Board 8 > Rank the Albums Vol. 2: Ranking Thread (Deadline: March 31)

(+) Yeah! (+)

1. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia - Ive dug this album ever since my first listen, so I was really glad we got to rank it. This is filled with fun, upbeat songs that can always get me into a good mood.
2. Iron Maiden - Powerslave - OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING!?! I have no idea how I managed not to overlook Iron Maiden during my metal phase, and hearing this made it even worse, because this is just an incredible album. I ended up listening to quite a bit more Iron Maiden in the aftermath and my love was no one album wonder.
3. Billy Joel - The Stranger - A majority of this album is on Joels first 2 disc Greatest Hits, so there wasnt a lot unknown to me. And some of these songs are among my most favorite, memorable, and meaningful in my life.
4. Coeur De Pirate - Roses - This one was a shock. I immediately took to it on my first listen and repeated spins did not change my opinion. I understand the criticism that this is maybe a little one note but when that note works for you that doesnt matter. I just love the sound of her singing.
5. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal - This one is kind of in the same wheelhouse as Roses but with a little more of a folksy tone. Once again, there was just something about the singing, only here its both a male and female vocalist. This one grew on me over time and I ended up loving the more chill vibe. I kept thinking I had this ranked too high, but everytime I spot checked when adding a new album I realized that, no, this one really does deserve to be here.
6. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm - I might be ranking this one too high due to recency bias but I still really enjoyed the rock sound on offer here and theres not a bad song on the album.
7. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill - Dad rock album #1. Id heard some of these songs from the radio but that was it. I enjoyed the 70s grooviness of the beats.
8. Supertramp - Breakfast in America - Dad rock album #2. Kinda the same general thoughts as with Steely Dan but I felt fairly comfortable saying this one was just a step below.
9. Spice Girls - Spice - Color me shocked that the frickin SPICE GIRLS is ranked this high. But I like my fun, upbeat pop and Spice has that in spades. Granted, there are some songs here I didnt like but the fact that Ive gone back to the ear worm hits weeks and months later says a lot.
10. The Knife - Silent Shout - Theres a little bit of an oddball sound to this album and especially certain tracks. But theres a few songs I really enjoyed and its relative uniqueness has kept it fresh in my mind.
11. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - Take everything I said about Silent Shout and multiply it about 5x. This is a crazy weird album with an enormously eclectic soundscape that goes well beyond mainstream tastes. And yet it all mostly works because it somehow seamlessly fits with Waits vocal tones.
12. Taylor Swift - Speak Now - I liked this way more than I expected, as someone who has only heard Swifts radio hits. Its country but very much pop infused in a way that makes it highly accessible. Plus Never Grow Up is such a beautiful little song.
13. Lorde - Melodrama - I expected to hate this, since I was not a fan of Royals, the only Lorde song I had previously heard. That turned out not to be the case. Theres some good, fun pop songs on offer here.
14. Tears for Fears - The Hurting - I expected to hate this, since Ive never enjoyed this vocalist or the iconically 80s sound they have. I came away pleasantly surprised though and while this wasnt a favorite I do have a newfound respect.
15. Rush - Moving Pictures - Dad rock album #3? I thought I might like this some more but I guess most of it didnt resonate.
16. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - This ones in the same sphere as Roses and My Head is an Animal but didnt leave a lasting impression.
17. Brand New - The Devil and God - I didnt enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did Deja Entendu. Its not bad, but when I think back on it, my impression is eh.
18. Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves - This isnt a bad album; I just remember it going on way too long and being very difficult to rank the songs.
19. NiN - Pretty Hate Machine - Somehow the song Sin ended up being my most played song on Spotify in 2021. And while I really do enjoy that song, the rest of this album wasnt really my favorite. It was fun though to hear such a distinctly 80s sound from a band I think of as iconically 90s.
20. Outkast - Aquemini - I dont really know what to write here. Despite me enjoying quite a few of Outkasts big singles, this album has left no real impression in my mind. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say I dunno.
21. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced - This is the only album on the list I didnt do 3 listens during the song ranking week. And while I feel a little bad about that, if I hadnt been kind of bored I likely would have found that time for another spin.
22. The Avalanches - Since I Left You - Normally I like electronic music but other than a song or two I didnt enjoy this.
23. Soundgarden - Superunknown - Ive liked some Soundgarden songs and Chris Cornells vocals but as an album long experience I felt this is was a huge slog.
24. Moby - Play - Wasnt a fan of most of Mobys singles when I heard them back in the day and hearing this album didnt do anything to change my mind.
25. Velvet Underground & Nico - Ill keep this brief and just say that I didnt like this one at all

