Rank the Albums

Rank the Albums takes 25-album blocks from the Rank the Tracks series and pits them against one another.

Volume 1

25. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (1995)

Average Rank: 19.5

Top Three Tracks: Philosophy, Underground, The Last Polka

Rankings:

Jesse_Custer: 5

Raetsel_Lapin: 6

Seanchan: 16

SpikeSetsFire: 18

Giggsalot: 23

HBJDubs: 23

Snake5555555555: 23

VeryInsane: 23

CasanovaZelos: 24

ChainLTTP: 24

neonreaper: 24

Johnbobb: 25

Snake5555555555: Slightly corny but also quite catchy, heartfelt and humorous in parts, with great if repetitive instrumentation

Seanchan: Great piano work but oh boy that singing…

Johnbobb: probably the only album we've listened to that I actively disliked, and it sucks that I did because the instrumentals were excellent. Ben Folds' terrible singing just made this something I never want to listen to again

VeryInsane: It is a decent low fi album but Ben Folds never really clicked for me

CasanovaZelos: Essentially doomed to last place - not necessarily due to its quality but because every other album we covered in the first batch is generally considered near the peak of their respective genres - unless an album got some serious backlash, this was out of its league by design. Nevertheless, I hope to see more personal favorites as the series progresses, as this was the only album I had not heard before and I like discovering new music.

24. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

Average Rank: 18.33

Top Three Tracks: 1901, Lisztomana, Lasso

Rankings:

Jesse_Custer (9)

Raetsel_Lapin (11)

SpikeSetsFire (12)

Seanchan (15)

neonreaper (17)

CasanovaZelos (19)

ChainLTTP (20)

Giggsalot (21)

Johnbobb (23)

VeryInsane (24)

HBJDubs (24)

Snake5555555555 (25)

Snake5555555555: Repetitive and the definition of spinning your wheels musically, with only 2, admittedly amazing, highlights

Seanchan: The "fodder" line - That’s a bit harsh but this album was continually my mental separation point when trying to place an album. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoneix has 2 great opening songs and then the rest is just good. It’s a perfectly pleasant album, which is why I nominated it, but I recognize that it lacks compared to the albums above.

Johnbobb: I barely remember this one! But also remember not being impressed.

VeryInsane: Fine and harmless, but doesn’t really have any real highs to me

CasanovaZelos: One of the definitive frontloaded albums - I think everything past the opening is still good, but it ultimately blurs together. Which, a few of my favorite albums similarly blur together, but the baseline quality is also higher on those works.

23. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

Average Rank: 17.5

Top Three Tracks: Someday, Last Nite, Hard to Explain

Rankings:

ChainLTTP (8)

CasanovaZelos (13)

VeryInsane (13)

Giggsalot (17)

Seanchan (17)

SpikeSetsFire (17)

HBJDubs (19)

neonreaper (19)

Snake5555555555 (19)

Johnbobb (22)

Jesse_Custer (23)

Raetsel_Lapin (23)

Snake5555555555: Repetitive but in a way that kinda works in the right mood? And I do quite enjoy the singles too.

Seanchan: Much like The Strokes in general, I feel like I should like this album more than I did. It does itself a big favor though by being a short listen.

Johnbobb: I barely remember this one!

VeryInsane: I have a soft spot for this album just because it was a gateway album for me. It is still good in a few ways

CasanovaZelos: One of the last mega hits of traditional rock music, at least in the popular sphere. I get that a lot of these songs sound similar, but unlike Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, I think the basic sound on display here is exceptional throughout. Not a weak moment, but also not doing anything to leave a greater impact.

22. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (2020)

Average Rank: 17.17

Top Three Tracks: Shameika, Heavy Balloon, Cosmonauts

Rankings:

CasanovaZelos (3)

Johnbobb (10)

VeryInsane (10)

Jesse_Custer (13)

Snake5555555555 (14)

Giggsalot (16)

ChainLTTP (22)

HBJDubs (22)

neonreaper (23)

Raetsel_Lapin (24)

Seanchan (24)

SpikeSetsFire (25)

Snake5555555555: Clever and catchy songwriting, just an unabashedly weird, timely, and ambitious piece of pop music, it's great

Seanchan: Happy to have listened to this and expanded my horizons. But this one is the reason I gave this tier its name ("Let's be honest, I'm never going to listen to these again").

Johnbobb: One of the biggest and best surprises to come out of music in the last few years

VeryInsane: This is pretty neat, really like it still even if I’m unsure if it was the best album of 2020 as everyone kept saying it was

CasanovaZelos: After kicking off her career with some strong and accessible piano rock, Fiona Apple has increasingly rejected typical pop ideals in pursuit of something greater. Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the culmination, art pop like never seen before. This is assuredly pop music, but warped to be abrasive in a way I typically only experience in harsher forms of electronic and metal. It is aggressive, an album with no intent of meeting its listener halfway. As such, divisive, but I fall on the side of people who absolutely adore it.

21. Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton (2015)

Average Rank: 16.67

Top Three Tracks: Satisfied, Wait for It, Non-Stop

Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin (1)

neonreaper (4)

Seanchan (11)

Johnbobb (12)

Jesse_Custer (15)

Snake5555555555 (18)

CasanovaZelos (20)

VeryInsane (20)

SpikeSetsFire (24)

ChainLTTP (25)

Giggsalot (25)

HBJDubs (25)

Snake5555555555: Its high points are immaculate but there's a lot of filler that don't work as stand-alone listens for me

Seanchan: I enjoyed Hamilton quite a lot and this would likely be even higher on my list if not for two reasons. One, it’s a play and it loses something from only listening and not watching. Two, at nearly 2.5 hours it’s too long for a casual listen.

Johnbobb: yeah it's hamilton ok

VeryInsane: This is good, but to me what makes Hamilton great is the choreography and theatrics. It’s hard to rank a Broadway album to me and it is admittedly a little bloated with a ton of callbacks, but as a show it was excellent (saw it a few years back)

CasanovaZelos: Hamilton is fun as long as you can accept it as the hip hop version of a musical - it doesn't really compare to any traditional hip hop album but still feels fresh when compared to others in its intended medium. The number of motifs and callbacks is staggering.

20. The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)

Average Rank: 15.67

Top Three Tracks: Somebody Told Me, Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I've Done

Rankings:

Seanchan (5)

Jesse_Custer (8)

Raetsel_Lapin (10)

SpikeSetsFire (10)

HBJDubs (16)

ChainLTTP (17)

Johnbobb (17)

Giggsalot (19)

neonreaper (20)

Snake5555555555 (21)

VeryInsane (22)

CasanovaZelos (23)

Snake5555555555: Proof The Killers work better off their singles

Seanchan: The very definition of solid. Not my favorite Killers album but relistening to this reminded me again why I enjoyed those first few albums by the group.

Johnbobb: Not as good as Sam's Town!

VeryInsane: Decent pop songs but beyond that it doesn’t really have the same scale and the top stuff is pretty overplayed

CasanovaZelos: Another super frontloaded album, but the back half just offers nothing interesting to me.

19. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)

Average Rank: 14.92

Top Three Tracks: Say It Ain't So, Undone - The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly

Rankings:

Seanchan (6)

HBJDubs (8)

ChainLTTP (10)

Giggsalot (12)

CasanovaZelos (14)

Snake5555555555 (16)

Jesse_Custer (17)

VeryInsane (17)

neonreaper (18)

SpikeSetsFire (19)

Johnbobb (20)

Raetsel_Lapin (22)

Snake5555555555: Surfy, punky, self-reflective, not the best but certainly solid

Seanchan: Despite liking some Weezer songs, I’ve never considered myself a fan of the band. Turns out this album has most of those songs I like and the rest is a really fun listen.

Johnbobb: My Name Is Jonas is excellent. Everything else is basically the same song

VeryInsane: Good stuff all around, but to me the hits are the weak links and the deep cuts are incredible. It is what it is.

CasanovaZelos: A breezy yet strong listen throughout, top of the line light alternative.

18. U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

Average Rank: 14.5

Top Three Tracks: One, Mysterious Ways, The Fly

Rankings:

Jesse_Custer (1)

Raetsel_Lapin (7)

SpikeSetsFire (7)

HBJDubs (14)

neonreaper (14)

Snake5555555555 (17)

CasanovaZelos (18)

ChainLTTP (18)

Giggsalot (18)

VeryInsane (19)

Seanchan (20)

Johnbobb (21)

Snake5555555555: Good if sometimes nondescript alt. rock, but its high points are genuinely amazing

Seanchan: Never been a U2 fan and this didn’t change my mind.

Johnbobb: U2 is pretty hit or miss for me in general, but this is more on the miss end overall.

VeryInsane: this is when U2 started changing its sound a little bit, and honestly the earlier stuff sounds more feisty and with more spirit. But that is just me

CasanovaZelos: Half the tracks are all-time greats, the other half is largely forgettable - I could enjoy this a lot more if a couple tracks were cut.

17. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (2010)

Average Rank: 14.17

Top Three Tracks: Cold War, Faster, Tightrope

Rankings:

Seanchan (3)

neonreaper (9)

CasanovaZelos (12)

Giggsalot (13)

SpikeSetsFire (13)

Johnbobb (14)

ChainLTTP (16)

VeryInsane (16)

HBJDubs (18)

Jesse_Custer (18)

Raetsel_Lapin (18)

Snake5555555555 (20)

Snake5555555555: Cool genre experimentation and great singles, but its cinematic ambitions miss the mark for me

Seanchan: The ArchAndroid has an amazing first half; the second half is still good but it’s really Suite III doing the heavy lifting.

Johnbobb: Not at all what I expected JM to sound like, but I kinda loved it

VeryInsane: First half was excellent, second half was ok. A little uneven but fine

CasanovaZelos: A chaotic explosion of genres that I realized upon revisiting does not hold up as much as I had remembered - still a wonderful time, but I think Dirty Computer might be the stronger Monae album at this point.

16. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Average Rank: 13.75

Top Three Tracks: Bat Out of Hell, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Rankings:

Seanchan (1)

neonreaper (2)

Raetsel_Lapin (3)

SpikeSetsFire (5)

Snake5555555555 (8)

Jesse_Custer (12)

HBJDubs (13)

ChainLTTP (23)

Giggsalot (24)

Johnbobb (24)

CasanovaZelos (25)

VeryInsane (25)

Snake5555555555: Operatic rock at its finest, with the occasional slow skipper

Seanchan: Bat Out of Hell is a special album for me. I’ve heard it a million times (and I’ll hear it a million more) but I never get tired of it.

Johnbobb: hair metal isn't very good

VeryInsane: This just felt really campy and out of place to me as a goofy rock opera.

CasanovaZelos: I have listened to every album among the top 1000 as listed on Acclaimed Music and this is my second least favorite among the entire batch. I honestly do not understand the appeal.

15. Pixies - Doolittle (1989)

Average Rank: 13.42

Top Three Tracks: Wave of Mutilation, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Hey

Rankings:

CasanovaZelos (2)

Johnbobb (3)

VeryInsane (3)

Giggsalot (7)

neonreaper (8)

SpikeSetsFire (9)

ChainLTTP (19)

Jesse_Custer (19)

HBJDubs (21)

Raetsel_Lapin (21)

Snake5555555555 (24)

Seanchan (25)

Snake5555555555: I should like this more but it's a muddled sound of noise and indie rock for me, but Debaser rules

Seanchan: There was never much doubt that this was the bottom of my list. I just hated the sound here.

Johnbobb: I wish I had gotten into the Pixies long before I did, because this is exactly the type I thing I would have become obsessed with in my teens. Grungy and powerful and catchy as hell.

VeryInsane: it’s the tightest package IMO. The album itself doesn’t reach the heights of some of the other albums around here but it’s consistent and pulls no punches

CasanovaZelos: Though alternative rock had already formed as a concept, this was the perfect powder keg to pave the way for the 90s alternative scene. Aggressive, quirky, no song overstaying its welcome.

13 (tie). Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012)

Average Rank: 13.25

Top Three Tracks: Sing About Me I'm Dying of Thirst, m.A.A.d. city, Money Trees

Rankings:

CasanovaZelos (4)

ChainLTTP (4)

VeryInsane (4)

Giggsalot (5)

Seanchan (12)

Raetsel_Lapin (15)

Snake5555555555 (15)

Johnbobb (16)

HBJDubs (17)

Jesse_Custer (20)

SpikeSetsFire (22)

neonreaper (25)

Snake5555555555: Always liked this one quite a bit, fantastic lyricism and flows

Seanchan: Kendrick is a newer rapper that I’d never listened to but gotten the impression is well respected. I listened to this album and quickly understood why. Both the rhymes and beats are engrossing.

Johnbobb: Pretty hit or miss for me overall. Some great tracks and some I didn't care for nearly as much.

VeryInsane: Reinvigorated my interest in rap almost single handedly

CasanovaZelos: Kendrick Lamar might just be the finest lyricist since Bob Dylan, and good kid, m.A.A.d. city is a storytelling masterpiece matched with phenomenal production.

13 (tie). LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Average Rank: 13.25

Top Three Tracks: All My Friends, Someone Great, Get Innocuous!

Rankings:

CasanovaZelos (1)

Seanchan (4)

Johnbobb (8)

HBJDubs (9)

Snake5555555555 (11)

ChainLTTP (12)

VeryInsane (12)

Raetsel_Lapin (17)

Giggsalot (20)

Jesse_Custer (21)

neonreaper (21)

SpikeSetsFire (23)

Snake5555555555: One of the best surprises of this series, pulsating and intelligent

Seanchan: Sound of Silver is awesome from start to almost finish. I really don’t like the very last song.

Johnbobb: Been meaning to listen to more LCD for years now, because everything I hear from them is great.

VeryInsane: I like this a bunch, it’s trendy and neat. It’s like a 80s album with modern production

CasanovaZelos: James Murphy merges phenomenal lyrics with an eclectic set of styles. Every song here is a distinct entity (except the two short bursts of dance-punk) yet it all works as one cohesive movement.

12. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Average Rank: 12.83

Top Three Tracks: Runaway, Power, All of the Lights

Rankings:

ChainLTTP (3)

Giggsalot (4)

CasanovaZelos (7)

Seanchan (7)

VeryInsane (11)

HBJDubs (12)

Snake5555555555 (13)

Raetsel_Lapin (14)

Johnbobb (15)

SpikeSetsFire (21)

neonreaper (22)

Jesse_Custer (25)

Snake5555555555: I don't really like Kanye as a person but I gotta give respect to this album where it's due, everything from the production to the samples are fantastic

Seanchan: Just a bombastically beautiful piece of...pop rap (is that the right term?). Anyway, there’s some really good stuff here that makes this very relistenable.

