My Favorite Albums (in 2023)

Genre: Post-Britpop, Piano Rock

Year: 2002

Coldplay is an often derided band, with many people brushing them off as "that one sellout pop band" that only makes radio hits. They're not necessarily wrong, but thing about being a sellout band is that in order to sell out you have to start with some sort of artistic integrity in the first place. Coldplay's first two albums, and particularly A Rush of Blood to the Head, are both masterpieces in their own right. There are elements of other mainstream rock bands of the time incorporated here (Radiohead, U2) but they're tasteful and backed by genuinely impactful songwriting and evocative instrumentals. This is music that will make you feel something, and there's not a single filler track here - one of the most consistent mainstream rock albums of all time.

Best track: A Rush of Blood to the Head

Genre: Alternative Rock

Year: 2000

The first of several entries from my favorite musical group of all time. Possibly Thrice's most personal album to date, Beggars is a journey through Dustin Kensrue's struggles with faith, loneliness, and the feeling of being powerless in a world where he wants to accomplish more. This more introspective style of songwriting mixed with more lowkey instrumentals (albeit more complex in a lot of ways - there's a lot of influence from earlier post-hardcore and even some math rock here) make this a change from their previous output, but still a welcome one.

Best track: Beggars

Genre: Southern Hip-Hop, Trap

Year: 2018

Generally I'm not a huge rap guy. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of fantastic hip hop out there, but only a few albums really stick with me beyond a handful of songs. This is one of them. Incredibly consistent all the way through, with some of the best flows, wordplay, and especially production I've seen in any hip hop. Whole album is full of earworms that I really never get tired of hearing with enough diversity in its sound that nothing ever overstays its welcome. There's also a lot of really solid political commentary here which helps add another fantastic layer of meaning if you're willing to look for it.

Best track: SIRENS | Z1RENZ

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Hardcore

Year: 2006

One of the common threads you're going to see in this list is a heavy bias toward good, introspective lyricism. mewithoutYou, especially at this point in their career, have a unique talent for capturing the weight of their faith - it's not Christian rock in the traditional sense, they're not evangelizing or praising God, at least not on the surface. This is an album about fear. About uncertainty. Most Christians aren't completely unwavering in their faith for their whole life and Brother, Sister feels like the encapsulation of that feeling: the uncertainty, the doubt, but still holding onto that faith and hoping against hope that you have it right.

Best track: In a Sweater Poorly Knit

Genre: Art Rock, Art Pop

Year: 2016

This one is in a very similar vein to A Rush of Blood to the Head, but with an added Radiohead flair and better, if more cryptic, songwriting, as well as the absolute gut punch that is True Love Waits (which is a real contender for the saddest song I've ever heard). As with a lot of Radiohead's discography, every time I hear this album my opinion of it gets better, and I feel like if I get around to making another one of these lists next year I'm going to feel like I massively underrated this one. If you're in the mood for something really sad and really personal that reveals more about itself every time you hear it, give this album a listen.

Best track: True Love Waits

Genre: Art Rock, Electronic

Year: 2000

The impact of Radiohead on the modern rock scene cannot be overstated, and while the groundbreaking nature of Kid A (at least in the mainstream) is a fascinating topic, there's plenty of people elsewhere on the internet that have covered it better than I ever could in a one paragraph review on a Jetpunk blog. The most interesting thing to me about this album is how cold, empty, and even alien it sounds. It captures a feeling that isn't explored in a whole lot of music, and it does it really well. Nearly a perfect album for walking outside on a cold winter evening when you're feeling alone (although not the best - we'll get to two of those later in this list).

Best track: How to Disappear Completely

Genre: Indie Rock, Emo

Year: 2006

Some of the tightest, most passionate emo-adjacent music out there. You can feel the emotion behind Jesse Lacey's vocals and lyrics which just help elevate the already fantastic instrumental tracks. A lot of the albums in this list evoke a certain emotion or I really only listen to in specific environments, but this is one that's just so good that I can put it on any time, anywhere and enjoy myself. Jesus Christ is also among my favorite songs of all time and 100% a must listen for any fan of music in general.

