Music Album Ratings

The following 41 albums are sorted according to my personal opinions. They're not alphabetized or arranged in-category because I'm lazy. There may be an uneven distribution of ratings, but that's mostly because I really only remember albums I enjoyed.

Genre Tags

Feel free to prune the list by using these grossly oversimplified genre tags.

★★★★★

Nirvana — Nevermind

There's no meaningful insight I could possibly offer on Nevermind that hasn't already been written. It's a fantastic work. Some may argue it's overproduced and betrays its grunge identity, but I disagree. I find the album to be near perfect in every capacity.

Like most people, I was first made familiar with Nirvana through "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and for the longest time that was the only song of theirs I knew. It was a resurgent interest in the 90s that drove me back to them, and I grew to love not only Nirvana, but the entire grunge genre.

  • Smells Like Teen Spirit
  • Drain You
  • Something In The Way

Released 1991

Vanilla Fudge — Vanilla Fudge

A great album composed of sinister covers of then-contemporary hit songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On". My late father was the one to introduce me to Vanilla Fudge, and I still remember listening to this album as a kid while driving around with him.

Vanilla Fudge's style of musical covers is so unique and sophisticated that I wish all covers would follow in their footsteps, and not just be mere imitations. Who would've thought that one of the most original-sounding bands has done nothing but covers?

  • You Keep Me Hangin' On
  • She's Not There

Released 1967

Bones — Unrendered

I have a friend from Oklahoma to thank for introducing me to Bones. Bones is one of the original underground cloud rappers, long before artists like XXXtentacion. This is my absolute favorite album from Bones.

I've listened to it countless times and I'm impressed each time. His lyricism and flow is unmatched, and his production quality gets better with every release.

  • CtrlAltDelete
  • TheGrandestNothing

Released 2017

The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I'm a big fan of The Beatles when they stray from their early radio-friendly pop sound. Songs like "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", "Helter Skelter", "Happiness is a Warm Gun", and my all-time Beatles favorite "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" are a far cry from their love song roots. And to that end, what could possibly be better than an entire album of atypical Beatles tunes?

Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour both scratch the same itch for me. Coming not long after the group first dropped acid, its impact is immediate and flamboyant. The songs are grander, more psychedelic and wondrous, and the whole album just oozes personality.

I don't think it's an overstatement to call Sgt. Pepper one of, if not the finest, albums The Beatles ever produced.

  • Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
  • When I'm Sixty-Four
  • A Day In The Life

Released 1967

Daft Punk — Discovery

I was first exposed to Daft Punk, and by extension electronic music as a whole, through a car commercial when I was a kid. It was like the Lincoln MKX or something. But when I heard that commercial, it blew my mind that stuff could sound like that. From that point forward, my world just exploded. I wanted to know everything there was to know about this new thing, and I exhausted it as best I could.

Discovery remains an immaculate album, with a personal favorite track being "Veridis Quo". In this album, Daft Punk prove their unassailable title as the champions of French house.

  • One More Time
  • Digital Love
  • Veridis Quo

Released 2001

Taeko Ohnuki — Sunshower

My first time listening to "都会" ("City"), the fourth song off this album, I was so enthralled I took a huge leap into 70s/80s Japanese music, and now a lot of my collection is from that time. This entire album is smooth, nostalgic, and beautiful. The true genre of this is city pop, but for sake of brevity I've marked it as rock (more accurately soft rock). I highly recommend listening to this album, especially if you're curious about foreign music.

  • Summer Connection
  • 都会

Released 1977

Porter Robinson — Worlds

A seminal electronic work. There are several albums on this list that I can point to as the beginning of the next eras of my musical taste, and Worlds is one of them. On the electronic side of things, after I'd graduated from Discovery, I fell into dubstep. Porter Robinson was a dubstep artist at the time, and I'd heard work from his Spitfire EP. But it was his later work on Worlds that really made me take notice.