Johnbobb: Just because this was a shockingly good album doesn't mean I like Kanye now

VeryInsane: I felt really weird ranking this outside the top ten just because I’ve probably listened to this more than any album listed here, and there are still elements I really like, but honestly this felt right just because it doesn’t push the envelope the way other Kanye albums do for me. And the weak songs have started looking way weaker

CasanovaZelos: Some of the finest production hip hop has ever seen, while Kanye somehow makes his massive ego work in his favor thematically.

11. Mastodon - Crack the Skye (2009)

Average Rank: 12.75

Top Three Tracks: Oblivion, The Last Baron, The Czar

Rankings:

HBJDubs (5)

neonreaper (5)

VeryInsane (5)

Snake5555555555 (6)

Raetsel_Lapin (9)

Giggsalot (10)

ChainLTTP (14)

SpikeSetsFire (15)

Johnbobb (18)

CasanovaZelos (22)

Jesse_Custer (22)

Seanchan (22)

Snake5555555555: One of the best sludge/prog metal albums of all time

Seanchan: Oblivion is a cool song but the rest just wore thin.

Johnbobb: I used to be a lot more into this kind of metal than I am now. It's not bad at all, but doesn't get close to being an instant favorite like it might've when I was a teen.

VeryInsane: just a hard hitting slapping metal album that pulls no punches, always enjoy listening to it

CasanovaZelos: I immediately forget what Mastodon sounds like after I stop listening. I remember liking this as I listened, but absolutely nothing has stuck with me.

10. Alice in Chains - Dirt (1992)

Average Rank: 12.25

Top Three Tracks: Them Bones, Down in a Hole, Rooster

Rankings:

neonreaper (1)

Snake5555555555 (1)

HBJDubs (4)

Johnbobb (4)

Raetsel_Lapin (13)

Seanchan (14)

SpikeSetsFire (14)

Giggsalot (15)

VeryInsane (15)

CasanovaZelos (21)

ChainLTTP (21)

Jesse_Custer (24)

Snake5555555555: An all-time favorite. Dark, heavy, wrought with emotion and pain, but also filled with killer riffs to make you try and forget it all

Seanchan: I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did but each listen brought more clarity. A step (or 4) below its contemporary grunge mate (Nevermind) but still eminently listenable.

Johnbobb: Most of the big 5 grunge bands can make a run for my favorites, and Dirt is among the best albums to come from the movement. Almost forget how good it is between listens.

VeryInsane: Hey I like AIC a lot we just need to stop nominating good albums so it could place higher

CasanovaZelos: I feel the need to point out that, even though I'm among the biggest detractors here, 22 of these 25 albums would probably land in my top 1000 albums (out of 3,000 total) - it just happens that 10 of these would also be in my top 100. Dirt is a great album that happens to be competing against several of my all-time favorites.

9. Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)

Average Rank: 12.17

Top Three Tracks: Feel Good Inc., DARE, El Manana

Rankings:

Johnbobb (2)

Jesse_Custer (3)

SpikeSetsFire (6)

Giggsalot (8)

ChainLTTP (9)

Raetsel_Lapin (12)

neonreaper (13)

CasanovaZelos (15)

HBJDubs (15)

VeryInsane (18)

Snake5555555555 (22)

Seanchan (23)

Snake5555555555: Not a favorite but I appreciate its eclectic taste of genre and sounds

Seanchan: Feel Good Inc is a cool song but I didn’t really enjoy very much of the rest.

Johnbobb: in my top 5 albums. This one's been a favorite of mine since middle school, and I've never stopped loving it even a little.

VeryInsane: This is kinda fine, I feel like this one peaks at the first half for me and then kinda falls a little bit. Plastic Beach rules though.

CasanovaZelos: Growing up obsessed with animation during the 2000s, Gorillaz make me instantly nostalgic. This is a fun, catchy album that maybe runs a bit long but proves the project is more than a gimmick (though its popular success makes me really wish Blur caught on in the States).

8. Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)

Average Rank: 11.83

Top Three Tracks: Teardrop, Angel, Risingson

Rankings:

Giggsalot (1)

Jesse_Custer (6)

HBJDubs (7)

VeryInsane (7)

Snake5555555555 (9)

Johnbobb (11)

neonreaper (11)

ChainLTTP (15)

CasanovaZelos (16)

SpikeSetsFire (16)

Seanchan (18)

Raetsel_Lapin (25)

Snake5555555555: Near unmatched sense of darkness, dread, and anxiety in music form, but also strangely relaxing at the same time

Seanchan: This was a vibe album for me. In the right mood this is a good listen.

Johnbobb: This might be my new chillout album if I hadn't also discovered Moon Safari in this topic series.

VeryInsane: I haven’t listened to this album in like a decade and I’m slapping myself for not doing so. Angel is arguably the best song on this ranking so it has that going for it

CasanovaZelos: Though Teardrop is the only song I truly love on its own, Mezzanine as a whole has a wonderfully moody atmosphere.

7. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

Average Rank: 10.67

Top Three Tracks: C.R.E.A.M., Da Mystery of Chessboxin, Protect Ya Neck

Rankings:

Giggsalot (2)

Snake5555555555 (4)

ChainLTTP (5)

Johnbobb (5)

Jesse_Custer (7)

VeryInsane (9)

HBJDubs (10)

CasanovaZelos (11)

neonreaper (15)

Raetsel_Lapin (19)

SpikeSetsFire (20)

Seanchan (21)

Snake5555555555: One of the best hip-hop albums of all time, the Clan's flows are endlessly infectious and I love the martial art movie samples

Seanchan: Didn’t care too much for the hardcore/gangster rap on offer here.

Johnbobb: A while back I listened through all the biggest and most influential of 90s rap, and nothing came close to hitting me the way that 36 Chambers did.

VeryInsane: every time I listen to this I keep forgetting how good it is, it’s raw and just digs straight at you

CasanovaZelos: Astonished this beat out the more accessible hip hop albums, but I'm not complaining. Definitely the album that jumped the most for me upon revisiting.

6. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

Average Rank: 10.58

Top Three Tracks: Comfortably Numb, Hey You, Run Like Hell

Rankings:

HBJDubs (1)

Johnbobb (1)

Raetsel_Lapin (5)

Snake5555555555 (5)

neonreaper (7)

SpikeSetsFire (8)

ChainLTTP (13)

Seanchan (13)

Jesse_Custer (14)

CasanovaZelos (17)

VeryInsane (21)

Giggsalot (22)

Snake5555555555: Slick and accessible prog. rock that doesn't loose any meaning or soul in the process

Seanchan: A fun concept album with lots of good songs.

Johnbobb: my favorite album of all time. The perfect concept album. An incredible, compelling story wrapped up entirely in a single package, told through all sorts of varied vocals, instrumentals, etc.

VeryInsane: 13 year old me would probably have put this at 1, but like 15 years later it just kinda felt pretentious. (I do like some other Floyd albums still though)

CasanovaZelos: I tend to prefer albums that are a bit more contained - few double albums have gripped me the whole way through. Which, I think this is a rare example that actually justifies the length - I am not sure where I would start cutting if I had to pare this down to a standard length. The only problem is I am not as big on Pink Floyd's general sound as other people.

5. Air - Moon Safari (1998)

Average Rank: 9.58

Top Three Tracks: La femme d'argent, Ce matin la, All I Need

Rankings:

SpikeSetsFire (2)

HBJDubs (3)

Giggsalot (6)

Johnbobb (6)

Seanchan (9)

CasanovaZelos (10)

Jesse_Custer (10)

ChainLTTP (11)

Snake5555555555 (12)

VeryInsane (14)

neonreaper (16)

Raetsel_Lapin (16)

Snake5555555555: Amazingly chill and nostalgic vibes, I'll be putting this one on more in the future

Seanchan: Never heard of Air before this but enjoyed this album a lot. It’s just a nice easy listen.

Johnbobb: I've listened to this far more than any other album that was new to me. It's my new go-to relaxation album.

VeryInsane: I didn’t get a chance to listen to it at ranking because I was dealing with some personal stuff, but when I did I was pretty impressed. It’s the only album I wasn’t initially familiar with so it was a neat little treat. Maybe I gave more bonus points for that

CasanovaZelos: This is music to be played at a top-line retailer where everything is too expensive to buy. It's wild how inventive this is while maintaining an easygoing atmosphere throughout, the type of sound that should be cheesy but Air make effortlessly cool.

4. The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)

Average Rank: 7.83

Top Three Tracks: Something, Here Comes the Sun, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Her Majesty

Rankings:

ChainLTTP (2)

Seanchan (2)

Giggsalot (3)

Jesse_Custer (4)

Raetsel_Lapin (4)

SpikeSetsFire (4)

VeryInsane (6)

CasanovaZelos (8)

Snake5555555555 (10)

neonreaper (12)

Johnbobb (19)

HBJDubs (20)

Snake5555555555: Some of the Beatles best songs are on here, but also the medley is hit or miss

Seanchan: Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles album, with the medley being the standout.

Johnbobb: yes it's the beatles sure

VeryInsane: This one used to be a more mid tier Beatles album but I gained some new appreciation for it from this series, just barely off my top ten

CasanovaZelos: My favorite Beatles album (again, this selection of albums is stacked for this to only be my #8). A ton of great singles, and then the "medley" is a phenomenal closer.

3. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

Average Rank: 7.75

Top Three Tracks: Lithium, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are

Rankings:

Snake5555555555 (2)

CasanovaZelos (5)

ChainLTTP (6)

HBJDubs (6)

neonreaper (6)

Raetsel_Lapin (8)

VeryInsane (8)

Johnbobb (9)

Seanchan (10)

Giggsalot (11)

Jesse_Custer (11)

SpikeSetsFire (11)

Snake5555555555: Another all-time favorite. These songs never get old no matter how many times I play them. It's as rough and harsh as mainstream possibly gets.

Seanchan: Nevermind is such a weird one for me. I listened to this a lot when I was younger and it’s got a tremendous amount of classic songs. And yet, I never revisit this as much as I should.

Johnbobb: This use to be a favorite, but over time it's dropped a bit, maybe from being overplayed compared to the other big grunge albums? It's still great start to finish, but doesn't hit the way Soundgarden and Pearl Jam do.

VeryInsane: I really dig it but post Polly you have Lounge Act and then a bunch of songs that are nowhere near as good as Lounge Act

CasanovaZelos: End to end hits, I love every song (outside of the bonus track). Even if it might be front-loaded with the singles, the way the 'lesser' tracks flow together is what truly makes Nevermind a classic to me. Few albums feel this cohesive and full of energy.

2. Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

Average Rank: 7.67

Top Three Tracks: Let Down, Paranoid Android, Karma Police

Rankings:

ChainLTTP (1)

Jesse_Custer (2)

VeryInsane (2)

neonreaper (3)

Snake5555555555 (3)

SpikeSetsFire (3)

CasanovaZelos (6)

Giggsalot (9)

HBJDubs (11)

Johnbobb (13)

Seanchan (19)

Raetsel_Lapin (20)

Snake5555555555: See: The Wall, but even better and more ambitious

Seanchan: Never been a Radiohead fan and this didn’t change my mind.

Johnbobb: Also surprised I hadn't listened to this one much earlier! Definitely fits my taste enough.

VeryInsane: This album pulls no punches and is truly worth the hype IMO, phenomenal

CasanovaZelos: Endlessly inventive, a cold mixture of spacy art rock made human by Thom Yorke's delicate performance. Nearly every song here is a classic in its own way, but Electioneering exists.

1. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)

Average Rank: 7

Top Three Tracks: Dreams, The Chain, Go Your Own Way

Rankings:

SpikeSetsFire (1)

VeryInsane (1)

HBJDubs (2)

Raetsel_Lapin (2)

ChainLTTP (7)

Johnbobb (7)

Snake5555555555 (7)

Seanchan (8)

CasanovaZelos (9)

neonreaper (10)

Giggsalot (14)

Jesse_Custer (16)

Snake5555555555: Not a single bad song on this bad boy. 11 slices of perfect pop & rock bliss

Seanchan: This one was a big surprise for me. I was shocked to find I was already familiar with a good chunk of these songs and then the rest is still pretty good too.

Johnbobb: It's hard to say this is a "new" album for me given everything from it is an instant classic, but either way, it's incredible.

VeryInsane: Every song on this is a banger, and it’s easily my favorite album we have done so far.

CasanovaZelos: The masterpiece of the soft rock genre; what it lacks in sonic hardness is made up for with the raw emotions on display.

Volume 2

25. Spice Girls - Spice (1996)

Win-Loss-Tie: 1-23-0 (Score: 1)

Top Three Tracks: Wannabe, Say You'll Be There, Who Do You Think You Are

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 4/25

HBJDubs: 9/25

Seanchan: 9/25

MetalmindStats: 17/24

Johnbobb: 22/23

CasanovaZelos: 24/25

VeryInsane: 24/25

Snake5555555555: 25/25

Jesse_Custer: 25/25

Seanchan: Color me shocked that the frickin’ SPICE GIRLS is ranked this high. But I like my fun, upbeat pop and Spice has that in spades. Granted, there are some songs here I didn’t like but the fact that I’ve gone back to the ear worm hits weeks and months later says a lot.

Snake5555555555: I personally think there's better dance-pop to be found elsewhere. Like why would I ever play this over Future Nostalgia for example. I WILL sing along to Wannabe and Say You'll Be There, but the rest doesn't impress me.

MetalmindStats: Also disarmingly enjoyable on any level at its best, but conversely, some of its songs feel like bland sludgy nothings. Still, it’s fun enough - and even a tad subversive - to get me to overlook many of its shortcomings in favor of the good times in retrospect.

CasanovaZelos: What's there to say about Spice except why did we collectively choose to feature this album for a week? Few of us clicked with it and our favorite track was obvious from the start.

24. Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves (1995)

Win-Loss-Tie: 2-22-0 (Score: 2)

Top Three Tracks: Ruby Soho, Time Bomb, Olympia WA.

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 4/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 14/25

Johnbobb: 16/23

Seanchan: 18/25

CasanovaZelos: 19/25

VeryInsane: 20/25

HBJDubs: 21/25

MetalmindStats: 23/24

Jesse_Custer: 24/25

Seanchan: This isn’t a bad album; I just remember it going on way too long and being very difficult to rank the songs.