Best track: Jesus Christ

Genre: Metalcore

Year: 2012

There was a time not so long ago when metalcore was far and away my favorite genre of music. The aggression, emotion, and the mix of melodic choruses paired with heavy verses and breakdowns were just something that really resonated with me for a large portion of my adolescent life. As I listened to more music (which made me more aware of the really repetitive formula in a lot of metalcore) and got a little less angry and a little more sad the genre lost its grip on my listening habits, but there's a good few records from that scene that have stuck with me until now. Converge really didn't have a huge place in my listening back then, but their more artistic approach to metal combined with some of the heaviest music anywhere in the genre's mainstream has made me come to appreciate them even more as time goes on. Not a lyric heavy album in the slightest but the guitar is so incredible that it takes center stage anyway.

Best track: All We Love We Leave Behind

Genre: Art Rock, Alternative Rock

Year: 2007

This is the last Radiohead entry for awhile, I promise. Probably their most inconsistent offering, but damn if the highs on this thing aren't absolutely mind blowing. Jigsaw and Weird Fishes are two of my favorite songs of all time, and although there's not anything outright bad or even less than good, there's definitely a few low points especially compared to those two. Nevertheless, still a great listen and I can understand where people are coming from when they say it's Radiohead's best. Certainly the one that gets stuck in my head the most, at the very least.

Best track: Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Genre: Grunge, Alternative Metal

Year: 1992

There aren't many albums I could say had a greater impact on my path of music discovery than Dirt. My freshman year of high school I was stuck in what you could call a rut of sorts - I was listening to the standard, run of the mill 2000s post-grunge, nu and alt metal and pretty content in that spot. I knew of grunge but I didn't really have any interest in it until my best friend came to me one day and told me I HAD to listen to Alice in Chains. So I went home and put on Dirt and I was completely blown away. This album sparked a whole new desire within me for music discovery and stayed in my regular rotation for years afterward. To this day, I have a huge appreciation for Staley's lyricism on addiction and depression, and the guitar work here remains among some of the best I've ever heard.

Best track: Rain When I Die

Genre: Stoner Rock, Alternative Rock

Year: 2002

Songs for the Deaf is a concept album - it chronicles a drive from the outskirts of Los Angeles through the California desert to Joshua Tree, and the radio stations you'll hear along the way. This is an interesting premise because it allows pretty jarring transitions between songs and allows the band to explore a lot of different sounds without it sounding disjointed - there's just an interlude and the radio station changes. I've really enjoyed this album for years, but it really took on a new meaning for me after making that drive myself a dozen times. It really does perfectly capture the feeling of the landscape and this and Kyuss's Welcome to Sky Valley (a precursor to Queens of the Stone Age!) are pretty much my default listening any time I go out there now.

Best track: No One Knows

Genre: Neo-Traditionalist Country

Year: 2018

If you take a look at my list from two years ago, you'd see this album a lot higher. I still like it a lot obviously, but I just can't get the same enjoyment out of this as I once did. It's not really anything crazy, just some really damn good country sung by probably my favorite vocalist of all time. But now that I've listened to every song well over 50 times, there just isn't really that draw for me to come back all that much anymore. That said, when I do occasionally come back after awhile and give this a spin, I thoroughly enjoy myself every time. He's also a fantastic performer and one of the best live shows I've ever been to.

Best track: Mirror, Mirror

Genre: Art Rock, Progressive Rock

Year: 1973

If there ever truly was such a designation, The Dark Side of the Moon would probably be the album of all time. There's really nothing I could ever say here that hasn't already been said a thousand times by a thousand other people, so I won't try for some grand explanation or anything. This is just a really damn good piece of music and its popularity is more than well deserved. Still not their best though.

Best track: Time

Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Rock

Year: 1998

Nearly as monolithic as DSOTM but in its own circle of underground indie music. This is an incredibly emotional and unique listen, and although I enjoyed it the first couple times I heard it my appreciation only grew the more I looked further into its lyrics, the intricacies of the instrumentals, and even the background of Jeff Mangum while and shortly after this was written. This is another album that I just never get tired of listening to in a casual sense, but if I really want to sit down and pay attention I still get something new out of it every time.

