My Take
In my case, the albums that have become my favorites are the ones I feel I absolutely have to listen to from start to finish. Of course, there are standout tracks, and some, though good, might pale in comparison to others. But it’s the experience of listening to the entire album that captivates me.
Examples:
- “Flowerboy” by Tyler, The Creator.
- “Affinity” by Haken
- “Brat” by Charli XCX
- The debut album by Gentle Giant
What are your favorite albums and why?
I have favorite albums and then I have the 3(maybe 4 now) perfect 10 albums.
What makes a perfect 10 album? Like you I have to listen to it from start to finish. There’s not a single skip or down track on the album. They have exquisite and timeless production quality. These albums sound good even in the worst quality. On top notch files they’re the best of the best. They hit me at a time in my life where they just clicked emotionally.
For the longest time the 3 were and are:
Animals - Pink Floyd - It’s their best album. It has a zen like flow state to it. There’s no pretentious bullshit on it. Sounds amazing.
Ten - Pearl Jam - Jeremy is one of the first songs I remember hearing as a child. The rest of the album is just as good. Also amazing sound quality. Flows perfectly across the whole album.
Exoplanet - The Contortionist - It’s late summer 2010. An album finally came out that dethroned Colors by BTBAM from 3 straight years of nonstop listening. That album was P1 by Periphery. I didn’t think anything could possibly top that album. It spawned a whole new genre almost instantly. Then on the last day of August, Exoplanet drops. I was floored. Much better sound production. It ebbs and flows with a grace not heard of in Deathcore. It has these magical peaks and valleys all throughout the album. Not a single miss. It’s crushing. Then it gently sets you down and tucks you in bed as the alarms of the spaceship you just had a musical journey on are softly beeping away in the distance. It’s the single best Deathcore album to ever be released. It’s so far and above everything else most people don’t even count it as Deathcore. It book ended one era of music as another one just began and what a way for Deathcore to end it’s dominance.
The fourth album that’s slowly adding itself to the list is Lonely People With Power by Deafheaven. It does all of the things the other 3 do. It hit at the exact time I needed that album. It tells these crazy stories throughout lyrically and musically. There’s not a single skip on the record. It’s honestly up there as one of the best metal of any type albums of all time IMO. The only thing that’s preventing me from adding it to the list is time. Those other records have a longevity unmatched by most. If I still feel the way I feel about LPWP in 5 years, then yeah it’s a perfect 10.
Deafheaven is great, although I’m usually sucked into New Bermuda. I’m not a huge metal person, and I don’t know if it’s their best album, but it’s the one I go back to the most frequently.
They’re one of my favorite bands. Their whole discography is good but LPWP took everything they’ve done before and stepped it up a lot. If you was to ask me what their best album was before LPWP I would say New Bermuda. Now without hesitation its Lonely People With Power.