Snake5555555555: Punk rock at some of its catchiest and most fun. Matt Freeman's dreamy basslines under Armstrong's and Frederiksen's trading vocals craft songs that can be as shallow or meaningful as you need them to be with any listen.

MetalmindStats: This did nothing to change my misperceptions about punk, to the point where even the song endings all felt about the same. That could just be from my fatigue of the album, though.

CasanovaZelos: A burst of quick punk songs, which is typically how the genre works best, but absolutely nothing here stuck with me after listening.

23. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal (2011)

Win-Loss-Tie: 2-20-2 (Score: 3)

Top Three Tracks: Little Talks, Mountain Sound, Dirty Paws

Individual Rankings:

Jesse_Custer: 2/25

Seanchan: 5/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 15/25

Snake5555555555: 20/25

Johnbobb: 19/23

MetalmindStats: 22/25

HBJDubs: 23/25

VeryInsane: 23/25

CasanovaZelos: 25/25

Seanchan: This one is kind of in the same wheelhouse as Roses but with a little more of a folksy tone. Once again, there was just something about the singing, only here it’s both a male and female vocalist. This one grew on me over time and I ended up loving the more chill vibe. I kept thinking I had this ranked too high, but everytime I spot checked when adding a new album I realized that, no, this one really does deserve to be here.

Snake5555555555: HO! HEY! This album makes me feel like I'm back in high school again listening to indie folk like this with my best friend. Honestly every song kind of sounds the same but Ragnar and Nanna's dual vocals are still pretty irresistible and yes Little Talks will ALWAYS own.

MetalmindStats: I might as well have listened to the same song twelve times in a row (there’s Play, and then there’s the other extreme). Said song does sound quite nice at first, but ultimately, I don’t think any album here underdelivers on the sum of its parts to such an extent.

CasanovaZelos: "Little Talks" oscillates between being kind of fun and really annoying to me, and it was my favorite song here. A brand of indie folk pop that has always bored me that played everywhere while I was in college.

22. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (2006)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-20-1 (Score: 3.5)

Top Three Tracks: Jesus Christ, Limousine, Sowing Season (Yeah)

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 3/25

HBJDubs: 5/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 7/25

Seanchan: 17/25

Johnbobb: 18/23

CasanovaZelos: 22/25

Jesse_Custer: 22/25

MetalmindStats: 24/24

VeryInsane: 25/25

Seanchan: I didn’t enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did Deja Entendu. It’s not bad, but when I think back on it, my impression is “eh”.

Snake5555555555: It's not my most listened to Brand New album, but that doesn't mean it's not the band at their peak songwriting prowess. It's as heavy as any metal band thanks to genuine, heartfelt, wrenching emotion dripping out of every word and every note played. The climaxes of Limousine and Jesus Christ still devastate my soul to this day.

MetalmindStats: An inscrutable yet achingly personal product of Lacey’s own baggage, for better and much, much worse. There’s nothing merry for me to say about it, again for better and much, much worse.

CasanovaZelos: Not quite my style of music, and the emotions explored here are hard to fully emphasize with knowing the history of this band.

21. Taylor Swift - Speak Now (2010)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-19-2 (Score: 4)

Top Three Tracks: The Story of Us, Mine, Innocent

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 1/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 8/25

Seanchan: 12/25

Jesse_Custer: 14/25

HBJDubs: 15/25

MetalmindStats: 20/24

CasanovaZelos: 21/25

VeryInsane: 22/25

Johnbobb: 23/23

Seanchan: I liked this way more than I expected, as someone who has only heard Swift’s radio hits. It’s country but very much pop infused in a way that makes it highly accessible. Plus Never Grow Up is such a beautiful little song.

Snake5555555555: Taylor's most grandiose artistic statement - every line, every beat, every emotion is her's and her's alone. To me this is Taylor at her most punk rock - not just in tracks like Better Than Revenge or The Story of Us, but in proving she could write everything herself and come out with a best-selling album of all time with an untouchable track list. Taylor feels equally at home across remorseful ballads, Gothic desperation, soaring arena sing-alongs nearly approaching prog-length, and entertaining ass-kicking, name-taking snark for a complete album experience I will keeping coming back to time and time again.

MetalmindStats: It’s still a very Taylor Swift album - a clear product of Swift’s perspective that spotlights her strengths. However, I must eat crow about Mean, which is cloyingly cute and catchy.

CasanovaZelos: I can see Taylor Swift developing her skills here, but this really doesn’t compare to several of her later releases (Red, 1989, Folklore, Evermore).

20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (1967)

Win-Loss-Tie: 2-17-5 (Score: 4.5)

Top Three Tracks: Purple Haze, Hey Joe, Highway Chile

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 2/23

CasanovaZelos: 10/25

Jesse_Custer: 13/25

HBJDubs: 17/25

VeryInsane: 17/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 21/25

Seanchan: 21/25

Snake5555555555: 23/25

unranked by MetalmindStats

Seanchan: This is the only album on the list I didn’t do 3 listens during the song ranking week. And while I feel a little bad about that, if I hadn’t been kind of bored I likely would have found that time for another spin.

Snake5555555555: Don't get me wrong - Jimi's riffs are iconic and influential, but as much as I love some songs individually here, I think as an album experience it doesn't interest me as much. I can honestly just put on Purple Haze or Foxy Lady and call it a day!

CasanovaZelos: An absolute classic of guitar rock - with the problem being I'm not all that into guitar rock. Also, a clear case of an album being edited post-release to its detriment. The mixture of both versions really just makes this run too long, but that's essentially become the standard release at this point. Nevertheless, most of the tracks here are absolute monoliths of their style.

19. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

Win-Loss-Tie: 6-17-1 (Score: 6.5)

Top Three Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Ragged Wood, Your Protector

Individual Rankings:

CasanovaZelos: 3/25

Jesse_Custer: 8/25

MetalmindStats: 11/24

VeryInsane: 14/25

Seanchan: 16/25

Snake5555555555: 16/25

Johnbobb: 20/23

Raetsel_Lapin: 23/25

HBJDubs: 24/25

Seanchan: This one’s in the same sphere as Roses and My Head is an Animal but didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Snake5555555555: This kind of sound just resonates with me. Peaceful, lulling, independent, freeing. The production is beyond lush, Robin's vocals like a cozy blanket wrapped around me by a tent and campfire.

MetalmindStats: An oddly euphonious yet ephemeral effort that culminates on a pitch-perfect note with Oliver James’ a capella break. It feels something like the death of a certain uniquely American conception of the dignified mythic wilderness.

CasanovaZelos: Fleet Foxes make folk music like no other, bringing to life an atmosphere that suggests some mystical region that has never truly existed. Though it operates closer to ambience than music for active listening, their self-titled is a truly singular experience. The American folk music equivalent of a Ghibli slice of life film.

18. Tears for Fears - The Hurting (1983)

Win-Loss-Tie: 8-14-2 (Score: 9)

Top Three Tracks: Mad World, Pale Shelter, Watch Me Bleed

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 1/24

Johnbobb: 3/23

Jesse_Custer: 11/25

Seanchan: 14/25

Snake5555555555: 17/25

CasanovaZelos: 18/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 18/25

HBJDubs: 18/25

VeryInsane: 19/25

Seanchan: I expected to hate this, since I’ve never enjoyed this vocalist or the iconically 80s sound they have. I came away pleasantly surprised though and while this wasn’t a favorite I do have a newfound respect.

Snake5555555555: Drearily infectious, and absolutely miserable. It's great! I want to live in a cold and dark Gothic castle with the full moon behind my back on an open balcony while this plays throughout the damp, uninviting stone walls.

MetalmindStats: In short, The Hurting is varied and yet focused, tense and yet laidback, layered and yet incisive, restrained and yet effusive, dense and yet accessible, a product of its time and yet utterly timeless. I called it almost akin to a concept album without that format’s limitations in its week, words which I still think effectively sum up its contradictions.

CasanovaZelos: Tears for Fears have a great debut, but its their next album that really shines. This is a fun listen but there are several dozen synthpop albums I prefer.

17. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

Win-Loss-Tie: 9-14-1 (Score: 9.5)

Top Three Tracks: This Modern Love, Banquet, Like Eating Glass

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 6/25

MetalmindStats: 8/25

Jesse_Custer: 9/25

CasanovaZelos: 12/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 12/25

HBJDubs: 16/25

Snake5555555555: 18/25

VeryInsane: 21/25

Johnbobb: 21/23

Seanchan: I might be ranking this one too high due to recency bias but I still really enjoyed the rock sound on offer here and there’s not a bad song on the album.

Snake5555555555: Doesn't deviate much from the post-punk revival thing going around at the time... at first. I think this album gets deeper, more interesting and more catchy with every listen actually. It'll still fit in with your Killers and Franz Ferdinand, but I think the guitar work here is more than experimental than both of those bands.

MetalmindStats: Okereke’s range here is excellent, and he pulls it almost all off on an album that swings between dreamy and straight-ahead while still feeling coherent. It makes for that oxymoron: both varied and repetitive in a way that accentuates the mix and contrast, and an unassuming album that just keeps growing on me.

CasanovaZelos: The early-to-mid-2000s were the first era where I really listened to music on my own instead of whatever my older sister turned on, and the post-punk revival movement of the time was what stuck with me the most. I didn't find Bloc Party until years later, but they still bring me back to that sound in a perfect way. An album I was really underrating until revisiting it with this project and one I should probably give a few more spins - it feels sonically denser than a lot of its rock contemporaries.

16. Moby - Play (1999)

Win-Loss-Tie: 9-12-3 (Score: 10.5)

Top Three Tracks: Porcelain, Natural Blues, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?

Individual Rankings:

Jesse_Custer: 6/25

HBJDubs: 8/25

Snake5555555555: 9/25

CasanovaZelos: 11/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 11/25

Johnbobb: 11/23

VeryInsane: 18/25

MetalmindStats: 19/25

Seanchan: 24/25

Seanchan: Wasn’t a fan of most of Moby’s singles when I heard them back in the day and hearing this album didn’t do anything to change my mind.

Snake5555555555: This album will make anyone a believer for electronica & techno, because it goes so far beyond that and delves into so many genres and styles while maintaining a concise and palpable atmosphere across a lengthy runtime that's as impressive as it just plain fun to listen to.

MetalmindStats: I find Play at its most potent in its warmest, hammiest moments, when its fusion of electronica with populist musical idioms brings out the best of both traditions at times. Its purist plays, while perhaps more technically accomplished, feel comparatively cold and leached and not of a kind with the album’s other half or so.

CasanovaZelos: Runs a bit too long with a noticeably better first half, but I do appreciate the downtempo, chill vibes Moby captures on most of these tracks - with a few key bursts of energy to keep our attention. Sits at the very balance between cool and uncool, the type of music Gen Xers hate to admit they loved twenty years ago.

15. Supertramp - Breakfast in America (1979)

Win-Loss-Tie: 11-12-1 (Score: 11.5)

Top Three Tracks: The Logical Song, Breakfast in America, Goodbye Stranger

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 3/25

HBJDubs: 3/25

Seanchan: 8/25

MetalmindStats: 9/24

Johnbobb: 13/23

VeryInsane: 16/25

CasanovaZelos: 17/25

Jesse_Custer: 17/25

Snake5555555555: 21/25

Seanchan: Dad rock album #2. Kinda the same general thoughts as with Steely Dan but I felt fairly comfortable saying this one was just a step below.

Snake5555555555: There are some truly overplayed songs on here, but I'll be damned if they're not all catchy and tight as hell.

MetalmindStats: Like a stereotypical Breakfast in America, Supertramp’s smash veers wildly between disparate tones and ingredients, with a couple striking duds amidst its sterling singles. For me, what unites the batch is a certain flair in its musicianship, characterized by offbeat yet conventionally engaging instrumental choices.

CasanovaZelos: Very pleasant, though this generally softer sound rarely sticks with me after it finishes. Nevertheless, this is the popular sound I associate with this particular era, and that can't be understated. The big singles are also a lot of fun.

14. The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)

Win-Loss-Tie: 12-11-1 (Score: 12.5)

Top Three Tracks: Frontier Psychiatrist, Live at Dominoes, Electricity

Individual Rankings:

CasanovaZelos: 6/25

Jesse_Custer: 7/25

MetalmindStats: 7/24

Johnbobb: 8/23

VeryInsane: 9/25

HBJDubs: 19/25

Snake5555555555: 19/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 20/25

Seanchan: 22/25

Seanchan: Normally I like electronic music but other than a song or two I didn’t enjoy this.

Snake5555555555: Plunderphonics is a genre I've always had a passing interest in. I appreciate the craft of putting it together more than the actual songs I think. I DO think it sounds great, but learning where everything comes from and how it all fits together is an even more interesting story.

MetalmindStats: As before, I think the recursiveness of Since I Left You’s sampling really ties together an album whose overriding gimmick is otherwise its only major point of unity. I find the result simultaneously inspired and conventionally impressive.

CasanovaZelos: One of those experimental works that transcends its central concept. An album consisting entirely of samples shouldn't feel this smooth. Even when it intentionally calls attention to itself on "Frontier Psychiatrist," the final product is a perfect single. The whole experience is an easygoing journey through a vast soundscape.

13. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)

Win-Loss-Tie: 8-5-11 (Score: 13.5)

Top Three Tracks: Time, Downtown Train, Singapore

Individual Rankings:

VeryInsane: 1/25

CasanovaZelos: 4/25

MetalmindStats: 6/24

Snake5555555555: 10/25

Seanchan: 11/25

Jesse_Custer: 21/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 25/25

HBJDubs: 25/25

Seanchan: Take everything I said about Silent Shout and multiply it about 5x. This is a crazy weird album with an enormously eclectic soundscape that goes well beyond mainstream tastes. And yet it all mostly works because it somehow seamlessly fits with Waits vocal tones.

Snake5555555555: A deranged experience you won't find elsewhere on this list or indeed in most albums for that matter. I likened it to being trapped at a freak show carnival, and to me that's still the best descriptor - and by the end of it, you become assimilated into it yourself, and gladly I might add.

MetalmindStats: Gonzo in all the right ways, even and in fact especially in its more conventional moments. Indeed, for such a disparate album, I feel it’s remarkably focused and coherent. Perhaps its secret is in how Waits’ voice shines through as a singer and songwriter.