1. Soundgarden - Superunknown
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
3. Tears for Fears - The Hurting
4. Coeur de pirate - Roses
5. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
6. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
7. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico
8. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
9. OutKast - Aquemini
10. The Knife - Silent Shout
11. Moby - Play
12. Rush - Moving Pictures
13. Supertramp - Breakfast in America
14. Billy Joel - The Stranger
15. Lorde - Melodrama
16. Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves
17. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
18. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
19. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal
20. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
21. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
22. Spice Girls - Spice
23. Taylor Swift - Speak Now

1. Taylor Swift - Speak Now - Taylor's most grandiose artistic statement - every line, every beat, every emotion is her's and her's alone. To me this is Taylor at her most punk rock - not just in tracks like Better Than Revenge or The Story of Us, but in proving she could write everything herself and come out with a best-selling album of all time with an untouchable track list. Taylor feels equally at home across remorseful ballads, Gothic desperation, soaring arena sing-alongs nearly approaching prog-length, and entertaining ass-kicking, name-taking snark for a complete album experience I will keeping coming back to time and time again.
2. Soundgarden - Superunknown - The album that defined grunge and Soundgarden for me. An album still so full of dark, sludgy riffs and even darker lyrics to match, and an even more harrowing experience to listen through nowadays knowing what tragically happened to Chris Cornell 5 years ag.
3. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me - It's not my most listened to Brand New album, but that doesn't mean it's not the band at their peak songwriting prowess. It's as heavy as any metal band thanks to genuine, heartfelt, wrenching emotion dripping out of every word and every note played. The climaxes of Limousine and Jesus Christ still devastate my soul to this day.
4. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves - Punk rock at some of its catchiest and most fun. Matt Freeman's dreamy basslines under Armstrong's and Frederiksen's trading vocals craft songs that can be as shallow or meaningful as you need them to be with any listen.
5. The Knife - Silent Shout - Easily the biggest surprise on this set of rankings. Horror condensed into technical house and synth-pop with absolutely demented vocal lines giving me a constant sense of anxiety and fear flirting with my very sense of safety and shattering my foolish expectations with each subsequent track.
6. Billy Joel - The Stranger - A masterpiece of jazzy-rock. Joel's swooning rock-and-roll sensibilities coupled with grounded, accessible pop make an album literally anyone could get into and enjoy while relaying relatable stories you can see yourself in or at least enjoy the storytelling by one of the best in the business.
7. Rush - Moving Pictures - Rush cuts out any semblance of filler here with some of their most tightly written material of their career. And when they do give in and indulge on The Camera Eye, they make sure it counts with great rhythm and interesting lyrical observations.
8. Iron Maiden - Powerslave - It's classic, solid, straight-forward heavy metal. To me, IM isn't as catchy a band as say Metallica, wherein I'm more compelled to revisit again and again, but the riffs are intricate, dazzlingly powerful, and the more prog-heavy back-end proves Iron Maiden has the depth to go along with their bravado and ruckus.
9. Moby - Play - This album will make anyone a believer for electronica & techno, because it goes so far beyond that and delves into so many genres and styles while maintaining a concise and palpable atmosphere across a lengthy runtime that's as impressive as it just plain fun to listen to.
10. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - A deranged experience you won't find elsewhere on this list or indeed in most albums for that matter. I likened it to being trapped at a freak show carnival, and to me that's still the best descriptor - and by the end of it, you become assimilated into it yourself, and gladly I might add.
11. Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill - Reelin' in the Years ALONE makes this album a masterpiece and is better than most entire albums, but when you factor in that this was SD's FIRST album and they were already at near-peak, well how can you possibly ignore that?
12. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico - The album's false dreamy start leading into garage punk defines this album's key experimentation with different sounds and different atmospheres eventually devolving into pure drone and psychedelic noise. I love it though. You can hear the origins of indie rock, grunge, and noise pop all over this album.
13. Lorde - Melodrama - It's about as satisfying as art pop gets - only Kate Bush beats her. It'll make you dance, and in the meantime, will make you rethink why you're dancing in the first place. Underhanded synths and disco rhythms constantly belie some of Lorde's most intelligent lyrics to date to amazing effect.
14. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia - SO. MUCH. FUN. This is one of the best pure pop albums since Taylor Swift's 1989. It's shameless, it's your best friend that doesn't care how silly or stupid you get, and yet at its core it's a masterwork of production and song-writing craft, and that is the real secret to why this album works as much as it does.
15. OutKast - Aquemini - I think I could do without the skits, but the flows, creativity, and boundless storytelling makes this a high bench-mark in the world of hip-hop.
16. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - This kind of sound just resonates with me. Peaceful, lulling, independent, freeing. The production is beyond lush, Robin's vocals like a cozy blanket wrapped around me by a tent and campfire.
17. Tears for Fears - The Hurting - Drearily infectious, and absolutely miserable. It's great! I want to live in a cold and dark Gothic castle with the full moon behind my back on an open balcony while this plays throughout the damp, uninviting stone walls.
18. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm - Doesn't deviate much from the post-punk revival thing going around at the time... at first. I think this album gets deeper, more interesting and more catchy with every listen actually. It'll still fit in with your Killers and Franz Ferdinand, but I think the guitar work here is more than experimental than both of those bands.
19. The Avalanches - Since I Left You - Plunderphonics is a genre I've always had a passing interest in. I appreciate the craft of putting it together more than the actual songs I think. I DO think it sounds great, but learning where everything comes from and how it all fits together is an even more interesting story.
20. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal - HO! HEY! This album makes me feel like I'm back in high school again listening to indie folk like this with my best friend. Honestly every song kind of sounds the same but Ragnar and Nanna's dual vocals are still pretty irresistible and yes Little Talks will ALWAYS own.
21. Supertramp - Breakfast in America - There are some truly overplayed songs on here, but I'll be damned if they're not all catchy and tight as hell.
22. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine - A bit corny and tryhard; the potential for deep inner turmoil is there, and the band's electronic-focused rock can sometimes hit the sweet spots, especially the timeless Head Like a Hole, but it doesn't feel as effortless as future albums do.
23. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced - Don't get me wrong - Jimi's riffs are iconic and influential, but as much as I love some songs individually here, I think as an album experience it doesn't interest me as much. I can honestly just put on Purple Haze or Foxy Lady and call it a day!
24. Coeur de pirate - Roses - Chillout pop, interesting lingual shifts, and some minor hip hop influence do make for a nice album to listen to, however I think it's a little long for this kind of style and I think some of the tracks would get lost in the shuffle among the many artists at the time vying for the electropop throne. If one came up I think it would be nice but I don't think it would stick with me very long either.