Best track: Holland, 1945

Genre: Progressive Rock

Year: 1977

This is the best Pink Floyd album. Some of, if not the best, guitar in all of rock, and at the very least in classic rock. All three songs here are over 10 minutes long, and not a single one feels like it overstays its welcome for a moment. A masterpiece in every sense of the word - really the only reason this doesn't place higher is that I'm just not the biggest prog guy. Sometimes when I'm in the right mood it'll shoot way up my rankings for a couple weeks but it always ends up settling back somewhere around here.

Best track: Pigs (Three Different Ones)

Genre: Post-Rock

Year: 1997

This is, without a doubt, the most unusual and challenging listen on this list. It took me a really long time to get into this - I heard it for the first time all the way back in early 2021 and I really wasn't impressed. There doesn't feel like there's a lot going on here. There's no driving melody, no catchy riffs or vocals or anything really to latch onto. F♯A♯ puts atmosphere above everything else, and it really wasn't until I listened to this one day on a cold winter morning, waiting for and riding the bus to school in the dusk just before sunrise, that something just clicked. One of the most transcendental album listening experiences I've ever had, and although it's not something I come back to all that often, when I find myself in just the right mood there really isn't anything that hits harder.

Best track: The Dead Flag Blues

Genre: Industrial Rock

Year: 1994

This is one of the earliest albums I heard that still makes it onto this list, and the first concept album I ever heard. And what a place to start - the slow descent into the depths of depression, self hatred, and ultimately suicide, conveyed through fantastic (albeit sometimes very blunt) songwriting and some of the best produced, most immersive music in history. This is an absolutely devastating listen if you really pay attention to what's going on, but if you're not it still holds its own as just some really fantastic 90s rock. I like Nine Inch nails a lot, but I don't think they ever have or will even come close to this quality again.

Best track: Hurt

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Math Rock

Year: 1994

One of the best "true" post-hardcore albums of all time. Yank Crime is aggressive, technical, and chaotic while still managing to be extraordinarily catchy. Probably the best math rock-adjacent guitar work I've ever heard and there's not a single moment here that doesn't feel like it's necessary, despite several songs nearing 10 minutes. They dabble in a lot of different genres, from emo to noise rock to post rock, but the way they approach these genre fusions still makes this an incredibly cohesive record. Really incredible production, too. Everything about this record feels rooted in the 90s while still being way ahead of its time.

Best track: Do You Compute

Genre: Alternative Metal

Year: 2012

Deftones reaching new heights of popularity is one of the best things to come out of TikTok. This is another album that I don't really have a whole lot to say about other than that it just sounds good - this is probably my favorite guitar tone ever, pretty much anything that just sounds similar to this is something I'm going to enjoy. Chino is one of the best, most unique vocalists in all of metal (maybe not anymore, but that's coming from people copying him and not through any fault of his own) and just every element here elevates the experience to another level. This is also some of the best sex music out there, though I doubt that's of any interest to most people reading this.

Best track: Rosemary

Genre: West Coast Hip Hop

Year: 2012

This is, by a significant margin, my favorite hip hop album of all time. It hasn't always been - the first time I heard it, years ago, I actually disliked it. But I thought I would give it another chance, and when I payed more attention to the lyrics and got more used to the sound this shot up to good, to great, to nearly perfect with every subsequent listen. good kid, m.A.A.d city tells the story of Kendrick's life and his experiences growing up in, and eventually leaving, Compton. It's deeply personal, and covers topics from crime, racism, and sexism to growing up and dealing with fame. There's a visible transition from the hedonistic, immature, irresponsible version of Kendrick at the beginning of the record to the more reflective and thoughtful one at the end, which represents his outlook at the time this album was made. An absolute must listen, even if you aren't a fan of hip hop.

