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
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