#8 - King Crimson - In The Court of The Crimson King (1969)
Strong 9/10
Now we get to one of two albums that were very close to getting a perfect score from me. The only stipulation I have with this record is the Moonchild instrumental section, which I feel goes on for too long while going almost nowhere musically. It's more of a preferential thing rather than a truly bad thing though and it's a tiny blemish. Now that that's out of the way, I absolutely adore In The Court of The Crimson King! This album is so good that it was one of those albums that started a revolution, once it came out. In The Court of The Crimson King is widely regarded as the birthplace of progressive rock and it also made rock music a lot heavier, giving rise to new genres of music like metal! The production immediately blew me away on account of how well it accounts for the dense array of instruments. It's an album you really need headphones to fully experience given how all the elements pan and move around in such a creative way. Also, this record is perfectly mixed with vocals always leading the charge. Melodies of all kinds are given precedence and the band backs up the melody and solos wonderfully. Although, it should be noted that the vocals on Epitaph start really soft with pummelling drums and instruments, then grows louder to rise with the rest of the band, which is an incredible demonstration of not only production but instrumental virtuosity. Speaking of instrumental virtuosity, King Crimson shows a true mastery over their instruments. Everyone from guitars, to bass, to drums, to saxes, to flutes has a critical role in how In The Court of The Crimson King functions so well. The solos are amazing, but they are not the only way that this iteration of King Crimson shows their skill. They are incredibly diverse from track to track and they give each other room to breathe (unless it gets noisy, then they really cram together to make a cathartically ugly sound). This record builds a lot of atmosphere through its instruments and it lands nearly every time, even with Moonchild. They're not always in-your-face, but powerful enough, in more ways than one, to immediately grab your attention and never let go! But what makes this record truly timeless would have to be the lyrics. They are what makes those 4 songs that aren't Moonchild some of my all-time favourite songs, period. I feel a few prog rock bands fall into the instrumental style over substance category, which isn't necessarily bad, but the reason this album bites so hard is because it has deeply impactful lyrics on top of instrumental flash. These lyrics often bring up serious subjects grounded in reality with fantastical language. This writing style prompts more analysis, but is easy enough to digest and to make powerful emotional connections with. The subtitle of this record is “An Observation By King Crimson” and they really live up to that. King Crimson powerfully comments on the issues of the day whether abstract or concrete in a way that only a band like Rage Against The Machine could rival. There are anthems against war and ballads about the threat of nuclear annihilation as well as thoughts on religion and society as a whole. This album is a poignant observation that is so timeless that the themes brought up here are similar to that of our world over 50 years later, even without the turmoil of pandemic life. This album set the stage for a musical revolution and would go on to inspire the soundtracks of many other cultural shifts afterwards. What else can I say about this record? Give it a listen if you haven't already. By the time I'm talking about this album, it's still available on streaming services and on YouTube, so you have no excuse not to listen to it now! You won't regret it!
Listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/7OvW8Z7kiws
#7 - Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
Strong 9/10
Arcade Fire's Funeral is the other record that came close to a coveted perfect score but fell just a tiny bit short. The thing that held this record back is the vocal production on Haïti being too quiet and lacking punch. It's a very small gripe, but it was just annoying enough to keep it from being perfect. But, of course, it's pretty close to perfect; the closest an album has ever come to a perfect 10/10 score without getting there. And what an album it is! It is In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and The Glow, Pt. 2, but better! The production is fantastic and feels like every instrument is not only given something to do, but are each a core contributor. Rock instruments, folk instruments and chamber instruments all live together in harmony on Funeral! Since Arcade Fire has such a diverse array of instruments and ideas on this record, it's immediately presented in with an orchestral-like quality that makes this record feel larger than life! But with all that said, the vocalists are still on top, leading the charge. But before we talk about them, we need to talk about the instruments backing them up. There is a wide array of instruments in Arcade Fire. You have your standard rock instruments such as guitar, bass and drums with some keyboards sprinkled in for good measure, which do a great enough job on their own, even if they're not especially flashy. Couple that with some strings and pianos, however and you have a unique record that creates an incredible rustic atmosphere. I went on a trip to Montreal in 2019 and I can confirm that this record sounds like the city, which is to say beautiful, yet very human. Not to mention the cohesiveness of the record from start to finish is amazing! The flow on this record is impeccable and it provides a nice bed for this album's story, whether we're talking about the progression of the album or just the songs themselves. This album is bursting with passion and rawness, which comes through in both its production and its composition, but the lyrics really tie it all together. I was floored by the rawness of the lyrics and the duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne really sell it. In The Backseat makes me cry every time just on account of Régine Chassagne’s increasingly sad and passionate vocal delivery which cathartically explodes by the end. Of course, Butler's no slouch either with his youthful vocal delivery in which he uses his lower and higher register to convey the narrator's thoughts and feelings. What really sold me on this record was its emotional power. This album is an emotional tale about losses big and small. It describes loss of love, loss of innocence, loss of time, and of course, loss of loved ones. This album is both a tragically sad funeral and a jubilant celebration of life! This is my favourite Arcade Fire record and favourite Canadian record for a reason. Arguably, the band never made something as good as this again (although they have come close with Neon Bible and The Suburbs), which gives this record an extra special “lightning in a bottle” quality. Unless Billy Talent or some other Canadian artist comes up with some magnum opus for me to stumble across in the future, this record stands as the greatest record from my home country of Canada. It's an indie hallmark with raw, passionate and emotional music that never fails to make me feel something with each listen! Félicitations encore !
Listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/306cL4zf5GA
#6 - Death Grips - The Money Store (2012)
10/10
This is our first 10/10 record on this list and the best album of a particularly strong year in 2012 (good kid, mAAd city, Dead Silence, and The Seer came out that year). Call me some scrub Fantano fan, but I think this record is still undeniably amazing from start to finish. At first I didn't really get it, however. Like anyone new to Death Grips, I was scared about the screaming man who wasn't just a meme after all. I heard Get Got and I've Seen Footage, but I didn't quite get a full glimpse into the madness of The Money Store. But I soon realized that this album is one of the few truly threatening albums I've heard and I mean that in the nicest way possible. The Money Store is an ugly, dark and unapologetic take on hip hop that feels like what I imagine a meth trip feels like. The composition is really minimalist, but Death Grips does a lot with just a few elements. Each song brings something to the table but they still stand on their own very well, which makes this album more versatile. Drums are synthesized a little more than Exmilitary, but it adds to the more cold, synthetic vibe to the record that I really like. There is no room for warmth or beauty on this record. The synths are the core of this metallic, dark and callous energy I get from this album. The samples aren't like Exmilitary where you have know the context to enjoy them. This is one of those few areas where The Money Store is forgiving to the listener. There is no context required for these samples to resonate, but they create a weird, scary and unique atmosphere just from being there, which is what makes this album work so well. It's a great baptism by fire for anyone who wants to get into Death Grips; it sure as hell was for me! Sure, Death Grips would get more experimental later on in their career, but this record threads the needle between experimental enough to be unique and catchy and fun enough to throw on when working out. Hustle Bones in particular will make you feel strong enough to punch through steel! I heard somewhere that these would be charting songs in an apocalyptic alternate universe, and I agree wholeheartedly. These songs can repeatedly punch you in the face while you to dance to them. Going back to the darkness I was talking about earlier, the lyrics are scarily good at getting under your skin. On The Money Store, Death Grips packs every second of their runtime with evil, dangerous-sounding vibes and the lyrics are a part of this mentality. I imagine if Kendrick Lamar wrote good kid, mAAd city from the perspective of someone who succumbed to the drugs and gang life that Kendrick was trying to avoid, this would be the result. They are all rapped by an MC Ride who is a lot more diverse than people give him credit for. He doesn't just scream, as he doesn't always need to in order to complement the atmosphere that this album provides. His more subdued delivery on Get Got is a great example of not giving the game away too early, which makes The Fever (Aye Aye) such a gut punch. Lyrical flow on this record is great, as little elements come back on later tracks, making this record feel more cohesive. As for the lyrics themselves, they paint a brutal picture of poverty and all the drugs, violence and death that often comes with it. Following in the footsteps of great hip hop artists that came before them, they flex about how their music is the best, but they still create an atmosphere that is uncomfortably real. But the core of why The Money Store really impacted me and what I look for in music is the production. I was a little mad at how they managed to make something so ugly so enjoyable, and the production was at the centre of that anger that turned into profound respect. With all the grimy elements that The Money Store throws at us, it's the production that makes it work so well. It's not quite high-gloss, but not quite lo-fi either; Death Grips have their own production style that's almost beyond description. What I can describe it as is overwhelming, engrossing and awesome. An album's production should reflect the vibe that the composition (and lyrics, if applicable) is going for, and The Money Store is the epitome of this concept. This is an album that never lets up on its intensity, but it is also intensely fun to listen to. This album is unsettling and uncomfortable to listen to, but it is designed to disturb the comfortable and push the boundaries of what people think is possible. Death Grips prioritizes a threatening atmosphere with every fibre of The Money Store's and they nail it every time. It's a wildly enjoyable listen!
Listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/Cn3vMyopjXI
#5 - Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
10/10
I had already liked Paranoid Android and Karma Police for a long time. The former is my best multiple part song from the 90s, after all, but No Surprises really had an enticing aura. Little did I know what I would experience with the whole record. OK Computer is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. This record is to Radiohead what Paris is to France! This album is a lively bustling metropolis of sound that everybody knows about and almost everybody loves! Everything about this album clicks together so well and it starts with the production. These are some of the best and most creatively produced tracks I have ever heard! Each instrument is given something to do. It really adds to the gigantic, bustling sound of the record. Also, the mixing and overall sound play record is some of the best I've heard period. It envelops the listener in sound. It's a massive well-oiled machine from a mixing standpoint with everything in its right place (Heh, see what I did there). It's like watching a highway except all the cars are driving so satisfyingly uniform, going as efficiently as possible. This leads me to the composition itself. This is a diverse group of songs that are both indicative of the cold, digital lifestyle that currently engulfs us and passionate bursts of sound. Both sides of OK Computer are so well-crafted they make you forget you're listening to music and make you start to think you're having an out-of-body experience. The digital elements of this album are so cold and metallic that it adds an eerie quality to a lot of songs on here. It's an imposing, threatening sound, but also a very sad sound because it's not quite human, but still expresses profound human emotion. The analog elements of this record are just as important as the digital aspects that this record is famous for. The guitars are the mainstay of OK Computer of course, but they are by no means, bland or one-dimensional in any way. They are used for any and every kind of sound and I love that versatility. The drums bounce around between digitized and analog and they sound full and rich at all times. The flow between tracks is pretty amazing too, living you on the edge of your seat as to what's next on the record with very well placed transitions. But what really gets me about this composition is how it takes leaflets from older revolutionaries such as Pink Floyd, while being so good that it started its own revolution in particularly the British alt-rock scene. OK Computer influenced a lot of songs that I am nostalgic for now, as the 2000s were littered with acts who makes music that sounds a lot like this record (particularly Let Down). The lyrics are also a legendary powerhouse that is very moving. It's all led by a Thom Yorke who has a staggering control over the dynamic and emotional range of his voice. Even if I don't understand what he's saying, I understand through how he sings it. This control gives me goosebumps every time I hear it on this record. He knows exactly when to be quiet and reserved and when to go ballistic! As for the lyrics themselves, OK Computer is not an album about how machines are taking our jobs, but it's how we're making our own lives miserable in the modern age. This theme is far more universal and its why this album has aged so well. If we're not careful, we will become the robots we created. This is why when I hear a loud “slow down” on the closer, The Tourist, I tear up a little. It's beautiful and a calm to the journey that Radiohead has subjected us to. This album is so cleverly and brilliantly created. It surpassed my already high expectations and it is everything I look for in an album. It's an absolute masterpiece!
Listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/YTH8cxXBGBo
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