My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time (sorta kind of again)

On January 1, 2020 I started tracking my listening habits on a spreadsheet. When I first logged Dolly Parton's Jolene I had no idea what was ahead of me. I don't know if my passion for this would've been the same without a worldwide pandemic allowing me to indulge my listening habit more than ever (my guess is that, yes, it absolutely would have). This is the basic info I chronicle:

• Artist
• Album
• Release Date
• First Listen Date 
• Genre
• Play Count
• Rating
• Notes

Since I started this exercise I've listened to 2,165 albums, 951 of them being unique. While my primary listening focus is new music I make a conscious effort to look back at the past. This includes albums I've loved for years but also albums I've never listened to ever. It's tedious but rewarding. It's unnecessary but oh so necessary. 

In the midst of this OCD-fulfilling project I decided that each year, on my birthday, I'd throw on a filter and let Google tell me what my 100 favorite (aka top rated) album are. I am one to hem and haw until I pass out so it's been a bit thrilling to not overthink this. Yes, this is what passes for "thrilling" at 39. 

I haven't parsed over the data like Billy Bean or anything, but a bunch of albums were kicked off this list, making room for 19 subjectively better records. Some fell, other climbed. Such is life. 

Fun Fact #1: 96 of these 100 records are rated as a 9.0 or better. 

Fun Fact #2: I own 49 of these on vinyl. 

Disclaimer 1: As stated above, I started tracking my album listening and assigning ratings to said albums on 01.01.2020. As a result, this list is only comprised of albums listened to on or after that date (456 unique albums in total). The idea is that it’ll evolve and become more accurate over time. 

Disclaimer 2: I didn't allow myself to consider soundtracks (sorry Lost In Translation!), live albums (sorry Stop Making Sense!), or compilations albums (sorry Louder Than Bombs!). 

Elevator goiiinnnnggggg up!

1. The Clash - London Calling
2. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
3. Pavement - Wowee Zowee
4. Green Day - dookie
5. Pearl Jam - Ten
6. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
7. The Promise Ring - Very Emergency
8. The Beatles - Revolver
9. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
10. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
12. Beatles, The - Rubber Soul
13. Pearl Jam - Vs.
14. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
15. Nirvana - Nevermind
16. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
17. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
18. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
19. Camp Cope - Camp Cope
20. Silent Majority - Life of a Spectator
21. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
22. Big Star - #1 Record
23. Pavement - Brighten the Corners
24. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
25. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
26. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
27. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
28. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
29. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
30. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
31. Green Day - Insomniac
32. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
33. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
34. Weezer - Pinkerton
35. The Beatles - Let It Be
36. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model
37. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
38. The Beatles - The Beatles
39. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
40. Nas - Illmatic
41. Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
42. The Beatles - Help!
43. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
44. R.E.M. - Reckoning
45. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
46. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
47. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
48. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
49. Sleater Kinney - No Cities To Love
50. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends
51. Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
52. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
53. The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
54. Silver Jews - American Water
55. The B-52's - Cosmic Thing
56. Arcade Fire - Funeral
57. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
58. Taylor Swift - 1989
59. The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
60. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
61. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
62. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
63. Pixies - Doolittle
64. Bon Iver - i,i
65. Wilco - Summerteeth
66. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
67. The Beatles - Abbey Road
68. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
69. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
70. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
71. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
72. Mannequin Pussy - Patience
73. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags
74. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
75. Wire - Pink Flag
76. Pavement - Terror Twilight
77. R.E.M. - Document
78. John Lennon - Mind Games
79. Radiohead - OK Computer
80. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
81. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
82. The Strokes - Is This It
83. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
84. Love - Forever Changes
85. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION
86. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
87. Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
88. The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
89. Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
90. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
91. HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III
92. Tegan and Sara - The Con
93. The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
94. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
95. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
96. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
97. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
98. The Replacements - Let It Be
99. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
100. The Clash - The Clash

My 50 Favorite Albums of 2020

I listened to 241 different releases from 2020. These are my 50 favorite. 

1. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
3. The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form
4. HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III
5. Taylor Swift - folklore
6. Porridge Radio - Every Bad
7. illuminati hotties - FREE I.H: This Is Not The One You've Been Waiting For
8. Run The Jewels - RTJ4
9. Fleet Foxes - Shore
10. SPICE - SPICE
11. Kacy Hill - Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again
12. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
13. Caribou - Suddenly
14. Nap Eyes - Snapshot of a Beginner 
15. Fenne Lily - BREACH
16. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
17. Pottery - Welcome to Bobby's Motel
18. Dehd - Flower of Devotion
19. Bartees Strange - Live Forever
20. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
21. Deftones - Ohms
22. Taylor Swift - evermore
23. Soccer Mommy - color theory
24. Westerman - Your Hero Is Not Dead 
25. Bully - SUGAREGG
26. Teenage Halloween - Teenage Halloween
27. Hypoluxo - Hypoluxo
28. Trace Mountains - Lost in the Country
29. The Killers - Imploding the Mirage
30. SAULT - Untitled (Rise)
31. Disq - Collector
32. Dogleg - Melee
33. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions
34. Land of Talk - Indistinct Conversations
35. Future Islands - As Long As You Are
36. Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM
37. THE NEVERLY BOYS - Dark Side of Everything
38. Empty Country - Empty Country
39. 2nd Grade - Hit to Hit
40. Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
41. Kiwi Jr. - Football Money
42. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques
43. Field Medic - Floral Prince
44. Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone
45. Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open
46. My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall II
47. Hinds - The Prettiest Curse
48. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways to New Italy
49. LAKE - Roundelay
50. beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers

My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time (sorta kind of)

I think about death and dying. A lot. Probably an unhealthy amount. Almost certainly an unhealthy amount. When one dies, what more could they want than to leave some tangible evidence as to who they were as a person? How is this easily encapsulated, especially for someone with limited means? I think the answer is: letters... art... and lists. And where do those three collide? Lists about music with stream of consciousness preambles thought out on the toilet!

I’ve made up my mind that each year on my birthday I will consider My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time. If I died tomorrow this list could be left to my children as a roadmap to explore and gain insight into who I was as a person.

Or something like that.

But also, believe it or not, this is a way for me to take myself less seriously. I love music and I love ranking it, but no list will ever be perfect, no list will ever be final. This will force my hand.

Disclaimer 1: I started tracking my album listening and assigning ratings to said albums on 01.01.2020. As a result, this list is only comprised of albums listened to on or after that date (456 unique albums in total). The idea is that it’ll evolve and become more accurate over time.

Disclaimer 2: I didn't allow myself to consider soundtracks (sorry Lost In Translation!), live albums (sorry Stop Making Sense!), or compilations albums (sorry Louder Than Bombs!).

Anyway, the list!

1. The Clash - London Calling

2. Pavement - Wowee Zowee
3. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
4. Green Day - dookie
5. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
6. Pearl Jam - Ten
7. The Promise Ring - Very Emergency
8. The Beatles - Revolver
9. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted

10. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

11. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

12. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
13. Pearl Jam - Vs.
14. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
15. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
16. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
17. Nirvana - Nevermind
18. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
19. Camp Cope - Camp Cope
20. Pavement - Brighten the Corners

21. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps

22. Silent Majority - Life of a Spectator
23. Big Star - #1 Record
24. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
25. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
26. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
27. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
28. The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album)
29. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
30. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

31. Green Day - Insomniac

32. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
33. Weezer - Pinkerton
34. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
35. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
36. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model
37. Nas - Illmatic
38. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
39. The Beatles - Help!
40. Saves the Day - Through Being Cool

41. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

42. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
43. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
44. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
45. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
46. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends
47. Sleater Kinney - No Cities To Love
48. Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
49. The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
50. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

51. The B-52's - Cosmic Thing

52. Taylor Swift - 1989
53. Arcade Fire - Funeral
54. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
55. Pixies - Doolittle
56. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
57. Bon Iver - i,i
58. Wilco - Summerteeth
59. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
60. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

61. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

62. Pavement - Terror Twilight
63. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
64. Mannequin Pussy - Patience
65. The Beatles - Abbey Road
66. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
67. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
68. John Lennon - Mind Games
69. R.E.M. - Document
70. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION

71. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

72. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
73. Radiohead - OK Computer
74. Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
75. The War on Drugs - Lost In The Dream
76. Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
77. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
78. The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
79. The Replacements - Let It Be
80. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

81. The Clash - The Clash

82. Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
83. R.E.M. - Reckoning
84. The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
85. Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
86. Charly Bliss - Young Enough
87. Against Me! - New Wave
88. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
89. Lou Reed - The Blue Mask
90. The Beatles - With The Beatles