CasanovaZelos: Few artists have had such a striking transition as Tom Waits in the mid-80s. After spending a decade largely focused on the piano, Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs saw him go wherever the hell he wanted. My favorite albums are the kind where every track cuts from a different angle, and Rain Dogs is all over the place in the most glorious of ways. Most importantly, Waits has one of the most distinct voices in popular music and he writes perfectly to his own limits, showcasing a striking stylistic range. From heartfelt ballads to nightmarish experiments, Rain Dogs has a little bit of everything.

12. Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)

Win-Loss-Tie: 13-10-1 (Score: 13.5)

Top Three Tracks: Limelight, Tom Sawyer, YYZ

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 1/25

Snake5555555555: 7/25

CasanovaZelos: 9/25

MetalmindStats: 10/25

VeryInsane: 11/25

Johnbobb: 12/23

Seanchan: 15/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 19/25

Jesse_Custer: 23/25

Seanchan: Dad rock album #3? I thought I might like this some more but I guess most of it didn’t resonate.

Snake5555555555: Rush cuts out any semblance of filler here with some of their most tightly written material of their career. And when they do give in and indulge on The Camera Eye, they make sure it counts with great rhythm and interesting lyrical observations.

MetalmindStats: I very much respect Moving Pictures’ technical prowess, and at its best, I enjoy it almost as much. It’s a thoroughly accomplished album that I’ll likely always appreciate, but that I’ll just as likely never truly embrace.

CasanovaZelos: Rush simultaneously comes off as the coolest and dorkiest band to achieve mainstream success - their astronomical instrumental talent finds an unusual balance with Geddy Lee's vocals and their choice of subject matter. Moving Pictures is very much the signature Rush album, capturing all their eccentricities in seven striking songs.

11. Coeur de pirate - Roses (2015)

Win-Loss-Tie: 13-10-1 (Score: 13.5)

Top Three Tracks: Carry On, Crier tout bas, Oceans Brawl

Individual Rankings:

Jesse_Custer: 1/25

Seanchan: 4/25

Johnbobb: 4/23

HBJDubs: 7/25

MetalmindStats: 13/24

VeryInsane: 15/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 17/25

CasanovaZelos: 23/25

Snake5555555555: 24/25

Seanchan: This one was a shock. I immediately took to it on my first listen and repeated spins did not change my opinion. I understand the criticism that this is maybe a little “one note” but when that note works for you that doesn’t matter. I just love the sound of her singing.

Snake5555555555: Chillout pop, interesting lingual shifts, and some minor hip hop influence do make for a nice album to listen to, however I think it's a little long for this kind of style and I think some of the tracks would get lost in the shuffle among the many artists at the time vying for the electropop throne. If one came up I think it would be nice but I don't think it would stick with me very long either.

MetalmindStats: A pretty samey but also pretty, well, pretty album that still plays to its strengths a bit too single-mindedly for my tastes. Roses almost overcomes its major flaw by turning into a tone poem, but ultimately, I’d rather hear too much of it out of context.

CasanovaZelos: All very pleasant but left no lasting impression on me. I need more than pretty sounds.

10. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)

Win-Loss-Tie: 13-10-1 (Score: 13.5)

Top Three Tracks: Head Like a Hole, Terrible Lie, Sin

Individual Rankings:

Jesse_Custer: 3/25

VeryInsane: 5/25

Johnbobb: 5/23

HBJDubs: 6/25

CasanovaZelos: 14/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 16/25

Seanchan: 19/25

MetalmindStats: 21/24

Snake5555555555: 22/25

Seanchan: Somehow the song Sin ended up being my most played song on Spotify in 2021. And while I really do enjoy that song, the rest of this album wasn’t really my favorite. It was fun though to hear such a distinctly 80s sound from a band I think of as iconically 90s.

Snake5555555555: A bit corny and tryhard; the potential for deep inner turmoil is there, and the band's electronic-focused rock can sometimes hit the sweet spots, especially the timeless Head Like a Hole, but it doesn't feel as effortless as future albums do.

MetalmindStats: Time has toned down much of my former antipathy towards its songwriting and tone in general.

CasanovaZelos: 4 of us really loved this album! Unfortunately, only those of us who put it in the lower half actually commented. Still, I should reiterate that being my #14 here means it is in my top 1000 - not NIN's best but certainly a stunning example of synth-pop's dark side. Even if the angst can get cheesy, Trent Reznor's musicality shines. Especially since The Downward Spiral went in a wildly different sonic direction, this still holds a special pedestal in its specific niche.

9. OutKast - Aquemini (1998)

Win-Loss-Tie: 15-9-0 (Score: 15)

Top Three Tracks: Rosa Parks, Aquemini, SpottieOttieDopaliscious

Individual Rankings:

VeryInsane: 4/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 6/25

CasanovaZelos: 8/25

Johnbobb: 9/23

HBJDubs: 14/25

MetalmindStats: 14/24

Snake5555555555: 15/25

Jesse_Custer: 16/25

Seanchan: 20/25

Seanchan: I don’t really know what to write here. Despite me enjoying quite a few of Outkast’s big singles, this album has left no real impression in my mind. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and say “I dunno”.

Snake5555555555: I think I could do without the skits, but the flows, creativity, and boundless storytelling makes this a high bench-mark in the world of hip-hop.

MetalmindStats: Aquemini effectively eschews the confrontational tack of most popular hip hop I’ve heard for spoken-word interludes and sonic experimentation. The album’s a bit too mellow for me to truly embrace, though (I remember my fond feelings but not really the music itself).

CasanovaZelos: To me, OutKast is simply hip hop at its most sonically intriguing, with Aquemini being among their best work. Most of these tracks are strong, and the interplay between Andre 3000 and Big Boi is always fun. My only criticism, and a problem with OutKast in general, is that it runs too long for me to frequently revisit. The skits would be easy cuts, but it's hard to consider what song to cut for a tighter run time - which is, ultimately, a good thing.

8. Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

Win-Loss-Tie: 15-8-1 (Score: 15.5)

Top Three Tracks: Black Hole Sun, The Day I Tried to Live, Fell on Black Days

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 1/23

Snake5555555555: 2/25

Jesse_Custer: 4/25

HBJDubs: 12/25

MetalmindStats: 12/24

VeryInsane: 13/25

CasanovaZelos: 16/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 22/25

Seanchan: 23/25

Seanchan: I’ve liked some Soundgarden songs and Chris Cornell’s vocals but as an album long experience I felt this is was a huge slog.

Snake5555555555: The album that defined grunge and Soundgarden for me. An album still so full of dark, sludgy riffs and even darker lyrics to match, and an even more harrowing experience to listen through nowadays knowing what tragically happened to Chris Cornell 5 years ago.

MetalmindStats: Shattered my preconceptions about grunge not by sounding particularly different than I expected but by not wearing me out on its sound. It’s surprisingly consistently enjoyable, slightly less surprisingly catchy, and Cornell was quite the vocalist.

CasanovaZelos: An album I respect more than love. A lot to take in, and the 70 minute length really weighs me down. I'm starting to feel like grunge is one of the few ways I feel a slight generational difference on board 8 (...I think I'm a few years younger than the average user here, at least)

7. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia (2020)

Win-Loss-Tie: 18-6-0 (Score: 18)

Top Three Tracks: Levitating, Don't Start Now, Physical

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 1/25

MetalmindStats: 4/24

CasanovaZelos: 5/25

VeryInsane: 6/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 13/25

HBJDubs: 13/25

Snake5555555555: 14/25

Johnbobb: 17/23

Jesse_Custer: 18/25

Seanchan: I’ve dug this album ever since my first listen, so I was really glad we got to rank it. This is filled with fun, upbeat songs that can always get me into a good mood.

Snake5555555555: SO. MUCH. FUN. This is one of the best pure pop albums since Taylor Swift's 1989. It's shameless, it's your best friend that doesn't care how silly or stupid you get, and yet at its core it's a masterwork of production and song-writing craft, and that is the real secret to why this album works as much as it does.

MetalmindStats: Disarmingly enjoyable (on any level) pop that’s uncommonly intelligent and consistent by any standard. It’s chock full of perceptive lyrics paired with an opulent production lurking just below Lipa’s ideally suited voice. The party never stops here until, suddenly and shockingly, it does in an unsurprisingly divisive ending that I appreciate all the more because it feels like it’s the point.

CasanovaZelos: Simply the best modern pop album in my lifetime. There's a bit of a gulf between the best tracks and the b-sides when taken on their own, but the lack of frontloading really makes it work as a full experience. This helped make the bleakest year a little more enjoyable.

6. Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill (1972)

Win-Loss-Tie: 16-2-6 (Score: 19)

Top Three Tracks: Do It Again, Reelin' in the Years, Only a Fool Would Say That

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 3/24

Raetsel_Lapin: 5/25

Seanchan: 7/25

HBJDubs: 11/25

Snake5555555555: 11/25

Jesse_Custer: 12/25

VeryInsane: 12/25

CasanovaZelos: 15/25

unranked by Johnbobb

Seanchan: Dad rock album #1. I’d heard some of these songs from the radio but that was it. I enjoyed the 70s grooviness of the beats.

Snake5555555555: Reelin' in the Years ALONE makes this album a masterpiece and is better than most entire albums, but when you factor in that this was SD's FIRST album and they were already at near-peak, well how can you possibly ignore that?

MetalmindStats: That an album with so much craft and talent on display can feel so effortless and middlebrow is perhaps among the greatest tricks in music. It’s paradoxically hard to do justice to it in words because of how easy it is to vibe along with.

CasanovaZelos: Steely Dan is a band that has slowly been growing on me over the years - and even if soft rock is rarely my thing, they really have a way of making it sound effortlessly cool.

5. Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)

Win-Loss-Tie: 19-5-0 (Score: 19)

Top Three Tracks: Aces High, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, 2 Minutes to Midnight

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 2/25

HBJDubs: 2/25

Johnbobb: 6/23

Snake5555555555: 8/25

VeryInsane: 8/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 10/25

CasanovaZelos: 13/25

MetalmindStats: 18/24

Jesse_Custer: 20/25

Seanchan: OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING!?! I have no idea how I managed not to overlook Iron Maiden during my metal phase, and hearing this made it even worse, because this is just an incredible album. I ended up listening to quite a bit more Iron Maiden in the aftermath and my love was no one album wonder.

Snake5555555555: It's classic, solid, straight-forward heavy metal. To me, IM isn't as catchy a band as say Metallica, wherein I'm more compelled to revisit again and again, but the riffs are intricate, dazzlingly powerful, and the more prog-heavy back-end proves Iron Maiden has the depth to go along with their bravado and ruckus.

MetalmindStats: Powerslave’s outwardly repetitive yet densely layered riffs make it the clearest example in this ranking of an album I gave short shrift.

CasanovaZelos: Probably the most important 'new' album to me from this project, as I went from having heard one Iron Maiden album before it and over a dozen after its appearance. I'm not the biggest metal fan, but this album is nothing but hits.

4. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)

Win-Loss-Tie: 19-4-1 (Score: 19.5)

Top Three Tracks: Heroin, Sunday Morning, Venus in Furs

Individual Rankings:

CasanovaZelos: 1/25

VeryInsane: 2/25

Johnbobb: 7/23

Raetsel_Lapin: 9/25

Jesse_Custer: 10/25

Snake5555555555: 12/25

MetalmindStats: 16/24

HBJDubs: 22/25

Seanchan: 25/25

Seanchan: I’ll keep this brief and just say that I didn’t like this one at all

Snake5555555555: The album's false dreamy start leading into garage punk defines this album's key experimentation with different sounds and different atmospheres eventually devolving into pure drone and psychedelic noise. I love it though. You can hear the origins of indie rock, grunge, and noise pop all over this album.

MetalmindStats: Its sound isn’t nearly as experimental, discordant, and generally unique as I expected, which is probably a testament to its influence more than anything. In its place is a peculiarly disembodied quality, coming off timeless and as a product of a time before its own in equal measure.

CasanovaZelos: My second favorite album ever, and considering some of the negative responses here, can you imagine the power it carried back in 1967? When The Beatles were being celebrated for entering their experimental era with tracks like "A Day in the Life," The Velvet Underground jumped ahead to a prototypical late-70s punk sound with an emphasis on unusual, sometimes cacophonous instrumentation. This is the album that blew open the doors of what popular music could be. Even if you don't 'get it,' just consider the artists who have walked in their footsteps or even directly cited them as an influence - David Bowie, Brian Eno, Sex Pistols, Joy Division, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and just so many more. The history of modern rock is entwined with this album.

3. Lorde - Melodrama (2017)

Win-Loss-Tie: 19-3-2 (Score: 20)

Top Three Tracks: The Louvre, Supercut, Green Light

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 1/25

MetalmindStats: 2/24

CasanovaZelos: 7/25

VeryInsane: 7/25

Seanchan: 13/25

Snake5555555555: 13/25

Jesse_Custer: 15/25

Johnbobb: 15/23

HBJDubs: 20/25

Seanchan: I expected to hate this, since I was not a fan of Royals, the only Lorde song I had previously heard. That turned out not to be the case. There’s some good, fun pop songs on offer here.

Snake5555555555: It's about as satisfying as art pop gets - only Kate Bush beats her. It'll make you dance, and in the meantime, will make you rethink why you're dancing in the first place. Underhanded synths and disco rhythms constantly belie some of Lorde's most intelligent lyrics to date to amazing effect.

MetalmindStats: In the spirit of Melodrama itself, I should say that I myself have never experienced a breakup. Yet I found its songs, and especially their context, instantly indelible anyways. I think Anna Gaca of Spin put it best by labeling Melodrama’s fundamental quality “the blacklight black-and-blue of a perfectionist trying to capture imperfect feelings.” They’re feelings that I fell hard for after my initial skepticism, and I still admire and adore the resulting album in equal measure.

CasanovaZelos: The best pure pop album of my lifetime...until Future Nostalgia came out! Not that the two have too much in common beyond sitting at the top. Lorde helped codify a more mellow brand of pop with her debut, and this sees further refinement while also exploring more energetic territory on key tracks.

2. Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)

Win-Loss-Tie: 20-4-0 (Score: 20)

Top Three Tracks: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 2/25

Seanchan: 3/25

Jesse_Custer: 5/25

Snake5555555555: 6/25

HBJDubs: 10/25

VeryInsane: 10/25

Johnbobb: 14/23

MetalmindStats: 15/24

CasanovaZelos: 20/25

Seanchan: A majority of this album is on Joel’s first 2 disc Greatest Hits, so there wasn’t a lot unknown to me. And some of these songs are among my most favorite, memorable, and meaningful in my life.