Best track: The Art of Peer Pressure

Genre: Blackgaze

Year: 2013

This guy summarizes my thoughts on this album better than I ever could, but I'll try anyway. This album is the definition of bittersweet to me - it's about longing and regret, about missing out on all the things you wish you could've done, but can't anymore. But it's also supremely uplifting. There is so much hope in this record, so much passion for things to come. One of very few albums that on its own will always put me in a better mood no matter when I listen to it. Not to mention sonically the way they blend black metal with post rock and shoegaze here is damn near perfect - so many artists, including Deafheaven themselves, have tried to replicate the magic of Sunbather and none have even come close. The pinnacle of a genre.

Best track: Dream House

Genre: Nu Metal

Year: 2002

This and Red's Until We Have Faces are, without a doubt, the two records that had the biggest impact on my music taste today. A masterclass in genre-blending, and far and away the most worthwhile release in the entire nu metal genre (although Hybrid Theory deserves a shout out, too). It definitely hit harder when I first heard it as an angsty 14 year old, but it still holds its own all these years later and I definitely have more appreciation now for the mellower tracks. I definitely do have a bit of rose-tint looking at this from all the time I spent with it in middle and early high school but the hooks are undeniable.

Best track: Faint

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore

Year: 2003

I told you they'd show up again! Thrice's most mainstream record to date, although probably not their most accessible - it gets pretty heavy in a couple tracks. A fantastic blend of post hardcore, alternative rock, and some metalcore. Extraordinarily and instantly catchy. I really don't have much to say about this one, it just places this high because it's a really fun and enjoyable record. Nothing revolutionary, they just do everything they try really well.

Best track: The Artist in the Ambulance

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Hardcore

Year: 1997

In contrast to the last album, The Lonesome Crowded West feels like it discards pretty much every element of obvious catchiness in favor of abrasive, dissonant, and unusual melodies and song structures. There aren't any real pop hooks here, and it did take me a good few listens to really get into it. But the point of this record isn't to be catchy - this is a concept album, really, even if it doesn't reveal that immediately. Here Isaac Brock talks about growing up in a boring, backwards American town that it feels impossible to escape - and the instrumentals compliment this perfectly. This album encapsulates the experience of feeling trapped in middle America in a way that no one else has done to this degree or with this level of musical quality. Also I've probably listened to this at least 10 times all the way through while playing Fallout New Vegas, literally the perfect soundtrack to the atmosphere of that game.

Best track: Trailer Trash

Genre: Red Dirt

Year: 2012

Turnpike is my favorite country band (and, for a time, my favorite country artist but you'll see why they're not anymore later on in the list). Evan Felker is one of the most honest songwriters I've ever encountered and he manages to make every song he tells seem infinitely relatable, even to someone who has no experience living in rural Oklahoma. This might be their best album lyrically speaking, even if the instrumentals and vocal melodies can be a bit lackluster at times compared to their other output. Good Lord Lorrie in particular is on a very short list of perfect songs and the rest of the record isn't far behind.

Best track: Good Lord Lorrie

Genre: Grunge

Year: 1992

Nevermind is one of very few critically acclaimed, successful albums that truly deserves all the love it gets. Banger after banger all the way through, and the format of the songs, the riffs and the lyrics are so simple yet so unique sounding. As many times as I've heard Smells Like Teen Spirit in my life I still haven't gotten tired of it and I don't think I ever will - and that goes for the entire album. Endlessly replayable, and I feel like the more I listen to it the more I actually end up enjoying it. Plus this is one of only a handful of albums I can throw on with literally anyone and get a positive reception.

Best track: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Genre: Art Rock, Post-Hardcore, Alternative Rock

Year: 2007-2008

Okay so this entry is cheating a little bit - this is a four disc concept album released in two parts in two separate years, but the fact that this is best listened to all together and there was a box set released shortly after the second half feel like enough to justify its inclusion. Each of the four discs represent a different classical element, with a completely different sound - fire is aggressive post hardcore and alt metal, water dives into post rock and electronic, air is lighter alternative rock, and earth is a perfect closer full of contemporary folk songs, both originals and covers. It's a long listen, 90 minutes and over 20 tracks, but the way each of the sections blends into the other and the way lyrical themes evolve throughout the project make this a whole lot more than the sum of its parts.