It was a completely different form of electronic music than I'd ever heard, and it was great. I would compare it now to album-oriented rock, and how different that was when it arrived on the scene. The album is a trip, and barring a few hiccups, flawless. Definitely one of my favorites.

  • Divinity
  • Sad Machine

Released 2014

Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here

I understand there's a lot of debate among Pink Floyd circles about which album they think is best. For me, it's Wish You Were Here. I enjoy Dark Side of the Moon as much as the next guy, but I feel like the full "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is better than any single track on DSOTM.

  • Wish You Were Here
  • Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Released 1975

Anri — Timely!!

All city pop albums have this strong summer-ready component to them. They're all so comforting and nostalgic and would fit perfectly playing behind a video of a convertible driving to the boardwalk. I think that's what really draws me to them. I'm just a sucker for yacht rock, and anything yacht rock adjacent. I'm not even sure whether to classify these albums as funk/soul or rock. There's so much blending going on and I love it.

  • Windy Summer
  • Shyness Boy

Released 1983

The Young Rascals — The Young Rascals

The Young Rascals and Vanilla Fudge are the biggest reasons that I love the rock organ and wish it would make a comeback. It's such a powerful and groovy instrument.

My dad listened to the Rascals relentlessly, so from a young age I was listening to them. I really enjoy their work, especially their self-titled debut. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of self-titled debut albums on this list. Weird.

Anyway, I've got kind of a soft spot for 60s rock and soul music because of my dad. The Temptations were another favorite of his, and their influence on blue-eyed soul groups like the Rascals is plain as day.

  • Slow Down
  • Good Lovin'

Released 1966

Fleetwood Mac — Rumours

It's Rumours. Come on.

Seriously though, this album is universally praised for every reason under the sun. I won't be so bold as to confirm everything critics give to it, but I do agree that Rumours is one of the greatest albums of all time. Its craftsmanship is impeccable and its sound and themes are timeless. It's like the human condition pressed into vinyl.

It still impresses me that the group was actively disintegrating during the recording of this. Maybe all bands should implode to make their own Rumours.

  • Dreams
  • Go Your Own Way
  • The Chain

Released 1977

★★★★

King Crimson — In the Court of the Crimson King

A great progressive rock album. It's trippy, it's wild, and it's otherworldly. It's been sampled numerous times and its transcendent influence is still felt in many corners of AOR and other soft or progressive genres. I'll admit that it's not for everyone, but I also feel like that's part of the Crimson King's charm.

  • 21st Century Schizoid Man
  • The Court Of The Crimson King

Released 1969

Nirvana — Bleach

When this album came out, grunge had yet to manifest. Dave Grohl had yet to join the band. And I had yet to be born. Bleach is an angry and emotive album. It's a fantastic peek at Nirvana when they were still poking around the halls of hard rock and screaming. It's truly a birthpiece of grunge and I love it to bits. If you haven't heard "Negative Creep", you've been sorely missing out, friend.

  • About A Girl
  • Negative Creep

Released 1989

Ryo Fukui — Scenery

My journey into 70s/80s Japanese music brought me from disco and funk to soul and pop, and then all the way to fusion jazz. It was a tremendous adventure, and one of the greatest endpoints of my travels was this album. Fukui's interpretations are as smooth as they are masterful. Truly a great work.

  • Early Summer

Released 1976

Beetlejuice: The Musical

This remains the only musical I've ever seen where I love every song. Granted, the list of musicals I've seen is three. But it's an impressive feat nonetheless: not a bad song. Even the live performance itself is excellent. My only regret with Beetlejuice is that I didn't see it in person again.

  • Dead Mom
  • Say My Name

Released 2018

Justice — Cross

After listening to Daft Punk, I was so intrigued by French house that I started going through all kinds of lists of artists. One that appeared consistently near the top was Justice. After hearing Cross, I can understand why. I'm of the opinion that there isn't a bad song on this album. It's pretty great.

A lot of the gripes I have with Cross are nebulous, so don't look into the four star rating too hard.