Snake5555555555: A masterpiece of jazzy-rock. Joel's swooning rock-and-roll sensibilities coupled with grounded, accessible pop make an album literally anyone could get into and enjoy while relaying relatable stories you can see yourself in or at least enjoy the storytelling by one of the best in the business.

MetalmindStats: Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, no matter how smooth and refined that chance encounter might have been.

CasanovaZelos: I'm happy everyone else sees something in this one. Billy Joel is near the top of the list of artists I have tried and failed to find more than just pretty good.

1. The Knife - Silent Shout (2006)

Win-Loss-Tie: 22-1-1 (Score: 22.5)

Top Three Tracks: Silent Shout, The Captain, Forest Families

Individual Rankings:

CasanovaZelos: 2/25

VeryInsane: 3/25

HBJDubs: 4/25

Snake5555555555: 5/25

MetalmindStats: 5/24

Seanchan: 10/25

Johnbobb: 10/23

Jesse_Custer: 19/25

Raetsel_Lapin: 24/25

Seanchan: There’s a little bit of an oddball sound to this album and especially certain tracks. But there’s a few songs I really enjoyed and its relative uniqueness has kept it fresh in my mind.

Snake5555555555: Easily the biggest surprise on this set of rankings. Horror condensed into technical house and synth-pop with absolutely demented vocal lines giving me a constant sense of anxiety and fear flirting with my very sense of safety and shattering my foolish expectations with each subsequent track.

MetalmindStats: Of its majority of principally, and piercingly, evocative tracks, most are singularly stamped into my mind. Among its more conventional songs, I highly underrated We Share Our Mothers’ Health. As a whole, I hoped that the unusual feelings associated with its instrumentation would stick with me, and so they have.

CasanovaZelos: Of my own two choices that ended up here, I really am blown away by this taking the top spot while Fleet Foxes floundered. I'm also really happy it did so - The Knife have been such a formative group for me, and Silent Shout really is an album like few others. The most unsettling of synthpop pulsing with horror yet somehow accessible.

Rank the Albums Vol. 3

25. Sunspot - Singularity (2009)

Win-Loss-Tie: 0-23-1 (Score: 0.5)

Average Rank: 17.46/25

Top Three Tracks: Tunguska, Uncanny Valley, Grand Guignol

Individual Rankings:

BlueCrystalTear: 2

Seanchan: 7

Raetsel_Lapin: 11

HBJDubs: 18

Johnbobb: 19/23

MetalmindStats: 20

FoolFantastic: 23

neonreaper: 23

VeryInsane: 24

Snake5555555555: 25

BlueCrystalTear: I nominated this for a reason. I'm glad many of you guys enjoyed it for what it is! (I still recommend you guys checking out "Weirdest Hits" if you liked this one.)

Snake5555555555: Feels like something that could’ve been bigger in the 90s. There’s a bit of a “local band” quality to it - not trying to belittle it, because I do like some of the tracks on here, but rather it’s a little too safe and doesn’t do anything to elevate to a next level, at least to me.

Johnbobb: It's an alright album that I can't think to say much about except that Trashy Hot is still the worst song by far

Seanchan: Another of the big surprises from this cycle. Perhaps a little bit unpolished in parts but it’s a tiny band from the midwest that probably about 10K people have ever heard of! I enjoyed the pop-punkish bent to a lot of the songs, and yes, I do wish I had “F U money”. The biggest compliment I can give is if an album makes me want to listen to more from an artist, and Singularity passed that test with flying colors.

MetalmindStats: Sure, Singularity is highly inconsistent - only partly by design - and it never really reaches any great heights. But I find most of it endearing, even sort of enduring in its easy-breezy enjoyability anyways.

24. VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theater (1998)

Win-Loss-Tie: 0-19-5 (Score: 2.5)

Average Rank: 16.61/25

Top Three Tracks: Dirty Hole, I'm Dying, You

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 2/23

BlueCrystalTear: 8

HBJDubs: 8

Snake5555555555: 17

MetalmindStats: 19

Seanchan: 20

Raetsel_Lapin: 22

VeryInsane: 22

FoolFantastic: 24

neonreaper: 24

Snake5555555555: Though the tracks blend in with one another, the album has such a strong sound that I don’t even mind.

Johnbobb: I still cannot believe someone that wasn't me nominated this album

Seanchan: I appreciate some of the artistry here but something about this just did not click with me.

MetalmindStats: Its singular soundscapes seem to soar against a sort of basement-dwelling milieu, or at least that’s my best attempt at describing this album. The effect intrigues me at first, only to wear out much of its initial interest over time.

23. Black Marble - It's Immaterial (2016)

Win-Loss-Tie: 4-18-2 (Score: 5)

Average Rank: 16.8/25

Top Three Tracks: Self Guided Tours, A Million Billion Stars, It's Conditional

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 5

Raetsel_Lapin: 12

MetalmindStats: 13

HBJDubs: 15

BlueCrystalTear: 19

Seanchan: 19

VeryInsane: 19

neonreaper: 20

FoolFantastic: 21

Johnbobb: 23/23

BlueCrystalTear: I remember this being one of those "It feels like one track" albums, and yet it being good despite that. However, nothing stands out in either direction. This is in my "mixed bag" tier because of its nature.

Snake5555555555: Moody and packed to the brim with feeling, Black Marble’s effort here is undeniable. It’s a personal favorite choice - as judged by its lukewarm reactions in the topic I almost feel like it’s an album made specifically for me and my tastes alone. I know that’s not true, but still, awash in its dreamy vocals and subdued synths, it’s an album I can close my eyes to at any time and get whisked away into a land of pure bliss and nostalgic sadness.

Johnbobb: Ok enough, if not one I'd listen to more. Kinda feels like The Cure, but not quite as iconic.

Seanchan: There’s such a dreamy, almost ethereal quality to this album. Or maybe it’s that it feels like it was recorded on the other side of a thin wall and we’re getting only 80% of the soundl. I don’t know. I feel like I was so close to really liking this but there’s just some thing or element that’s missing.

MetalmindStats: “For some odd reason, I felt a wave of nostalgia coming from it. Is it…a spirit? I sense the presence of spirits.”

22. blink-182 - Enema of the State (1999)

Win-Loss-Tie: 2-16-6 (Score: 5)

Average Rank: 16.48/25

Top Three Tracks: What's My Age Again?, Adam's Song, Don't Leave Me

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 4

Snake5555555555: 7

BlueCrystalTear: 12

FoolFantastic: 16

HBJDubs: 16

Raetsel_Lapin: 19

neonreaper: 22

Johnbobb: 21/23

VeryInsane: 23

MetalmindStats: 23

Snake5555555555: A truly amazing piece of pop songwriting here. I mean I have my own personal favorites I think are better of course, but can anyone objectively say pop punk has ever been done better than this right here? There are no skips, and honestly the lyrics can be pretty smart in a slacker suburban kid sort of way - like when a dumb friend says something profound on accident. Super fun.

Johnbobb: Probably the definition of memorable singles and a forgettable track list beyond that.

Seanchan: I was a big fan of blink during my 15-25 year old period, which also coincides with their heyday. Enema is just perfect pop-punk for me. Catchy, fun, sometimes juvenile and silly, but with enough heart that it manages to avoid being kitschy.

MetalmindStats: I originally found the repetitious refrain of ‘I time bomb’ that ends Enema of the State ludicrous to the point of laughter. Now it feels more like the manifesto of a record that’s often remarkably perceptive and personal, plus plain enjoyable in places - albeit permanently a product of its time. Its sophomoric, somewhat misogynistic surface still puts me off, but I’ve come to realize that its smarts lie under that skin.

21. Jack White - Fear of the Dawn (2022)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-17-4 (Score: 5)

Average Rank: 16.03/25

Top Three Tracks: Taking Me Back, The White Raven, Shedding My Velvet

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 4

MetalmindStats: 9

Seanchan: 9

Johnbobb: 15/23

neonreaper: 16

VeryInsane: 16

FoolFantastic: 20

HBJDubs: 21

Snake5555555555: 24

BlueCrystalTear: 25

BlueCrystalTear: Absolutely awful. Hated every second of this that I managed to get through.

Snake5555555555: Can’t go wrong with some Jack White, if you want solid guitar work and good old fashioned rock, you can do worse. Still, what makes it stand out? Not much honestly.

Johnbobb: Very pleasant surprise, mostly because I loved The White Stripes and didn't care at all for Lazarus. Good to see Jack White find his solo niche.

Seanchan: I was worried about this one, as I wasn’t a big fan of Elephant, the White Stripes album we covered that features Jack White. Imagine my shock when this was a very different, more edgy/hard/electronic sound that really appealed to me.

MetalmindStats: White’s voice as a singer-songwriter effectively unites sticky verses and persistent melodies with weighty guitar and even dashes of experimental electronica. The results, both viscerally satisfying and technically accomplished, turn that scattershot approach into a virtue. Something’s missing for me to truly embrace this album, though, and perhaps it’s a certain emotional connection, one that its apparently piecemeal philosophy impedes.

20. Phil Collins - Face Value (1981)

Win-Loss-Tie: 5-16-3 (Score: 6.5)

Average Rank: 14.72/25

Top Three Tracks: In the Air Tonight, I Missed Again, Droned

Individual Rankings:

BlueCrystalTear: 3

Raetsel_Lapin: 8

neonreaper: 11

HBJDubs: 13

Johnbobb: 14/23

FoolFantastic: 15

VeryInsane: 17

Seanchan: 18

Snake5555555555: 23

MetalmindStats: 24

BlueCrystalTear: Also nominated this for a reason.

Snake5555555555: A pretty experimental record all things considered, and Phil Collins puts in solid effort as he does on all recordings. It’s appropriately moody but feels occasionally lost in the sauce, a little directionless even if tracks like In The Air Tonight remind you why Phil Collins is a musical force to be reckoned with.

Johnbobb: I mean, it's not No Jacket Required, and it's certainly not Invisible Touch, but it's still Phil Collins and his beautiful voice.

Seanchan: I don’t have any particularly strong feelings about this one. As an album, I enjoyed this more than So, even if it doesn’t have as good of singles. It’s mostly just a pleasant, fine listen, other than the bizarre Beatles cover that ends the album. That one’s just a big miss for me.

MetalmindStats: The rest of this record is fine enough but feels conventional to a fault in spite of its solid components. I guess it’s a kind of talent to be able to conceal so many layers of vulnerability under such a middlebrow surface, but in this case, it doesn’t leave me any less apathetic.

19. The Cranberries - No Need to Argue (1994)

Win-Loss-Tie: 5-13-6 (Score: 8)

Average Rank: 14.71/25

Top Three Tracks: Zombie, Ode to My Family, Yeat's Grave

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 5

neonreaper: 9

Raetsel_Lapin: 9

Johnbobb: 13/23

VeryInsane: 14

BlueCrystalTear: 16

Snake5555555555: 18

FoolFantastic: 19

HBJDubs: 20

Seanchan: 23

Snake5555555555: An album absolutely deserving of being in the 90s alt rock definitive canon. O’Riordan’s vocals are beautiful and even occasionally reach gothically haunting heights, while a harder edge from the rest of the band brings things full circle to something gorgeously profound throughout.

Johnbobb: Zombie alone is probably enough to put this high-ish but beyond that it's just a really, really cool album.

Seanchan: Another album I don’t have particularly strong feelings about. It’s fine enough but it doesn’t thrill me, which isn’t really a fair criticism because this isn’t the type of album that’s trying to “thrill”. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

MetalmindStats: O’Riordan’s delivery drags out all the emotional energy of an exorcism on a record that gives me the impression all involved, O’Riordan especially, needed to make it. Her figurative authorial voice features to its fullest too, with results that feel tightly bound around their central conceit and which render repetition crucial, both musically and lyrically. Some songs feel hollowed-out in the best way possible, while others could come off as being a bit histrionic in lesser hands, all in their consistent way helping make for a haunted yet wistful whole.

18. Love - Forever Changes (1967)

Win-Loss-Tie: 8-16-0 (Score: 8)

Average Rank: 14.67/25

Top Three Tracks: Alone Again Or, You Set the Scene, A House is Not a Motel

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 1

VeryInsane: 4

neonreaper: 10

Seanchan: 14

MetalmindStats: 15

Snake5555555555: 19

BlueCrystalTear: 22

Raetsel_Lapin: 23

HBJDubs: 24

BlueCrystalTear: Apparently I listened to this. I don't remember ANYTHING. Not even track names! Looking at the Wiki... I called them "a forgettable mid-tier bar band." I guess that really holds. They were so forgettable, I forgot to rank them after two listens!

Snake5555555555: It’s obviously a good album, but it doesn’t feel as timeless as other 60s works. That’s okay as it’s swerving experimentation keeps things interesting throughout. Just loses out to other albums on here since this is a pretty solid collection of records after all.

Seanchan: It’s not The Beatles but it’s still pretty good for 60s rock. It’s an easy album to forget about, but when you listen it’s “yeah, there’s some decent stuff here”.

MetalmindStats: From my too-modern perspective: very pleasant, very accessible - maybe a little too quiet and inclined to fade into the background, but it clearly has more going on under that surface.

17. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)

Win-Loss-Tie: 7-14-3 (Score: 8.5)

Average Rank: 14.39/25

Top Three Tracks: Seven Nation Army, Ball and Biscuit, Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 4

BlueCrystalTear: 7

VeryInsane: 9

Johnbobb: 11/23

Raetsel_Lapin: 16

MetalmindStats: 17

neonreaper: 17

Seanchan: 17

Snake5555555555: 20

HBJDubs: 25

Snake5555555555: The White Stripes is one of those bands I like putting on one song at a time and enjoying a good tune. As an album, it gets drowned out in itself. Really great singles though.

Johnbobb: There are so many albums in this section that I liked but where I liked other albums by the same band more than the one nominated (see: Phil Collins, Dream Theater, The Beatles... ok maybe it's not that many but 4 in 25 still feels significant)

Seanchan: I’m just so ambivalent on this album. It’s listenable but not something I’d seek out to listen to. It’s the same way I’ve felt about all those White Stripes singles over the years, so I guess it’s no surprise I’ve the same feeling about a full length album.

