homme's voice is one unlike any other in the genre. His ability to form such dark and relatable thoughts and convey them with such a signature tone is a marvel, and it is so evident within ...Like Clockwork. But my favorite thing about the album, is that I've never met another person (to my knowledge) who has listened to it. It's almost my little hidden gem. It's the album I turn to when I want to brood, and it the album I turn to when I want to escape the confines of modern music and listen to something wholly original and unique. My first full album is very close to being my favorite, but there are a couple more that taught me more about myself than I could have ever thought possible.
Highlights: Keep Your Eyes Peeled, I Appear Missing, I Sat By The Ocean
2. Enema of the State - blink-182
Frankly, I only like about half of this album. I find half of it too juvenile. Now, I know that old blink-182 is super juvenile and that's part of the charm, but some of it is just a little too much. Now the other half of the album are the songs that shaped my musical career. Travis Barker is the drummer that I follow closest in terms of style, and it's because of songs like "The Party Song" and "Aliens Exist" that I am the drummer I am today. I have the ins and outs of these songs memorized on every instrument I play. On a more personal level, this album also contains the song that saved my life. Yeah, you read that right. It saved my life. There was one night I was very close to ending it, and "Adam's Song" came though my headphones. I then decided to listen to the song, as it could very well have be the last song I ever heard. And through the first half, I continued to cry, and I continued to the feel the emotions I felt, because the song was about exactly what I was doing and feeling. Once the final chorus starts up and the lyrics shift, I feel the Lord within me say, "You're not done yet. Get in here." I wiped the final tears from my eyes, turned off my iPod, put away my headphones, and got in bed. I've never thought about suicide since, and "Adam's Song" has always been an emotional song of sadness and success in my life. Without this album, I frankly may not be here, and I'm eternally grateful for it.
Highlights: Adam's Song, All The Small Things, Aliens Exist, The Party Song
1. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Anyone who has listened to this album can tell you that there is nothing else like it. The production is perfect. The beats, unabashedly influenced by jazz, fusion, blues, funk, and the golden days of hip-hop, are the secret sauce. The lyrics are immaculately crafted, and presented so poignantly and powerfully that you can't listen to it while doing anything else. The concepts are harsh, real, raw, pitch black, and politically charged. It's an album that takes its message seriously, but delivers it though spoken word as well as club pounding tracks. It's an album where the through line is a poem that expounds on itself with each track, and by the end you know the words by heart. And the end, what an ending it is. I really don't want to spoil it, which is something I never thought I'd say about an album. There's so much in it that is vulnerable, and worth discovering for yourself.
It's the album that taught me how to listen to rap, and it stuck a flag in my mind as the piece of art I'd compare every other rap album to, and know that it'd be inferior. It's not as radio-friendly as good kid, m.A.A.d city was, but that's ok. It's something that is meant to be taken as a whole, and not segmented or broken up to fit our single-heavy society. I said before that Kendrick Lamar positioned himself to take over the rap game. With To Pimp a Butterfly, he did just that, and more, with 11 Grammy nominations and 8 wins. He was named the king of rap by the former kings of rap. To Pimp a Butterfly is one of the greatest pieces of art ever crafted.
Highlights: King Kunta, The Blacker the Berry, u.
So those are my fifteen favorite albums, ranked. I hope you'll take the time to listen to some of them, and I hope I've inspired you to begin listening to albums all the way through. In a world where singles rule the music charts, let's go back to the good ol' days of throwing on headphones and just studying an album. These albums taught me so much, and I'm hoping that through this little list I've put together, you can absorb some of what I have over my time with these spectacular pieces of art.
Thanks for making it to the end, and thank you for continuing to support me and all these ramblings.