  • Genesis
  • D.A.N.C.E.

Released 2007

Michael Jackson — Off the Wall

The King of Pop himself. I actually first heard tracks from this from the future funk artist Saint Pepsi. Now, after hearing the originals, I much prefer Michael Jackson's originals. He's always been skilled at blending genres and keeping his position as the best, and this album is no exception.

  • Rock With You
  • It's The Falling In Love

Released 1979

Purity Ring — Another Eternity

I've seen Purity Ring called a lot of genres, chief among them witch house and dream pop. Whatever they are, they're the pioneers, and they're at the top of their game in Another Eternity. They've really struck a special balance between rock and electronic music with this record, and its songs continue to enchant and delight with every listen.

I was first made aware of them on a car ride to a Nero concert. My sister was playing "Flood on the Floor" on her car stereo and I was immediately taken by it. Haven't forgotten their name since.

This album might graduate to a five star ranking soon. That Canadian accent is intoxicating.

  • Begin Again
  • Stranger Than Earth
  • Sea Castle

Released 2015

Flume — Flume

There were a lot of electronic albums I heard during my middle and high school years that really shaped my musical tastes for the next half decade or more. Flume's self-titled debut album is one of those albums. Electronic already holds the crown for most confusing subgenres, and Flume is one of the culprits. I don't even know what to classify this sample-ridden downbeat work as except for "chill".

I have no doubts that Flume had an effect on Porter Robinson's production of Worlds, what with its chopped vocals and thoughtful, expansive beats.

  • Insane
  • Warm Thoughts

Released 2012

Daryl Hall & John Oates — Bigger Than Both of Us

Much like their earlier record Abandoned Luncheonette held their sleeper hit "She's Gone", Bigger Than Both of Us has their breakout hit "Rich Girl". This album put the duo on the map, and can be looked upon as the genesis of their popular sound and songcraft.

It's not as popular as their later records like H2O and Private Eyes but I still really like bumping this record every now and again.

  • Back Together Again
  • Rich Girl
  • Do What You Want, Be What You Are

Released 1976

★★★

Tame Impala — Currents

I know that some rating scales have been skewed in recent years where even the average score is considered bad, but that truly isn't the case for Currents. I like Currents and I'm continuously impressed by its modern psychedelic sound, but after some repeated listens it's tough not to have the whole experience blend together. It's a real shame when the songs begin to lose their identities.

  • The Less I Know the Better
  • New Person, Same Old Mistakes

Released 2015

Dio — Holy Diver

The title track and "Rainbow in the Dark" are fine examples of heavy metal. Ronnie James Dio's vocals are so iconic and powerful that they carry every band he's in, quite frankly (sorry Blackmore). Even the album cover for this is kickass.

If you've really gone this long without hearing Dio, check out "Holy Diver" and throw up some horns. You won't regret it.

  • Holy Diver

Released 1983

Hamilton: An American Musical

Hamilton had a fantastic first half. Strong performances, great songs with only a few hiccups, and some great immersion. As a history buff I was already drawn to it, but an array of theater kids turned me away from ever getting into musicals. Later, in my adulthood, I watched a performance of it, and I still enjoy the first half.

  • Satisfied
  • Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

Released 2015

The Beatles — Rubber Soul

There are some solid Beatles classics on this album. Many of the songs like "Norwegian Wood" are stories, so the album has an interesting fusion of genres including folk, as I mentioned. And the capstone "In My Life" always gets a tear out of me.

  • Nowhere Man
  • In My Life

Released 1965

Madeon — Adventure

When Porter Robinson and Madeon announced their joint Shelter tour back in 2016, I was mainly going to see and hear Porter's music. But in the run-up to the concert, I decided to give Madeon a fair shake since he was going to be half of the show, after all. And where Worlds introduced me to vibrant and thoughtful electronic music, Adventure showed me a wall of sound and summer-ready hits. Between the two, I still prefer Worlds.