91. The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form

92. The Killers - Hot Fuss
93. Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be
94. The Postal Service - Give Up
95. New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
96. Tom Petty - Wildflowers
97. The Beatles - Let It Be
98. Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
99. The Ramones - Ramones
100. Big Star - Radio City

My Reaction to the "Hunger Games"

This is not a review, just an initial reaction... **Spoiler Alert**

Having been a huge fan of the books, my expectations were unreasonably high for the movie. I walked away from the theater disappointed, but still found the movie to be really enjoyable. I wasn't shocked though since Book 1 was always my least favorite of the 3, with my main complaint being that the ending felt anti-climatic. After seeing the movie, I still feel that this point of the overall story feels rather anti-climatic, which is somewhat strange given that the heroine "won" when all is said and done. I would have preferred if they ended the first movie a little bit into Book 2... maybe with Snow paying Katniss a visit in Victor's Village?

Things I liked:

Arcade Fire during the credits.

The set design / costume design of the Capitol and its people.

Jennifer Lawrence's curves in her training gear.

The Reaping scene.

How the Gamemakers controlled the arena with their 3D touch screen technology.

How Seneca Crane was killed off.

Effie's obliviousness and unintentional humor.

The Cornucopia. I couldn't figure out how that would look, or how that scene in the book was even possible, so the futuristic interpretation was nice.

Cato's final "speech" conveyed depth to that character that we didn't get to see from the other Tributes, except Rue.

The "3 Finger" salute to District 11.

I thought I was going to dislike Woody as Haymitch, especially because that's absolutely not how I pictured him in my head, but I thought his portrayal was excellent.

When that initial Mutt leaped from the shadows it definitely startled the entire audience.

The concept of the Mutts always seemed strange to me in the books, so I'm glad they held back a little bit with the whole "eye balls" thing.

In the book we learned a lot through Katniss' POV, so to inform the audience by interjecting Flickerman's TV commentary throughout was pretty clever, and it also made it feel more like the reality show it's supposed to be.

Things I didn't like:

Gale's delivery of "Katnip".

They removed the "10... 9... 8..." countdown that was in the trailer. The silence made it suspenseful, but I still think the countdown could've worked better.

Peeta's camouflage was ridiculous. In a bad, distracting way.

When Katniss is up in the tree why not just walk around the other side of the tree and just keep shooting arrows?

How the Careers didn't see Katniss after their stockpile exploded, even when she clamored off in to the woods.

How after the trackerjacker attack Katniss was out in the open for days and nobody found her (although I suppose the Careers could've been busy tending to their own wounds?).

During the Feast at the Cornucopia, why wouldn't you just take all the bags and deprive the other Tributes of the thing they needed to survive?

When Katniss shoots Cato in the hand and he spins off of the Cornucopia. I feel like if I didn't know what happened in the book that would've appeared as one big confusing blur of action.

I wish we would've seen the hover crafts remove the bodies from the Arena. Especially Rue's.

The "berry" scene at the end could've been more suspenseful... Peeta latched on to that whole suicide thing rather quickly, and I would've liked to see Crane reacting like "Holy shit! What do I do?" Also, I feel like Katniss and Peeta could've been a little more excited to be alive.

Cinna and Katniss' "bond" seemed unfounded... kind of just came out of nowhere.

My main gripe: Katniss wins hearts volunteering for Prim, wows with her dress, has the whole star-crossed lovers thing going for her, and scored an 11 from the judges during training, yet Haymitch keeps saying that nobody likes her, yadda yadda. Then Peeta, who also has the star-crossed-lover thing going for him, knows how to play the "game" with the sponsors, and scored a very decent 8 from the judges, complains he can't get parachutes like Katniss can.

Other general thoughts:

I wouldn't have minded a movie with a more graphic portrayal of the violence, but I didn't necessarily miss it. I get why it was done this way, and I'm OK with that.

Cinna's flames were OK. Not awful, but didn't play me away.

I'm still not convinced they did a good job casting Peeta, although he didn't bother me as much as I anticipated.

Gale talked too much... Not!

I can't believe we have to wait until November 2013 for the next one... although I'm glad to see it absolutely killed it at the box office this weekend.