MetalmindStats: Plays like an affectionate yet knowing deconstruction of the 90s indie alt-rock wave that wears its 60s rock inspirations - restricted toolkit included - on its sleeve. However, the catchy, punchy, technically accomplished outcome is characteristic of something altogether novel. Elephant isn’t quite consistently memorable, and it sometimes seems to slip into a sort of smug, self-congratulatory tone, but at least its simultaneously classy and rollicking big single (which I previously underrated) justifies that type of hype.

16. Miracle Musical - Hawaii: Part II (2012)

Win-Loss-Tie: 4-10-10 (Score: 9)

Average Rank: 14.12/25

Top Three Tracks: Labyrinth, The Mind Electric, Isle Unto Thyself

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 3/23

MetalmindStats: 4

Snake5555555555: 10

Seanchan: 11

Raetsel_Lapin: 15

VeryInsane: 15

BlueCrystalTear: 18

neonreaper: 21

FoolFantastic: 22

HBJDubs: 22

BlueCrystalTear: Genre is very much "Other." Nothing can really describe this and its mood changes, not to mention the sdrawkcab gniklat track. That's a gimmick that's really only intriguing the first time, before you figure it out.

Snake5555555555: I’m so fucking glad albums like this are nominated for this series. Love how it combines retro sounds with modern techniques and the themes of the album are just incredible.

Johnbobb: Being the weirdest album by a mile in this grouping really elevated its status here imo

Seanchan: This has to be the oddest album we covered this cycle. But because of that, it stands out and is memorable, much the same way Rain Dogs was in the last ranking cycle.

MetalmindStats: A spectacularly melodic show of an album, one that whizzes dandily along in a retrofuturistic-feeling potpourri of distinct pieces, and that nonetheless turns totally coherent in context, notably finishing right where it starts. The end result entirely sweeps me along with its contributors’ effervescent energy and evident enthusiasm, transporting me to a resonant if fleeting place in headspace, one which I wish to revisit over and over again.

15. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides (1999)

Win-Loss-Tie: 6-11-7 (Score: 9.5)

Average Rank: 13.9/25

Top Three Tracks: Ms. Fat Booty, Mathematics, UMI Says

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 1/23

VeryInsane: 5

FoolFantastic: 8

Seanchan: 12

MetalmindStats: 14

HBJDubs: 18

neonreaper: 18

Raetsel_Lapin: 18

Snake5555555555: 22

BlueCrystalTear: 23

BlueCrystalTear: This is not my thing at all. Is it good? Sure. Is it something I can listen to? Not really. I tried.

Snake5555555555: It feels a little too long and the style gets grating for me personally, still there’s some damn good lyricism to be found here and I do love some of the beats.

Johnbobb: A couple years ago, I realized I didn't know much from the 90s rap scene (largely due to growing up white and suburban with a dad that loved jazz & country and a mom that loved 70s music) and made the effort to go through and listen through like 30 of the most iconic albums of the era. My absolute favorite of the bunch was Enter the Wu-Tang (which I nominated what has to be a year ago now), but Mos Def was a very close second, and was probably the best straight lyricist of the bunch.

Seanchan: I’m not big on rap, but this was better than I expected. There’s some good lyricism and a lot of catchy beats. The sheer variety on display here also helps mask the length of the album.

MetalmindStats: A quite consistently (but for me, not quite spectacularly) compelling record with segments of standout songwriting embedded within the strong rhythmic + narrative flow it sustains at length.

14. System of a Down - Toxicity (2001)

Win-Loss-Tie: 6-11-7 (Score: 9.5)

Average Rank: 13.85/25

Top Three Tracks: Aerials, Chop Suey!, Toxicity

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 3

HBJDubs: 6

Johnbobb: 6

neonreaper: 7

VeryInsane: 12

FoolFantastic: 13

MetalmindStats: 21

Seanchan: 21

BlueCrystalTear: 24

Raetsel_Lapin: 25

BlueCrystalTear: Fuck. The. Screaming.

Snake5555555555: I first heard Chop Suey in my dad’s car in 2002. I still listen to it 20 years later. I still listen to this whole fucking album front to back 20 years on. It’s weird, it’s wonky, it’s hard-hitting, I still feel like there’s very little like it to this day.

Johnbobb: see my write-ups for Avenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park because this is basically the same, yeah

Seanchan: I said this at track ranking time and I’ll say it again, this is just a sound that no longer appeals to me. I enjoyed it, and System of a Down in general, when I was in college but it’s hard for me to revisit.

MetalmindStats: I struggle to take this album seriously, yet that actually strengthens its fun factor much of the time. A structure built on short bursts of sound that bounce between disparate subjects serves it well as such, but with fourteen of those songs, excessive repetition still leads me down the path of diminishing returns.

13. Eagles - Hotel California (1976)

Win-Loss-Tie: 7-10-7 (Score: 10.5)

Average Rank: 13.57/25

Top Three Tracks: Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane, Wasted Time

Individual Rankings:

BlueCrystalTear: 4

neonreaper: 8

FoolFantastic: 11

Snake5555555555: 11

Seanchan: 13

HBJDubs: 14

Raetsel_Lapin: 14

MetalmindStats: 18

Johnbobb: 20/23

VeryInsane: 21

Snake5555555555: Yes it has its weak spots in the second half, but to kick off an album with THREE all-timers, well, this album is undeniable. The lyricism is amazing and the guitar and drum work is always tasty.

Johnbobb: This is an album I bet my mom really likes

Seanchan: It’s(more than) a bit reductive to say that it’s the title track and then everything else but…it’s kind of true for me? Hotel California is a tremendous single that casts a monstrous shadow over the rest of the album, and does the bulk of the work on carrying this album up my rankings.

MetalmindStats: It starts and finishes in fine style, to say the least - too bad about the muddled middle. The resulting record is often compelling, but for me, it fails to live up to its towering critical and popular stature or to Henley’s sweeping concept-album ambitions.

12. Taylor Swift - Folklore (2020)

Win-Loss-Tie: 10-9-5 (Score: 12.5)

Average Rank: 12.59/25

Top Three Tracks: Exile, Cardigan, The Last Great American Dynasty

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 3

Raetsel_Lapin: 6

VeryInsane: 8

FoolFantastic: 9

Snake5555555555: 9

BlueCrystalTear: 13

neonreaper: 15

Seanchan: 16

HBJDubs: 23

Johnbobb: 22/23

BlueCrystalTear: Would be four spots higher had it been 2-3 songs shorter. It's A-okay to have a dark and introspective album but making it too long makes it tiring to listen to. (Best track: "This Is Me Trying" - one of my top 5 tracks from this batch)

Snake5555555555: Some of the most emotionally beautiful tracks Swift has ever written. A huge leap in maturity though Folklore certainly suffers from a lack of catchiness and brattiness I so adore in her first few albums. I think Evermore struck a more comfortable balance but if someone were to call Folklore Swift’s best album - I wouldn’t necessarily argue. It’s clearly the work of a masterful songwriter proving why she’s the best and most fearless voice in pop music right now.

Johnbobb: It was way better than Speak Now but Speak Now was probably my least favorite album of the first 75 so take that how you will.

Seanchan: It’s too long but this one did grow on me a bit in subsequent listens. Of note, I’ve continued to enjoy the song Exile, and have found myself going back to that particular track many times since we ranked this album.

MetalmindStats: I had originally intended to comment on my most recent folklore listen and all my accumulated thoughts about its various aspects, but I failed to fashion said sentiments into coherent sentences every time I tried. Only what I had hoped would simply be my closing statement made it out of that mess, so here it is: Much like a traditional folklorist’s tales, I might find the specifics of the stories Swift and her team tell here sort of ephemeral, but I think I’ll never forget the feelings this latest telling of them evoked in me – and that alone makes me want to adore folklore forevermore.

11. Peter Gabriel - So (1986)

Win-Loss-Tie: 12-8-4 (Score: 14)

Average Rank: 11.74/25

Top Three Tracks: Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, Red Rain

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 2

Raetsel_Lapin: 2

HBJDubs: 9

BlueCrystalTear: 10

FoolFantastic: 10

VeryInsane: 11

neonreaper: 13

Johnbobb: 16/23

Snake5555555555: 21

Seanchan: 22

BlueCrystalTear: If the last two tracks weren't so bizarre to the point that they got rough on repeated listens, this would also have been several spots higher. The highs are pretty high!

Snake5555555555: Beautifully produced and meticulously arranged, though with no blemishes a full listen can feel sort of plain. Still, give me that Kate Bush feature any day of the week, and Sledgehammer will always be a fun one.

Johnbobb: Didn't get to participate in the ranking itself despite listening through it, but I'm absolutely going to try and contribute here and ensure Peter Gabriel stays below Phil Collins, on principle.

Seanchan: EIGHTIES!!!!! This album is so screamingly 1980s it’s ridiculous. It’s also an album with a pretty strong split between songs I like, songs I think are okay, and songs that I did not like. The singles, such as Sledgehammer and In Your Eyes are great but the bottom tier is so bizarre that it really brings the album down for me.

MetalmindStats: What makes this patchwork of pretty yet disparate pieces sing to me as a coherent record is also its central genius: the way it unifies the 80s’ mainstream Western, world, and art music movements, distilling them all into a paragon of their individual parts. Meanwhile, So’s soul is found in Gabriel’s musical and lyrical craftsmanship. It all adds up to an album of phenomenal ambition delivered on in a way indicative of a mature, accomplished artist, simultaneously comfortingly familiar and creatively abstract.

10. Portishead - Third (2008)

Win-Loss-Tie: 12-6-6 (Score: 15)

Average Rank: 12.18/25

Top Three Tracks: Machine Gun, The Rip, We Carry On

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 1

FoolFantastic: 3

VeryInsane: 3

HBJDubs: 7

Johnbobb: 10

Snake5555555555: 12

BlueCrystalTear: 14

Raetsel_Lapin: 21

neonreaper: 25

Seanchan: 25

BlueCrystalTear: One of the weirdest things I've ever listened to. I both love and hate it for that, but that's why I remember it.

Snake5555555555: Man I wish I had time to rank this one at the time. Its beats feel anxious, its vocals horror inducing, and dissonant cut-ins are heart-pounding and shocking.

Johnbobb: I forgot what this was upon looking at the name but then I listened to a single track off of it and it all clicked again. Great album. Kind of what I wanted Black Marble to be.

Seanchan: Third is an enormously moody and atmospheric album. It’s also slow and depressing, the exact antithesis of the generally upbeat and energetic albums that form the top of my rankings. In short, this album was a huge bummer for me that felt like it was sucking my energy away. Easily my least favorite album of this cycle.

MetalmindStats: Comprised of challenging, complex compositions and often overwhelming soundscapes to occupy the mind juxtaposed against Gibbons’ phenomenally direct vocals and achingly personal lyrics in variable proportions, with results that to me both are instantly enthralling and reward repeated exploration. Spectacularly successful at coalescing into a congruent whole, one that’s never anything less than completely indescribable, completely itself – and completely considered in all its absolute anomalousness and anomie alike. Yet all those words feel entirely like folly, because how could they ever encompass any significant amount of Third’s essence?

9. Opeth - Damnation (2003)

Win-Loss-Tie: 14-8-2 (Score: 15)

Average Rank: 11.94/25

Top Three Tracks: In My Time of Need, Windowpane, To Rid the Disease

Individual Rankings:

neonreaper: 2

VeryInsane: 7

MetalmindStats: 8

Seanchan: 8

HBJDubs: 10

Snake5555555555: 14

BlueCrystalTear: 17

Johnbobb: 17

Raetsel_Lapin: 17

FoolFantastic: 18

Snake5555555555: Not Opeth’s best, but the more accessible prog rock styling that usurped prog death creates a more intimate and depressing experience that’s hard not to get sucked in by.

Johnbobb: Entirely good, but not particularly memorable

Seanchan: That statement earlier about metal finds the natural exception here, with this being just a “like” from me. I always knew Opeth as an unclean vocal death metal band, and so though I’d heard a song or two, it wasn’t a sound I particularly cared for. Damnation then was a real left turn, with clean vocals and a much more mellow, melodic sound. I could say it’s maybe a little bit one note, but when it’s played this well that doesn’t matter. Also, it’s a short album that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

MetalmindStats: For mature melancholy, look no further - and like most people, sometimes “I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me.” Here, that seems steeped in a subtle sort of solemnity, one which its compositions and Åkerfeldt’s delivery alike almost always honor. Otherwise, it’s difficult to describe what draws me to Damnation, though its consistent sound and the emotions it evokes make it a kind of contemplative counterpart to Hybrid Theory.

8. The Beatles - Rubber Soul (1965)

Win-Loss-Tie: 15-5-4 (Score: 17)

Average Rank: 10.95/25

Top Three Tracks: In My Life, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Nowhere Man

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 1

FoolFantastic: 6

Seanchan: 6

VeryInsane: 6

MetalmindStats: 12

neonreaper: 12

BlueCrystalTear: 15

Snake5555555555: 15

HBJDubs: 17

Johnbobb: 18

BlueCrystalTear: The mid-60s problem of all tracks being 3 minutes or less is part of why this is so low. The Beatles really started to push the envelope with track length after this album and Revolver, but the shortness of each track in turn makes them forgettable when compiled. It's still the Beatles, though.

Snake5555555555: Yeah it’s The Beatles. Yeah, they’re amazing. This isn’t a personal favorite Beatles album or anything, but this is still a solid catalog of songs nonetheless. It’s not as flashy as later works, or as instantly catchy as prior works, but what is here is just a good batch of folk tunes you can listen to at practically any time.

Johnbobb: Of all the potential Beatles albums, I truly don't understand how this was the 2nd one picked after Abbey Road. Sgt. Pepper was right there.

Seanchan: I mean, it’s The Beatles, so it’s hard to go wrong. It’s no Abbey Road, but what is? An album of songs that have been seared into my brain. So much so that I had a hard time ranking this, as it was often hard to say “really, your ranking this ABOVE the frickin Beatles?!?”.

MetalmindStats: It’s the Beatles, which breeds built-in expectations. In this case, as masterful musicians, the Fab Four enliven simplistic subjects and structures into ditties fun via familiarity, helping form the foundation of decades of future pop in the process.

7. Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (2007)

Win-Loss-Tie: 15-3-6 (Score: 18)

Average Rank: 11.16/25

Top Three Tracks: Afterlife, A Little Piece of Heaven, Almost Easy

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 3

Raetsel_Lapin: 3

Seanchan: 3

Snake5555555555: 4

MetalmindStats: 6

Johnbobb: 8

neonreaper: 14

BlueCrystalTear: 20

FoolFantastic: 25

VeryInsane: 25

BlueCrystalTear: I remember one song that was really good (the country-rock "Dear God") and one song that was outright unlistenable ("Critical Acclaim"). I guess the average plays out to put it outside my bottom five.