I kinda want to push it back a week

still going through a few of them

The main reason Brand New is at the bottom is because I just couldnt separate it from recent events. Sorry.

1. Tears for Fears - The Hurting - In short, The Hurting is varied and yet focused, tense and yet laidback, layered and yet incisive, restrained and yet effusive, dense and yet accessible, a product of its time and yet utterly timeless. I called it almost akin to a concept album without that formats limitations in its week, words which I still think effectively sum up its contradictions.
2. Lorde - Melodrama - In the spirit of Melodrama itself, I should say that I myself have never experienced a breakup. Yet I found its songs, and especially their context, instantly indelible anyways. I think Anna Gaca of Spin put it best by labeling Melodramas fundamental quality the blacklight black-and-blue of a perfectionist trying to capture imperfect feelings. Theyre feelings that I fell hard for after my initial skepticism, and I still admire and adore the resulting album in equal measure.
3. Steely Dan - Cant Buy a Thrill - That an album with so much craft and talent on display can feel so effortless and middlebrow is perhaps among the greatest tricks in music. Its paradoxically hard to do justice to it in words because of how easy it is to vibe along with.
4. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia - Disarmingly enjoyable (on any level) pop thats uncommonly intelligent and consistent by any standard. Its chock full of perceptive lyrics paired with an opulent production lurking just below Lipas ideally suited voice. The party never stops here until, suddenly and shockingly, it does in an unsurprisingly divisive ending that I appreciate all the more because it feels like its the point.
5. The Knife - Silent Shout - Of its majority of principally, and piercingly, evocative tracks, most are singularly stamped into my mind. Among its more conventional songs, I highly underrated We Share Our Mothers Health. As a whole, I hoped that the unusual feelings associated with its instrumentation would stick with me, and so they have.
6. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - Gonzo in all the right ways, even and in fact especially in its more conventional moments. Indeed, for such a disparate album, I feel its remarkably focused and coherent. Perhaps its secret is in how Waits voice shines through as a singer and songwriter.
7. The Avalanches - Since I Left You - As before, I think the recursiveness of Since I Left Yous sampling really ties together an album whose overriding gimmick is otherwise its only major point of unity. I find the result simultaneously inspired and conventionally impressive.
8. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm - Okerekes range here is excellent, and he pulls it almost all off on an album that swings between dreamy and straight-ahead while still feeling coherent. It makes for that oxymoron: both varied and repetitive in a way that accentuates the mix and contrast, and an unassuming album that just keeps growing on me.
9. Supertramp - Breakfast in America - Like a stereotypical Breakfast in America, Supertramps smash veers wildly between disparate tones and ingredients, with a couple striking duds amidst its sterling singles. For me, what unites the batch is a certain flair in its musicianship, characterized by offbeat yet conventionally engaging instrumental choices.
10. Rush - Moving Pictures - I very much respect Moving Pictures technical prowess, and at its best, I enjoy it almost as much. Its a thoroughly accomplished album that Ill likely always appreciate, but that Ill just as likely never truly embrace.
11. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - An oddly euphonious yet ephemeral effort that culminates on a pitch-perfect note with Oliver James a capella break. It feels something like the death of a certain uniquely American conception of the dignified mythic wilderness.
12. Soundgarden - Superunknown - Shattered my preconceptions about grunge not by sounding particularly different than I expected but by not wearing me out on its sound. Its surprisingly consistently enjoyable, slightly less surprisingly catchy, and Cornell was quite the vocalist.
13. Coeur de pirate - Roses - A pretty samey but also pretty, well, pretty album that still plays to its strengths a bit too single-mindedly for my tastes. Roses almost overcomes its major flaw by turning into a tone poem, but ultimately, Id rather hear too much of it out of context.
14. OutKast - Aquemini - Aquemini effectively eschews the confrontational tack of most popular hip hop Ive heard for spoken-word interludes and sonic experimentation. The albums a bit too mellow for me to truly embrace, though (I remember my fond feelings but not really the music itself).
15. Billy Joel - The Stranger - Absence doesnt always make the heart grow fonder, no matter how smooth and refined that chance encounter might have been.
16. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico - Its sound isnt nearly as experimental, discordant, and generally unique as I expected, which is probably a testament to its influence more than anything. In its place is a peculiarly disembodied quality, coming off timeless and as a product of a time before its own in equal measure.
17. Spice Girls - Spice - Also disarmingly enjoyable on any level at its best, but conversely, some of its songs feel like bland sludgy nothings. Still, its fun enough - and even a tad subversive - to get me to overlook many of its shortcomings in favor of the good times in retrospect.
18. Iron Maiden - Powerslave - Powerslaves outwardly repetitive yet densely layered riffs make it the clearest example in this ranking of an album I gave short shrift.
19. Moby - Play - I find Play at its most potent in its warmest, hammiest moments, when its fusion of electronica with populist musical idioms brings out the best of both traditions at times. Its purist plays, while perhaps more technically accomplished, feel comparatively cold and leached and not of a kind with the albums other half or so.
20. Taylor Swift - Speak Now - Its still a very Taylor Swift album - a clear product of Swifts perspective that spotlights her strengths. However, I must eat crow about Mean, which is cloyingly cute and catchy.
21. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine - Time has toned down much of my former antipathy towards its songwriting and tone in general.
22. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal - I might as well have listened to the same song twelve times in a row (theres Play, and then theres the other extreme). Said song does sound quite nice at first, but ultimately, I dont think any album here underdelivers on the sum of its parts to such an extent.
23. Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves - This did nothing to change my misperceptions about punk, to the point where even the song endings all felt about the same. That could just be from my fatigue of the album, though.
24. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me - An inscrutable yet achingly personal product of Laceys own baggage, for better and much, much worse. Theres nothing merry for me to say about it, again for better and much, much worse.