My Top Albums of 2011

My Favorite Albums of 2011

1. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

2. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life

3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

4. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient

5. Yuck - Yuck

6. Male Bonding - Endless Now

7. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

8. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

9. Adele - 21

10. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic

11. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

12. Pure X - Pleasure

13. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

14. Real Estate - Days

15. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

16. Washed Out - Within and Without

17. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

18. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain

19. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

20. BOAT - Dress Like Your Idols

21. Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams

22. Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness

23. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light

24. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials

25. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

26. Future Islands - On the Water

27. Jeff the Brotherhood - We Are The Champions

28. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

29. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie

30. The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love

31. The Twerps - s/t

32. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation

33. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

34. Black Keys - El Camino

35. Foster the People - Torches

36. Sleeper Agent - Celabrasion

37. The Antlers - Burst Apart

38. Cults - Cults

39. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

40. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

41. Givers - In Light

42. The Throne - Watch the Throne

43. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

44. Active Child - You Are All I See

45. Wilco - The Whole Love

46. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

47. Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines

48. Deer Tick - Divine Providence

49. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

50. Neon Indian - Era Extraña

EPs of Note

Wavves - Life Sux

Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics

DOM - Family of Love

Jens Lekman - An Argument With Myself

Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High

Most Overrated

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

James Blake – James Blake

Biggest Disappointments

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Bright Eyes - The People’s Key

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Most Underrated

Male Bonding - Endless Now

Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

BOAT - Dress Like Your Idols

Worst Thing I Heard

Lou Reed & Metallica – Lulu

Honorable Mention

I was unable to objectively rank this album since my friends are in the band, but I highly suggest checking out Sainthood Reps’ “Monoculture”!

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

My Top Albums of 2010

My Favorite Albums
1. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
2. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
3. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
5. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
6. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
7. Wavves - King of the Beach
8. Vampire Weekend - Contra
9. Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
10. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
11. Robyn - Body Talk
12. Les Savy Fav - Roots of Ruin
13. Best Coast - Crazy For You
14. Wild Nothing - Gemini
15. Ted Leo - The Brutalist Bricks
16. The Soft Pack - s/t
17. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
18. Tokyo Police Club - Champ
19. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
20. Jaill - That's How We Burn
21. Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
22. Frightened Rabbit - Winter of Mixed Drinks
23. Poison Control Center - Sad Sour Future
24. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
25. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
26. The Drums - s/t
27. The New Pornographers - Together
28. Spoon - Transference
29. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
30. Shout Out Louds - Work
31. DOM - Sun Bronzed Greek Gods [EP]
32. Sun Airway - Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
33. Against Me! - White Crosses
34. The Thermals - Personal Life
35. Violens - Amoral
36. The National - High Violet
37. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
38. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
39. The Love Language - Libraries
40. Broken Bells - s/t

Most Overrated Albums
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
MGMT - Congratulations

Biggest Disappointments
MGMT - Congratulations
Interpol - s/t
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard

Most Underrated Albums
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme

SantaBOT

me: i want death

SantaClaus: I've got a billion children to keep track of -- so could you ask me something a bit more manageable? I'd very much appreciate it.

me: i want katy perry

SantaClaus: My goodness! You certainly are direct!

me: i want a puppy

SantaClaus: Wonderful! Now we are getting somewhere.

me: i want a puppy with wings

SantaClaus: Ho! Ho! Wonderful.

me: and i want his tail to be a machine gun

SantaClaus: Oh, Ho Ho! O:-) Now let's get serious! Anything else?

me: tell santa i want a kitten

and a robot

SantaClaus: I suspect that's not all!

me: you're right. i want to fly

SantaClaus: What would your last Christmas wish be?

me: i want an empty box of hate

SantaClaus: O.K. that's quite a list! Why don't you type, poll and vote for your favorite holiday album?

me: why don't you suck an egg(nog)

SantaClaus: Santa loves eggnog!

me: damn right he does

SantaClaus: Hmm. I'm afraid that kind of language won't get you into the nice column with me.
That's a lump of coal for you.

me: oh, no! not coal!

SantaClaus: O.K. then. Well, have a merry Christmas in any case.

me: you too, good lookin'

SantaClaus: That's a good question, Santa is no hypocrite: I've been on my best behavior, all year.


me: what? are you drunk?

SantaClaus: Oh dear, I am Father Christmas. You really don't remember me?

me: you used to touch me

Playground Law

There is absolutely no logic behind "Whoever smelt it, dealt it." None. It has always bothered me.

Robyn Good

Guilty pleasure...

Robyn - Hang With Me [official video]