Snake5555555555: About as well-composed as a modern metal band can be. Avenged Sevenfold produces some of the catchiest songs this side of rock, with a sense of pure aggression, impressively progressive riffs and song structure, and a flair for the creative as seen on their magnum opus, Little Piece of Heaven.

Johnbobb: Might've been a contender for #1 when I was in high school.

Seanchan: Metal is such an odd bird for me with these rankings. It’s seemingly either love (Master of Puppets, Powerslave) or “hate” (Crack the Skye, Palimpsest (spoilers for next ranking...)). This self-titled album was one of the big surprises for me of this cycle. Much like Powerslave, this was another case of “why the hell didn’t I know about this?!?”. It’s as catchy as metal can get, with fun riffs, good singing, and some sometimes goofy lyrics. Hell, even the more slow/country songs are good! Metal sometimes has a problem of songs sounding kind of “same-y” but that’s not the case here.

MetalmindStats: I mean yes, the singing’s distinctive aspect is admittedly Shadows’ divisive raspiness, the songwriting’s distinctive aspect is admittedly its failure to be about anything much in practice, and the admittedly effective sonics’ distinctive aspects are missing. That makes it a sort of hollow experience, yes, but a highly enjoyable one for me, and not even emotionally empty, either. In a flippant sentence, popcorn cinema can be pretty phenomenal too, and this album feels a lot like metal’s equivalent thereof.

6. Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992)

Win-Loss-Tie: 15-3-6 (Score: 18)

Average Rank: 10.63/25

Top Three Tracks: Metropolis - Part 1, Learning to Live, Surrounded

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 1

Johnbobb: 4

BlueCrystalTear: 5

neonreaper: 5

Seanchan: 5

FoolFantastic: 14

MetalmindStats: 16

Snake5555555555: 16

Raetsel_Lapin: 20

VeryInsane: 20

Snake5555555555: A solid, occasionally jaw-dropping, debut by one of the best progressive metal bands of all time. There’s no denying this band’s musical proficiency and willingness to not be pigeonholed, but this is a band that would only get better from here.

Johnbobb: Ok yes it's great now give me Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory to really steal that top spot

Seanchan: I’d listened to some random Dream Theater songs back in college but for whatever reason never really got into them, despite liking a lot of artists of a similar prog metal sound. So this one wasn’t a surprise as much as it was a head slap. Dream Theater’s got a great singer that really matches the big, epic, almost operatic tone of this album. And I know that this isn’t even considered their best!

MetalmindStats: Its sonic bombast, self-serious lyrical sweep, and simply its songs’ length all render it fittingly larger than life. The effect is very performative, and it’s a performance its performers clearly believe in wholeheartedly, but that and its technical prowess typically substitute for more than add to my emotional engagement.

5. Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Win-Loss-Tie: 16-4-4 (Score: 18)

Average Rank: 10.5/25

Top Three Tracks: Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Rocket Queen

Individual Rankings:

BlueCrystalTear: 1

Seanchan: 2

neonreaper: 3

Snake5555555555: 6

FoolFantastic: 12

HBJDubs: 12

Johnbobb: 12/23

Raetsel_Lapin: 13

VeryInsane: 18

MetalmindStats: 25

BlueCrystalTear: One of my favorite albums ever. Period. End of story. Every track is a banger and it's so fun every time.

Snake5555555555: God damn how is this shit so good?

Johnbobb: I'm really not a fan of hair metal in general, with only a few exceptions. Guns N Roses is absolutely one of those exceptions, and I'm really sad I didn't get in a track ranking for this.

Seanchan: Tremendous from start to finish. There’s the 3 big singles but even beyond that, there’s not really a bad song here.

MetalmindStats: I guess I’m just the outlier, because there’s precious little I like here and lots I don’t at all. Honestly, Appetite for Destruction repels me, and I’ll leave it at that.

4. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee (2021)

Win-Loss-Tie: 19-4-1 (Score: 19.5)

Average Rank: 9.67/25

Top Three Tracks: Be Sweet, Paprika, Posing in Bondage

Individual Rankings:

VeryInsane: 2

FoolFantastic: 5

BlueCrystalTear: 6

Johnbobb: 9/23

Raetsel_Lapin: 10

Seanchan: 10

HBJDubs: 11

MetalmindStats: 11

Snake5555555555: 13

neonreaper: 19

BlueCrystalTear: This one was the surprise. Love some quality bubbly pop!

Snake5555555555: Be Sweet will never leave my head for as long as I live. Oh yeah, and the rest of the album is amazing too.

Johnbobb: Maybe this will go down over time but I am still currently so head over heels for the first two tracks

Seanchan: Another pleasant surprise of this cycle. I had no idea what to expect going in, and what I got was an eminently listenable piece of pop. I am to understand that the upbeat tone belies some of the more somber messages of the lyrics but I’m practically “lyric blind” sometimes so I didn’t quite catch that.

MetalmindStats: Jubilee has sumptuous soundscapes paired with sonorous singing enriched by strong songwriting, but it doesn’t entirely stick with me. I find opener Paprika characteristic in that it would pretty much be the perfect Disney princess song if only it were catchier. Then again, I firmly believe pop should be under no obligation to foster hooks, and yet that feels more than a little like the missing piece here.

3. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)

Win-Loss-Tie: 19-2-3 (Score: 20.5)

Average Rank: 9.75/25

Top Three Tracks: In the End, Papercut, Points of Authority

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 2

HBJDubs: 4

Raetsel_Lapin: 5

neonreaper: 6

Johnbobb: 7

MetalmindStats: 7

VeryInsane: 13

Seanchan: 15

FoolFantastic: 17

BlueCrystalTear: 21

Snake5555555555: I’m not sure I can point to a single other album that shaped my musical taste as much as this one. I can probably sing and mime the instruments of this album front to back without even listening to it. It’s a part of me. And it still sounds SO good.

Johnbobb: Would've absolutely been a contender for #1 when I was in high school.

Seanchan: One of the albums I loved as a late teen that I was hesitant about going back to, because it’s such a product of its time period. There’s a lot of angst and emotion here that doesn’t really hit the way that it used to (and why would it to a 30+ year old), but at the same time, I can’t pretend that there’s not some good stuff here. Or maybe it’s just hitting those nostalgia centers and making me think it’s better than it is.

MetalmindStats: Rather like Rumours for a new generation, Hybrid Theory makes the best out of its melding-of-the-popular-genres conceit via continually on-point production, catchy hooks juxtaposed against impressive instrumentals, and the intricately balanced interplay of its vocalists. Indeed, even the way Bennington and Shinoda distill the former’s interpersonal troubles and turmoil comes off to me as a Hybrid Theory of its own, with often relatable results which all the repetition really works to reinforce. Again akin to Rumours, I find it flows just a bit better when not intently focused on, but these songs always seem to slip under my skin anyways.

2. Faith No More - Angel Dust (1992)

Win-Loss-Tie: 21-3-0 (Score: 21)

Average Rank: 9.33/25

Top Three Tracks: Midlife Crisis, Everything's Ruined, Land of Sunshine

Individual Rankings:

neonreaper: 1

VeryInsane: 1

HBJDubs: 5

FoolFantastic: 7

Raetsel_Lapin: 7

Snake5555555555: 8

BlueCrystalTear: 9

MetalmindStats: 22

Seanchan: 24

BlueCrystalTear: Would have been top 5 if not for a pair of tracks I really, really didn't like. But everything else was awesome.

Snake5555555555: IT’S PERFECT, YES, IT’S TRUE.

Seanchan: I just did not enjoy this album. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that rubbed me the wrong way, I just know this was a chore to get through. I guess I kind of liked the cover of Easy, but it’s so tonally different from the rest of the album it hardly even counts, in my mind.

MetalmindStats: An eclectic album with a genuinely transgressive beating heart derived from its routinely subversive songwriting. It’s an admirable approach, one which feels like it stands alone among the many metal(-adjacent) albums of this cycle, with all due respect to genre-defining Master of Puppets. Still, there’s something melodically missing from a record I respect but am still not sure if I like.

1. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)

Win-Loss-Tie: 24-0-0 (Score: 24)

Average Rank: 7.04/25

Top Three Tracks: Master of Puppets, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Disposable Heroes

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 1

Snake5555555555: 1

FoolFantastic: 2

HBJDubs: 2

neonreaper: 4

Johnbobb: 5/23

MetalmindStats: 10

VeryInsane: 10

BlueCrystalTear: 11

Raetsel_Lapin: 24

BlueCrystalTear: Instrumentation alone. The kickass riffs. I still remember the majesty of "Orion" alone. A couple parts of screaminess, but I don't remember minding it as much after a few listens. There's a reason Metallica are leaders in their genre.

Snake5555555555: I’ve said my piece on it. It’s probably my favorite album of all time.

Johnbobb: This is the only album of this contest that I have on a t-shirt so I guess I'm kinda obligated to rank it in at least the top 10 huh

Seanchan: Quite possibly the definitive Metallica album. Certainly the one I’ve gone back to the most over the years. But then again, after re-listening to this, I dove back into Ride the Lightning and And Justice for All and…yeah…those are pretty damn good too! (Maybe even better???). Overall, just a juggernaut of an album.

MetalmindStats: The first two-thirds at times feels like the dictionary definition of the word awesome, chock full of crunchy riffs and catchy hooks alike in songs that usually succeed at being about something more than themselves. But Leper Messiah buries a bunch of that energy, never to be truly retrieved again, and so I like rather than love Master of Puppets as a whole.

Volume 4

25. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria (2003)

Win-Loss-Tie: 1-23-0 (Score: 1)

Average Rank: 18.87/25

Top Three Tracks: The Boys of Summer, So Long Astoria, Takeoffs and Landings

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 4

Seanchan: 4

HBJDubs: 19

Snake5555555555: 21

neonreaper: 23

MetalmindStats: 21/22

FoolFantastic: 25

Johnbobb: 25

rwlh: 25

rwlh: I did not finish this album. Specifically, I got up to the beginning of track 5. The singer’s voice was so unpleasant to me that it physically hurt to listen to. Apologies if you liked or nominated this - it’s just not for me.

Seanchan: I had such trouble ranking this one, and actually moved it further up after a re-listen. Thing is, this is my personal list and should reflect the fact that I’ve continued to come back to this pop-punk album over the years. Is it as objectively good as some of the albums I have ranked below it? No. But this is one of those albums I’ve heard so many times I can’t help but start to sing along.

FoolFantastic: There were three albums in this set I outright disliked, compared to I believe one from the first 75 albums. So Long Astoria takes a genre I already don't care for, makes it as generic as possible, and tops it off by dragging on for over 50 minutes.

24. Backstreet Boys - Millennium (1999)

Win-Loss-Tie: 2-22-0 (Score: 2)

Average Rank: 18.44/25

Top Three Tracks: Larger Than Life, I Want It That Way, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 7

HBJDubs: 14

Johnbobb: 14

rwlh: 14

Seanchan: 19

FoolFantastic: 24

neonreaper: 24

MetalmindStats: 22/22

Snake5555555555: 25

rwlh: Perfectly serviceable turn of the millennium pop. Some real gems in here!

Favorite song: It’s Gotta Be You

Seanchan: Better on a relisten than I remembered. There’s half or three quarters a decent/good pop album and then a bunch of snoozer tracks that bring it down.

FoolFantastic: I would rather leave the boy band era behind. Not a fan of even the 'best' songs here.

23. Bad Religion - No Control (1989)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-21-0 (Score: 3)

Average Rank: 18.43/25

Top Three Tracks: I Want to Conquer the World, No Control, You

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 13

Snake5555555555: 14

MetalmindStats: 14/22

Seanchan: 17

HBJDubs: 18

rwlh: 18

neonreaper: 22

Johnbobb: 23

Raetsel_Lapin: 25

rwlh: I know some songs by Bad Religion but this is a rawer sound than I’m used to by them! An enjoyable listen but it all blended together for me.

Favorite song: You

Seanchan: (I Have No Idea - Punk Edition) I’m probably repeating myself with what I said when we ranked the tracks, but while I generally like the soundscape here it all just gloms together in a way that makes this kind of forgettable overall. Not bad, just something that’s hard to remember which tracks are which even a few days later..

FoolFantastic: My favorite new discovery of the batch, though also an album where I feel like ranking the tracks was to its detriment. Like many of the best punk albums, this is a singular burst of frantic energy better taken as a whole.

22. Lindsey Stirling - Warmer in the Winter (2017)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-21-0 (Score: 3)

Average Rank: 17.62/25

Top Three Tracks: Christmas C'mon, What Child is This, Carol of the Bells, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Individual Rankings:

rwlh: 8

Seanchan: 13

Raetsel_Lapin: 15

Snake5555555555: 15

HBJDubs: 20

neonreaper: 21

MetalmindStats: 19/22

Johnbobb: 22

FoolFantastic: 23

rwlh: I loathe Christmas so I was looking forward to this one the least, but it’s not at all what I expected, it doesn’t feel like “traditional Christmas music” at all. Easily the most pleasant surprise of the list. Seriously this might be the first time I have EVER enjoyed Christmas music. Big appreciation for whoever nominated this.

Favorite song: Angels We Have Heard On High

Seanchan: A solid Christmas album that’s elevated for me by the addition of some great little holiday pop songs.

FoolFantastic: The general problem for me is that I have preferred versions of all the classics and I don't care for the originals.

21. Protest the Hero - Palimpsest (2020)

Win-Loss-Tie: 3-21-0 (Score: 3)

Average Rank: 17.49/25

Top Three Tracks: From the Sky, The Fireside, All Hands

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 10

Snake5555555555: 11

Johnbobb: 16

HBJDubs: 17

FoolFantastic: 18

neonreaper: 20

MetalmindStats: 18/22

rwlh: 22

Seanchan: 23

rwlh: Not my thing in any capacity at all…until I got to the last song, which I LOVED. That was a nice reward for sticking with it!

Favorite song: Rivet

Seanchan: LIked this metal album a little bit more on a relisten. When we did the track ranking, I think I said that the singing didn’t match the instruments. I still think that’s true but it’s not quite as bad as I remembered. The yelling/screaming parts are very grating but his regular tone is fine (though a far cry from the best in the genre).