  • OK
  • La Lune

Released 2015

Nirvana — In Utero

Out of all of Nirvana's studio albums, I like In Utero the least. I still love a lot of its songs, but it just has this unspeakable quality to it that I'm magnetically pushed away from. It currently sits here as a very strong 3 star rating. It'll probably graduate to a 4 star in due time.

I mean, with songs like "All Apologies", "Heart-Shaped Box", "Serve the Servants", "Rape Me", "Milk It", "Tourette's", and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", there's no way it could remain down here forever.

  • Heart-Shaped Box
  • Rape Me
  • Tourette's

Released 1993

Funkadelic — Maggot Brain

Some truly incredible funk came out of the 70s. The title track, "Maggot Brain", is a 10 minute journey into another dimension. If you can spare the time, give it a go.

  • Maggot Brain

Released 1971

Daryl Hall & John Oates — Abandoned Luncheonette

Arguably the greatest torchbearers of blue-eyed soul, Hall & Oates bang out nothing but hits. As their second album, the group were still finding their groove in songwriting to really fill stadiums, but its roots are already evident throughout Abandoned Luncheonette.

  • She's Gone
  • I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man)

Released 1973

Virtual Self — Virtual Self

After his collaboration tour with Madeon, Porter Robinson delved into a 1990s-2000s techno persona known as Virtual Self. Inspired by media like Serial Experiments Lain and Dance Dance Revolution, Porter's side project was a welcome follow-up to Worlds. Not to be confused for a sequel to Worlds, however, the Virtual Self EP stands alone as a beautiful window into the premodern nascent internet age.

Full of machine gun snares and bulging synths, Virtual Self truly delivers a modern take on a cobwebbed genre.

  • Ghost Voices
  • Eon Break

Released 2017

Paramore — Riot!

As far as pop punk is concerned, I think it's unanimous that Riot! is one of the best. It's a juvenile punk rock album with snappy productions and sensibly named tracks. I'm referring to similar bands like Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, and Bring Me the Horizon that feel compelled to write overly purple titles for their songs.

To get back on topic, I recommend Riot! for its cross-genre appeal and iconic mid-2000s punk sound. It won't amaze you, but it will entertain.

  • Misery Business
  • Crushcrushcrush

Released 2007

The Silent Comedy — Common Faults

"Bartholomew" was featured in a lot of stuff back in 2012 and 2013. I remember first hearing it for a History Channel Hatfields & McCoys miniseries promo. The group's modern folk-rock sound is fresh yet antique, and like many of the songs on this album, great.

  • Bartholomew
  • All Saints' Day

Released 2010

★★

Weather Report — Heavy Weather

This is a great jazz album. I recall working over the summer at my college as the sole webmaster and putting this on. It's nice to just kind of zone out and have something calm in the background. Being featured in JJBA doesn't hurt, either.

  • A Remark You Made

Released 1977

The Beatles — Revolver

Revolver is not a bad album. It's far from the worst Beatles album. It's far from the best Beatles album. It's just that it doesn't have any cohesion. When I listen to Revolver all I can really think of is how much I'd rather be listening to Sgt. Pepper or Rubber Soul. It's like a middle child syndrome.

  • Eleanor Rigby

Released 1966

Daft Punk — Random Access Memories

It was a long wait between Daft Punk's last studio work and RAM, and the world was antsy. They delivered, though it fell short of the hype and hopes of their fans. It was still a great album, and granted, who could've met such expectations?

What Daft Punk released in Random Access Memories amazed me, taking their robot-human choruses and harmonies from Discovery into a full-blown supergroup treatment. It's a great album, though some inarticulate personal feeling keeps me from truly enjoying it.

  • Get Lucky
  • Instant Crush

Released 2013

The Killers — Hot Fuss

When this album gets it right, it nails it. And when it misses, it's five zip codes over. Still recommended, though.

  • Mr. Brightside
  • Somebody Told Me

Released 2004

Purity Ring — Shrines

This is the weakest of Purity Ring's albums. I find Another Eternity better by every metric. Still, this album's unique take on synthpop makes it a compelling listen, especially with songs like "Obedear" and "Lofticries" filling the ranks.