Best track: Moving Mountains

Genre: Metalcore

Year: 2019

It took me a really long time to figure out where to place this album. Sonically and lyrically speaking, it's nowhere near my favorite, and there are plenty of moments here that aren't great or even downright bad. But despite that, Trauma might be the single most important album ever to me on a personal level. This has basically been the soundtrack to every major event in my life in the past 3 years. Any time something bad happens, or something important happens, or I'm just generally down for some reason this is the thing I always end up coming back to. There are so many memories associated with every song on this album and it's just not something I can separate from the quality of the music. I can genuinely say I would not be the same person I am today without I Prevail - hell, I might not even be here at all.

Best track: Gasoline

Genre: Alternative Metal

Year: 2000

This is nearly as perfect as an alt metal album can possibly get - Deftones fuses so many fantastic influences here, incorporating post metal, dream pop, and post hardcore into their normal shoegazey alt metal sound, and there are still remnants of their earlier nu metal days. The whole album feels dreamy and ethereal while still managing to be incredibly engaging. One of the best produced albums of all time and probably my favorite guitar tone ever, too. Deftones never has and likely never will even come close to the level of quality of this record, but as far as peaks go, this is a damn high one.

Best track: Digital Bath

Genre: Red Dirt

Year: 2010

Takes everything great about Goodbye Normal Street and turns it up to 11. Every instrumental here is absolutely fantastic, Felker is at his vocal peak, and the whole album is just banger after banger all the way through. Not a single weak spot, even though it covers a huge range of emotions from simple feel good love songs like Every Girl to dealing with a breakup on 7 & 7 (their other song on that short list of perfect ones) to family problems and loneliness on The Funeral. And once again, some of the best, most relatable songwriting of all time.

Best track: 7 & 7

Genre: Alternative Rock

Year: 2016

This was the first Thrice album I ever heard, and the one that made me fall in love with the band. Dustin's vocals are matured and a lot rougher compared to their earlier output and it suits the mellower style of this record a lot more. The writing here is a lot more political but musically it's a lot less focused on aggression, even if there are still hints of their post hardcore roots. There really isn't anything here that's out of the ordinary - it's just really damn good songwriting from front to back. About as flawless as it's possible for a straight alt rock album to be.

Best track: The Window

Genre: Metalcore

Year: 2018

This is my oldest remaining 10 that I haven't demoted at any point, and it was a 10 the first time I heard it way back in early 2021. This is the album that set the blueprint for modern metalcore, and although I'm not as much a fan of their many copycats anymore, there will always be a place in my favorites for Architects. Holy Hell in particular is the best example to date of a metalcore-djent fusion (trust me, I've heard a lot of it) and Sam Carter's vocals are more emotive here than they have been any time before or since. The songwriting here is also fantastic, dealing mostly with themes of loss after the passing of founding member Tom Searle - and man you can just hear the pain from that coming across in every element of this music. I'll add that Doomsday is another one of those few perfect tracks, and is, for my money, the single greatest metal song of all time.

Best track: Doomsday

Genre: Red Dirt

Year: 2017

The last Turnpike album on the list, and the album that got me into country in the first place. This one is a bit different from their other albums, a lot more rock based and probably more palatable for the average non country fan. The songwriting is still top notch, but the real reason this comes out on top are the instrumentals. There's a lot more emphasis on guitar, and two of the best solos not just in country, but in all of music are right here. This is one album I will absolutely never get tired of, every single song is endlessly replayable and there was a period where I was putting this on multiple times a day because I just could not get the music out of my head. If you haven't listened to any country before and you're looking for a place to start, this is 100% it.

Best track: Something to Hold On To

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Alternative Rock

Year: 2005

Thrice's final entry on this list, and probably the peak of their career in general. The perfect mix of just about every style they've done - this is primarily a post-hardcore album, but there are a lot of elements of alt rock, post rock, and alt metal. By far their most cohesive and consistent project, and just about every song here has been a favorite at some point. Huge, epic song structures with amazing climaxes and a mix of atmospheric, soaring moments with some of the heaviest tracks they've ever made. Not a single weak moment here. Definitely their most outwardly artistic project, too.

