Top Ten Albums

The following is my list of the top ten albums of all time. This list isn't synonymous with my list of top ten bands of all time or top ten songs of all time; those are different concepts for me. These albums vary in time, theme and style, but the common thread is the cohesive genius manifest from start to end. And if this seems pretentious, consider the source; I eat string cheese mostly for the "I'm playing with my food!" aspect... Also, the best way to know if this is complete bullshit or not is to listen to each album for yourself, with virgin ears and void of a "you have something to prove to me" attitude. A brief description of why these albums are retained in my otherwise lackluster memory follows each listing.

1. The Body, the Blood, the Machine (The Thermals)

I'll be honest, I'm selfish. And no other album sounds, musically and lyrically, like something that could be born of my gut and heart, if I was blessed enough to express myself with clarity. But I'm not, and it's okay thanks to the Thermals.

2. Out of Step (Minor Threat)

Simultaneously the most idealistic and jaded piece of art, ever. And they were teenagers...

3. Neon Bible (Arcade Fire)

"My lips are near, but my heart is far away." I can't think of a better Biblical reference to describe religion in modern America. And Arcade Fire is a Canadian band. Even our collective religious experience is being out-sourced.

4. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel)

Occasionally I feel like I'm losing touch with reality and that makes me uncomfortable because it puts me at odds with the rat race I've entered into. Listening to this album reminds me that some of the most beautiful and touching things in life happen in day-dreams, memories shaped by nostalgia and not at all. I'll take beauty over comfort anytime.

5. From Here to Infirmary (Alkaline Trio)

The next time self-loathing creeps in, give this album a listen; it'll do it way better than you. Promise.

6. The Sunlandic Twins (Of Montreal)

If this album had a time equivalent, it would be a Sunday morning. It's airy, it's refreshing, it's easy and it sounds so celestial and weepy you realize you're actually worshipping.

7. Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)

Sometimes I get to thinking that my experience is unique, never faced by another human (this can be both negative and positive). Pet Sounds undertakes the universal human themes of love, joy, jealousy, alienation, and quest for meaning. And all in a pop album. Suck it Shakespeare.

8. For Emma, Forever Ago (Bon Iver)

All I have are my intuitive impressions, and for some reason this album reminds me of a single day. Any day, where a number of things could happen and they do and all the emotions I experience. It's vivid and blurry at once. And I don't care if that makes sense.

9. The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)

According to the internets there are alot of literary themes and history that inspired this album, but that's not really relevant to me. What is relevant is how I connect to it, and I don't need the internets to tell me it's brilliant, it's crisp, and for all those themes and history, it's lonely. And that's tragic (in a way only make-believe and interpreted past can be).

10. Give Up (The Postal Service)
I'm a sucker for things that don't belong together being together.* Give Up is like a Frank Gehry building (which building, any building, just pick one, they're all nightmares) in a good way. Manufactured pop beats, bleeps, and repetitions weaved with the sincerest of words I've ever heard about romantic relationships. It's absurd and I love it.

(*Except in architecture. Buildings are meant for people to live, work and play in. They aren't meant to make some grandiose, self-indulgent, "I'm a rock star" statement. And yes, I abhor Frank Gehry, if you couldn't tell.)