Beyond my personal tastes, the impact of this album is also obvious but invisible. Purity Ring's combination of soft vocals and electronic accompaniment here are a real peek into the future that would become artists like Grimes, CHVRCHES, and even Billie Eilish.

  • Obedear

Released 2012

Nero — Welcome Reality

The first concert I ever went to was in 2015 for Nero's Between II Worlds tour, promoting their second album. Welcome Reality is their first studio album, and like its brother, is a concept dubstep album. In a time of Skrillex of and other errant dubstep personalities, Nero jetted on the scene with their atmospheric but noisy tracks, all but one featuring the husky-voiced Alana Watson.

Their tour featured many of their Welcome Reality hits, but even at the time, I was never that excited for Nero. I thought their music was alright and it was really just a desire to see a live show that drove me to buy tickets.

Nero's biggest downfall is that the remixes of their songs are always better than whatever they concoct vanilla. I mean, a Skrillex remix of "Promises" won a Grammy, for Christ's sake. Talk about being upstaged.

  • Reaching Out
  • Promises

Released 2011

Saint Pepsi — Hit Vibes

Saint Pepsi was a pioneer in the rise of future funk and vaporwave, which are niche subgenres of electronic music that involve chopping, screwing, slowing down, pitch shifting, and otherwise manipulating 80s music. This may sound similar to the sampling performed in other genres by other artists, and that's because it is—except vaporwave/future funk music is by and large devoid of the creativity found in genres like French house or wonky.

When the barrier of entry for your hot new genre is to speed up Sister Sledge and graft a Fruity Loops kick pattern, it loses a lot of its "new car" smell. What you're left with is something that steps on the toes of the original samples without adding or recontextualizing the sample at all. It's a complete waste of time, honestly.

My criticisms, of course, are directed at the vaporwave/future funk scene in general, and not specifically Saint Pepsi. Saint Pepsi's creativity and playfulness with the new genre in Hit Vibes set new boundaries for the mid-2010s underground electronic sound. My point of contention is with the flurry of garbage producers he ushered in like a lighthouse, which proceeded to destroy what little credibility and uniqueness the fledgling genres had.

  • Cherry Pepsi
  • Strawberry Lemonade

Released 2013

Heathers: The Musical

It's a musical with only a handful of good songs ("Candy Store", "Freeze Your Brain", "Blue", "Dead Girl Walking"). The rest of the album is so painfully forgettable and, frankly, draining. Even the visual performance itself is lacking, if you've ever seen the play.

  • Candy Store
  • Dead Girl Walking

Released 2010

Hey Violet — From the Outside

I was in my college's Barnes & Noble when I heard "Hoodie" playing over the loudspeaker. Its chorus caught my attention immediately, mostly the subtle counterplay between the bass and vocals. I later checked out the full album and was actually disappointed to find how pop it turned out to be.

Let it be known: Hey Violet can write pop hooks ("Break My Heart" is proof enough of that), but that's about it. Some catchy choruses, but the album itself is such a shallow exploration that I found myself wanting to skip the songs constantly.

Generally, From the Outside is a collection of songs about infidelity. Twelve whole songs' worth, in fact. And to clarify, the narrator is the cheater in all of them. You can imagine how exhausting it is to listen to. Especially when they confusingly play the victim in every song.

  • Break My Heart
  • Hoodie

Released 2017

Arctic Monkeys — AM

Are you looking for an album with emotive vocals, exceptional lyricism, and unique, catchy instrumentation? Then look elsewhere. Here lies hollow, phony performances. Talk about selling out.

The only song I can say I enjoyed was "Do I Wanna Know?", their safest hit. The rest of the album just sounds like a parody of it in comparison, like a doomed and ever-fleeting chase for something less similar but never quite catching up.

  • Do I Wanna Know?

Released 2013