Best track: The Earth Will Shake

Genre: Indie Rock, Alt-Country

Year: 2016

Nostalgia is a very particular feeling. Everyone knows what it feels like, but there isn't really a way to describe it. Pinegrove gets really close here - Cardinal captures that supremely bittersweet feeling of longing for better times, but still being happy where you are. It's a mix of emo, indie, and country that is executed so extraordinarily well and that combination of sounds plus the fantastic lyricism makes for something really special. I wish there were more artists doing this kind of thing but there's really nothing I've discovered that quite nails it like Pinegrove does. Also watching them blow up in popularity the past year or so has been so fun to watch.

Best track: Size of the Moon

Genre: Indie Rock

Year: 2018

I've been told you have to be gay in order to love this album. Maybe that's true - I've rarely seen anyone who wasn't that's had it as a favorite. But even ignoring the sexual undertones (and overtones) this is a fantastic piece of punchy, slacker-leaning indie rock. It's charming, youthful, sincere, and at times awkward - but it leans into that. There are some absolutely brilliant lines in here, enough to fill a whole blog in itself. There's just so much passion and emotion. Amazing record.

Best track: Beach Life-in-Death

Genre: Pop Punk, Alternative Rock

Year: 2006

If I had to pick a single "classic" album from the 2000s, The Black Parade would probably be it. Call it nostalgia or adolescent angst, this album has connected with so many people (including myself) and had such a massive impact on music and pop culture as a whole that it's pretty much impossible to dismiss at this point. A perfect blend of theatricality, hard hitting lyricism, powerful vocal delivery, originality, and pop hooks that still have some bite to them. And man the fucking hooks. Every single song here is a standout with the possible exception of, ironically, the biggest hit (Teenagers - although it's still a great song). This was also the first album on this whole list I ever fully listened to, and the fact that it remains this high is a testament to its quality. An anthem of an album, through and through.

Best track: Welcome to the Black Parade

Genre: Alternative Rock

Year: 1997

A pattern I've noticed with most of the music that connects with me the most is that it trends toward feeling cold, lonely, and sad. Maybe there's a bigger underlying problem at the root of that, but I feel like it's the strongest and most compelling emotion that music is able to evoke. The atmosphere of OK Computer is unlike basically any other, the songwriting is cryptic but still incredibly emotional, and the fantastic instrumentals work together with these elements to create one of the most cohesive and immersive album experiences of all time. Just about every song here has been a favorite at some point, and the more I listen to the record the more I feel like I'm able to appreciate it.

Best track: Paranoid Android

Genre: Glitch Pop, Emo Rap

Year: 2022

Much like Trauma, this album holds a special place in my heart that moves its ranking higher than the actual music probably warrants. Not to say the music isn't fantastic - this is easily my favorite production on any album, brakence's voice is fantastic, and lyrically it hits a lot closer to home than I'd like it to. As far as pop music goes, this checks every single box I could possibly ask it to - off the wall but still palatable production, unusual but catchy song structures, personal lyricism, and influence from a ton of different genres. First and foremost, this is an album about loneliness and pining after someone who doesn't want you; someone you know is going to hurt you in the long run but you can't seem to shake feelings for. But he also deals with topics like depression, impostor syndrome, and substance abuse incredibly well and from the perspective of someone who's clearly had experience with all of it. Probably helps, too, that he's pining after a man, something that doesn't show up often in most of the kind of music I love. This has become a comfort album for me in a way basically no other record ever has.

Best track: teeth

Genre: Post-Hardcore

Year: 2000

This is a bit of an outlier among my favorites. There's no deep lyricism here (in fact all of the lyrics are pretty much just complete random nonsense), no great concept, or atmosphere, or anything that makes the "album experience" all that extraordinary. All Relationship of Command is are 11 tracks of the tightest, catchiest, most high quality post hardcore of all time. Not for a single moment does this album let up - banger after banger after banger the entire way through. Musically speaking, song for song, probably the greatest album of all time.

Best track: One Armed Scissor

Genre: Metalcore

Year: 2013

There's a lot of people that don't like Bring Me the Horizon. I get why - their lyrics can be corny and over the top, the electronic elements are very much of their time, Oli Sykes is a divisive character, and they wear a lot of their influences on their sleeve. But man if this doesn't just hit for me. The most influential album of all time in the genre of metalcore, and possibly in heavy rock in general since its release - everyone under the sun has tried to recreate Bring Me the Horizon's sound, both from this and later releases, and none have even come close to matching the quality of this record. I honestly can't put into words what I love so much about this album. It's just really fucking good.

Best track: Can You Feel My Heart

Genre: Indie Rock

Year: 2000

The Moon and Antarctica are two of the most desolate, barren places the human mind can comprehend. As such, this is a very cold and desolate album. There really isn't anything I've listened to that can illicit that same feeling of pure, frigid loneliness. But it's an inviting cold. Isaac Brock wants to be alone. He knows it's leading him further into the depressive spiral he's stuck in, but that doesn't matter - feelings of loneliness lead to more loneliness. There's a lot of talk of depression here and the things that come with it - general feelings of isolation, of being an outcast, of self hatred, and even suicide. It's an intensely relatable feeling for almost anyone, to varying degrees, and as far as I'm concerned this is the best those feelings have ever been covered in music. All that combined with the best musicians in all of indie rock make for the highest peak ever reached by an album in this sphere.

Best track: Dark Center of the Universe

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Emo

Year: 2011

Man, where do I even start with this one? Wildlife tells the story of Grand Rapids, the decaying industrial city's fall from its former glory, the stories of people who live there and the tragedies they've experienced. Incredible, heartbreaking lyricism backed by what is likely the best guitar playing I've ever heard, which works in tandem with Jordan Dreyer's vocals, weaving in and out in a way I've never heard before. There are so many buildups and climaxes both lyrically and instrumentally, so many stories so masterfully told both through the music and the lyrics. And it all comes to a peak with King Park which is an absolute gut punch every time even after 50 listens and is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs of all time. The greatness of King Park shouldn't take away from the rest of the album though, because it is so insanely consistent the entire way through. A truly perfect album.

Best track: King Park

Genre: Metalcore, Alternative Metal

Year: 2020

Hearing this record high was probably the most intense listening experience I've ever had. I wrote a pretty insane review of it at the time, but while I was probably reading too much into it I do still agree with that I said there. This is an album about trauma. The constant dichotomy between dreamy shoegaze moments and some of the heaviest tracks out of any album on this entire list mirror the real life experiences of someone dealing with trauma. The feeling of everything you have being ripped away and the loss of hope. Then a light at the end of the tunnel. You think you've escaped, but then it comes back, stronger than ever. This cycle repeats until you get to A Sad Cartoon, which offers a bit of respite. This might be the end. But then there's a hint of darkness, hiding beneath the surface. You haven't moved past it. The darkness has changed you. There is hope for a brighter future, but things will never be the same as they once were.

Best track: Is It Really You?

Genre: Heartland Rock, Punk Rock

Year: 2008

The '59 Sound stands out among my favorites in that it's really the only one that's so supremely anthemic and uplifting. Despite being soaked in cliche and drawing so much influence from other artists (particularly Bruce Springsteen), the sound and writing are so supremely authentic. There's some sort of magic here - nothing on the surface that makes it so many leagues above everything else similar to it. But something about the passion behind every moment, the honest, often brutal songwriting, and the sound that feels decades older than it really is stands out. These are songs that should be written by someone far more world-weary than a 28 year old Brian Fallon has any right to be, but they still feel youthful and full of life. The perfect soundtrack to young adult life.

Best track: The '59 Sound

Genre: Contemporary Folk, Singer-Songwriter

Year: 2000

Emptiness. That's the one word that best describes this album. Never in my life has music been able to conjure that feeling anywhere near as much as this album does. This is a very minimalist record. But every note, every lyric, seems perfectly and intentionally placed to make the listener feel completely hopeless, lonely, empty. It's not an easy listen. This is the album during which Jason Molina had spiraled furthest into the depths of depression and you can absolutely feel that in the music. Hearing Ghost Tropic for the first time put me out for days, and that's not something I can even come close to saying about any other music I've ever heard. This album is an experience, more than anything else on this whole list. Listen to it while sitting or walking outside alone at night. You'll never look at music the same way again.

Best track: The Body Burned Away

Genre: Country, Singer-Songwriter

Year: 2022

Unfortunately the end of this list probably won't be too interesting. Zach Bryan is far and away my all time favorite artist - and for my money the greatest songwriter of our entire generation. American Heartbreak is the album that brought him into the mainstream, and rightfully so - this is a 2 hour collection of 34 of the best written, most heartfelt songs of all time. This is such an inspirational album. It covers every topic under the sun that could apply to a young man in America, from nostalgia for simpler times to living in the moment and knowing you'll think back on it fondly in the future, to love, breakups, loss, substance abuse, not living up to expectations and the desire to make your family proud, and another dozen more. Just about every line on every single song connects with me on such a deeply personal level and Zach manages to express every idea in a way that is so supremely relatable to anyone listening, even if they haven't had direct experience with what's being described. His vocals here are so passionate and fit the music perfectly even if he's not the greatest singer from a more objective standpoint. It's supremely impressive that even with as many tracks as it has I couldn't bear to cut a single one. And Something in the Orange has been my favorite song since it first dropped as a single nearly 2 years ago now.

Best track: Something in the Orange

Genre: Post-Rock, Math Rock, Post-Hardcore

Year: 1991

A brief intermission from Zach Bryan. I've spent a long time trying to put into words what makes Spiderland so special and I still don't really have the answer. It's a very unique album - dozens, if not hundreds, of bands have tried to recreate this sound and none have quite succeeded (although some have managed to make different masterpieces in their own right; see For the First Time). Some of the best riffs and atmosphere in any album. Brian McMahan doesn't sing, it's entirely spoken word, but I feel like that fits the music of the album better than anything else possibly could. I don't know man, there's just something about it that keeps me coming back over and over and over. One of very few completely flawless records.

Best track: Good Morning, Captain

Genre: Country, Singer-Songwriter

Year: 2019

I'm going to keep this pretty short because I could write about DeAnn for hours and still not even come close to conveying how much I love it. Pretty handily the best written album I've ever listened to. Zach Bryan's debut record, written and recorded in the space of a month in a shed in his backyard, It's just him and a guitar, pouring his heart out. And man does he do that so damn well. About half of the songs I have ever cried to come from this album. So infinitely relatable on every level. A perfect album.

Best track: God Speed

Genre: Country, Singer-Songwriter, Red Dirt

Year: 2023

I'm just going to more or less copy-paste the review I wrote for this when it came out: Zach Bryan is a really, really special artist to me. I don’t think there’s been any other songwriter that connects with me so much on such a personal level, and especially not with as much consistency and frequency. His music has been the soundtrack to the last few years of my life, which is why when he announced a new album, and one that was in his own words “quality over quantity”, I was gearing up for yet another masterpiece record. But I don’t think I ever could’ve anticipated what this ended up being, which is far and away the greatest piece of music I’ve ever listened to. I think making this a self-titled album was a perfect choice because this feels like the culmination of everything he’s done up to this point - the richer production of Summertime Blues, the consistency and lyrical prowess shown on DeAnn, and the broader, more story-oriented songwriting from American Heartbreak. It feels like every line on this album has a purpose, and there’s not a single song that doesn’t have at least one moment that stands out to me as one of my favorites of all time. Instrumentally, too, this is a huge step up from his previous works - they're generally just a lot more prominent, taking a more central role in the music instead of just as a background to the vocals and the lyrics. That doesn’t take anything away from the lyrics, but it makes it seem more like a full musical experience than just a guy sitting in his room reading poetry. The single greatest achievement in country music at least in this century, if not ever. And the fact that this spent multiple weeks as the #1 album in the country, and with the #1 song in the country is so absolutely crazy to me.

Best track: East Side of Sorrow