FoolFantastic: Gonna be honest, I don't remember much of anything about this album (...which is still enough to beat out seven of the other albums)

20. Sigrid - Sucker Punch (2019)

Win-Loss-Tie: 5-18-1 (Score: 5.5)

Average Rank: 16.97/25

Top Three Tracks: Strangers, Don't Kill My Vibe, Sucker Punch

Individual Rankings:

Seanchan: 6

Raetsel_Lapin: 9

MetalmindStats: 13/22

FoolFantastic: 16

neonreaper: 18

Johnbobb: 20

HBJDubs: 22

rwlh: 23

Snake5555555555: 24

rwlh: Not my thing, sorry!

Favorite song: Never Mine

Seanchan: Easily the biggest surprise of this cycle. As a general lover of pop music, I shouldn’t have been surprised but this is an enormously solid album with no bad songs. I’ve continued to come back to this album since our ranking week, with Don’t Kill My Vibe really standing out as a modern pop classic.

FoolFantastic: Perfectly good electropop, but nothing here particularly wows me. I think a large portion of our choices represent the best of their respective genres, so one that is merely a solid entry looks weak in comparison. In another context, I could see myself raving about this as an overlooked gem.

19. La Dispute - Rooms of the House (2014)

Win-Loss-Tie: 7-17-0 (Score: 7)

Average Rank: 15.82/25

Top Three Tracks: Woman (in mirror), Woman (reading), The Child We Lost in 1963

Individual Rankings:

Snake5555555555: 1

MetalmindStats: 10/22

HBJDubs: 15

neonreaper: 16

Johnbobb: 17

rwlh: 17

FoolFantastic: 20

Raetsel_Lapin: 20

Seanchan: 25

rwlh: Really rough start. While there were some nice highlights, overall I struggled to get into the style.

Favorite song: First Reactions After Falling Through The Ice

Seanchan: This one easily rocketed to the very bottom of my album rankings. It’s just a chore to listen to with what has to be the worst singer on any album we’ve covered. Maybe some of that is just the screaming/yelling delivery of like 90% of the lyrics, but ye god my ears. To whomever nominated this album, I’m sorry for being so negative but this one REALLY wasn’t for me.

FoolFantastic: This album felt too densely packed for me to really process and not captivating enough sonically for me to want to invest the necessary energy.

18. Kylie Minogue - Fever (2001)

Win-Loss-Tie: 7-17-0 (Score: 7)

Average Rank: 15.02/25

Top Three Tracks: Can't Get You Out of My Head, Love at First Sight, Love Affair

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 5

Raetsel_Lapin: 5

Seanchan: 8

FoolFantastic: 14

MetalmindStats: 16/22

neonreaper: 19

rwlh: 20

Snake5555555555: 22

Johnbobb: 24

rwlh: I didn’t connect with this at all.

Favorite song: Whenever You Feel Like It

Seanchan: A disco pop album of high highs but that is ultimately brought down by some middling songs in the middle. It’s still pretty damn good overall but on the full album level just isn’t as consistent as Sucker Punch.

FoolFantastic: In many ways, Fever feels like a precursor to a more mellow form of pop music that blew up during the 2010s. As such, it feels more relevant now than it did at release, though I also prefer a lot of the albums that followed in its footsteps.

17. Duke Ellington - Far East Suite (1967)

Win-Loss-Tie: 9-15-0 (Score: 9)

Average Rank: 14.91/25

Top Three Tracks: Mount Harissa, Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues), Tourist Point of View

Individual Rankings:

rwlh: 4

FoolFantastic: 10

Johnbobb: 10

MetalmindStats: 9/22

neonreaper: 12

Snake5555555555: 19

Seanchan: 20

Raetsel_Lapin: 24

HBJDubs: 25

rwlh: Very strong album with lots of variety.

Favorite song: Mount Harissa

Seanchan: (I Have No Idea - Jazz Edition) I’m probably repeating myself with what I said when we ranked the tracks, but while I generally like the soundscape here it all just gloms together in a way that makes this kind of forgettable overall. Not bad, just something that’s hard to remember which tracks are which even a few days later..

FoolFantastic: An absolutely outstanding jazz album and one I'm happy to have revisited after not paying it much attention before. Ellington paints such a strong image purely through sound.

16. The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers (2007)

Win-Loss-Tie: 9-15-0 (Score: 9)

Average Rank: 14.6/25

Top Three Tracks: Science, Looking Glass, Kill the Lights

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 3/22

Snake5555555555: 4

HBJDubs: 11

neonreaper: 13

Johnbobb: 18

Seanchan: 18

Raetsel_Lapin: 21

rwlh: 21

FoolFantastic: 22

rwlh: This was fine I guess. I really liked one song but I wasn’t into anything else.

Favorite song: Goodnight

Seanchan: (I Have No Idea - Pop Edition) I’m probably repeating myself with what I said when we ranked the tracks, but while I generally like the soundscape here it all just gloms together in a way that makes this kind of forgettable overall. Not bad, just something that’s hard to remember which tracks are which even a few days later..

FoolFantastic: This is a sound I generally enjoy, but nothing here was really pushing boundaries and most of it blurred together. Feels like an album where you could show me any of the songs as a sample and I'd think I would like it, but the album as a whole is too much of the same.

15. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not (2006)

Win-Loss-Tie: 10-13-1 (Score: 10.5)

Average Rank: 14.41/25

Top Three Tracks: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, When the Sun Goes Down, Mardy Bum

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 5

rwlh: 6

Seanchan: 10

neonreaper: 14

Johnbobb: 15

Snake5555555555: 16

Raetsel_Lapin: 17

MetalmindStats: 20/22

HBJDubs: 24

rwlh: Lots of great, consistent energy; every song adds to the overall experience.

Favorite song: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Seanchan: Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not - There’s something about the general sound on offer here that I enjoy. I wouldn’t say there’s many stand out songs, but on re-listen I was surprised at how many little bits and pieces that I remembered.

FoolFantastic: Arctic Monkeys arrived just at the tail-end of the post-punk/garage rock revival scene, but they landed with one of the best albums to come from the movement. A solid third of the tracks here are all-timers for me, and the rest help form a very consistent experience. This is pretty much the best mainstream rock had to offer in the 2000s.

14. black midi - Hellfire (2022)

Win-Loss-Tie: 12-12-0 (Score: 12)

Average Rank: 13.12/25

Top Three Tracks: Sugar/Tzu, Eat Men Eat, Welcome to Hell

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 7

MetalmindStats: 8

Snake5555555555: 8

Johnbobb: 9

rwlh: 12

neonreaper: 15

Raetsel_Lapin: 16

HBJDubs: 21

Seanchan: 21

rwlh: Big and ambitious and weird and terrific.

Favorite song: Sugar/Tzu

Seanchan: Manic. Distressing. Kinda jazzy? I wouldn’t exactly call this an easy listen. Just didn’t quite land for me the way I might have wanted it to.

FoolFantastic: A big chaotic journey that never lets you ease into its sound. Hallucinatory and enthralling, shifting drastically between moods yet never losing its step.

13. Nas - Illmatic (1994)

Win-Loss-Tie: 11-11-2 (Score: 12)

Average Rank: 12.92/25

Top Three Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, The World is Yours, Life's a Bitch

Individual Rankings:

rwlh: 1

Johnbobb: 4

FoolFantastic: 9

Raetsel_Lapin: 11

HBJDubs: 13

neonreaper: 17

Snake5555555555: 18

MetalmindStats: 17/22

Seanchan: 24

rwlh: After a slowish start, I really got into this. Illmatic has an incredible sense of time and place. It’s really stuck with me, more than most on this list.

Favorite song: Life’s a Bitch

Seanchan: Rap is a genre where you have to really do something special for me to take notice. While I know this is considered a classic, it just didn’t do much for me.

FoolFantastic: Obviously a classic hip hop album, though there are a few dozen I would take over it, both before and after its release. It's hard for me to put my finger on why, but I think I simply prefer the production on most other major rap albums. Having it constantly talked up as an all-time greatest by some people makes me feel less into it than I am.

12. Ween - Quebec (2003)

Win-Loss-Tie: 12-11-1 (Score: 12.5)

Average Rank: 13.31/25

Top Three Tracks: Transdermal Celebration, Tried and True, Happy Colored Marbles

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 6

neonreaper: 7

MetalmindStats: 6/22

Raetsel_Lapin: 14

FoolFantastic: 15

Seanchan: 15

rwlh: 16

Snake5555555555: 17

rwlh: Decent enough, but nothing really stood out. I tended to enjoy the “weirder” songs more.

Favorite song: So Many People in the Neighborhood

Seanchan: If variety is the spice of life, Quebec really emptied the rack. This album is all over the place, and that’s sometimes good and sometimes bad. But it’s at least interesting, even if I have a hard time thinking that any single person would like everything on offer here.

FoolFantastic: Just one of those wild albums that showcase a band doing whatever they want. A lot of fun, but little of it stuck with me.

11. Slipknot - Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses (2004)

Win-Loss-Tie: 11-7-6 (Score: 14)

Average Rank: 12/25

Top Three Tracks: Vermilion, Vermilion Pt. 2, Duality

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 2

Snake5555555555: 5

HBJDubs: 8

neonreaper: 8

Seanchan: 14

FoolFantastic: 17

Raetsel_Lapin: 18

rwlh: 24

MetalmindStats: unranked

rwlh: This started out so cool but I didn’t like anything other than the first song. This is the only album (other than my last placer) I can say that I disliked. Of note though, my leg kept bouncing to the heavy beats, so it wasn’t a total loss.

Favorite song: Prelude 3.0

Seanchan: This is a tough one to rank for me, despite having heard it many times over the years. There’s parts that are still interesting/good but then there’s swaths of this I don’t really need to hear again. It remains more palatable to me in 2023 than Slipknot’s earlier albums but nu-metal isn’t necessarily a sound that’s stood the test of time.

FoolFantastic: One of the surprises for me, not that I particularly loved it but I expected the opposite and walked away thinking it was pretty good

10. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

Win-Loss-Tie: 14-9-1 (Score: 14.5)

Average Rank: 11.34/25

Top Three Tracks: Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller

Individual Rankings:

Raetsel_Lapin: 3

rwlh: 5

HBJDubs: 6

Seanchan: 9

neonreaper: 10

FoolFantastic: 11

MetalmindStats: 15/22

Snake5555555555: 20

Johnbobb: 21

rwlh: Seems divided between amazing songs and…less than amazing songs, but the amazing ones outweigh the others.

Favorite song: Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’

Seanchan: Obviously Thriller is a classic with some of the biggest pop hits of all time. At the same time, I’m not that big on the non-singles here. When you’ve had as many hit singles as MJ’s had, it’s kind of hard sometimes to want to listen to his “lesser” songs.

FoolFantastic: A pop classic, but its legacy has always felt a bit inflated to me. I honestly think his previous album, Off the Wall, is a better whole. Half of the songs here are all-timers, but I largely prefer them on their own.

9. Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (1999)

Win-Loss-Tie: 14-6-4 (Score: 16)

Average Rank: 10.75/25

Top Three Tracks: Destruction Preventer, FullMoon, Replica

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 2

Seanchan: 2

neonreaper: 4

Snake5555555555: 12

Johnbobb: 13

rwlh: 13

Raetsel_Lapin: 19

FoolFantastic: 21

MetalmindStats: unranked

rwlh: There is so much metal on this list oh my god. They all sound pretty distinct though. Like this album has some nice symphonic 80s-ish cheese to it, a la Judas Priest.

Favorite song: My Land

Seanchan: Another album I loved back in the day that I hadn’t listened to in a few years. Hearing this was falling back in love with Sonata Arctica all over again. It’s the type of metal that I love, big, loud, fast, kind of stupid, but pulled off with absolute sincerity.

FoolFantastic: The type of metal that has basically never clicked with me. Maybe someday.

8. Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (1983)

Win-Loss-Tie: 16-7-1 (Score: 16.5)

Average Rank: 9.57/25

Top Three Tracks: Time After Time, All Through the Night, Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Individual Rankings:

MetalmindStats: 1/22

Raetsel_Lapin: 2

rwlh: 3

FoolFantastic: 4

HBJDubs: 9

neonreaper: 9

Seanchan: 16

Johnbobb: 19

Snake5555555555: 23

rwlh: The first 2/3rds of or so of this are immaculate. Hampered by a less exciting ending.

Favorite song: Time After Time

Seanchan: Better on a relisten than I remembered. It’s not a favorite pop album or vocalist but it’s still fine enough. Listening to this right after a few “everything sounds the same” albums probably helps it out a bit.

FoolFantastic: I'm not the biggest fan of mainstream music from the 80s, but this is one of the rare albums from the era that really clicks with me. Lauper goes through quite a few styles of pop here and doesn't really miss.

7. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)

Win-Loss-Tie: 17-6-1 (Score: 17.5)

Average Rank: 9.94/25

Top Three Tracks: Know Your Enemy, Killing in the Name, Wake Up

Individual Rankings:

neonreaper: 3

Snake5555555555: 3

HBJDubs: 4

FoolFantastic: 6

Seanchan: 11

Johnbobb: 12

MetalmindStats: 11/22

rwlh: 15

Raetsel_Lapin: 23

rwlh: Consistently above average. Nothing excited me too much, but I am interested in coming back to it at some point, so that’s a big positive.

Favorite song: Take the Power Back

Seanchan: A singular vocalist backed by a good hard rock sound. It’s somewhat sad how their lyrics and messages are still relevant and should be paid attention to some 30 years later.

FoolFantastic: One of the few angry albums I know that truly justifies its rage. Zack de la Rocha is a phenomenal vocalist and Morello transforms his guitar into whatever he wants. Killer tracks beginning to end.

6. Tool - 10,000 Days (2006)

Win-Loss-Tie: 16-3-5 (Score: 18.5)

Average Rank: 10/25

Top Three Tracks: Vicarious, 10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2), Rosetta Stoned

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 1

Snake5555555555: 2

neonreaper: 5

Johnbobb: 7

rwlh: 11

Raetsel_Lapin: 13

FoolFantastic: 19

Seanchan: 22

MetalmindStats: unranked

rwlh: One of the more fascinating albums on the list. Very good at pulling me in.

Favorite song: 10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2)

Seanchan: (I Have No Idea - Hard Rock Edition) I’m probably repeating myself with what I said when we ranked the tracks, but while I generally like the soundscape here it all just gloms together in a way that makes this kind of forgettable overall. Not bad, just something that’s hard to remember which tracks are which even a few days later.

FoolFantastic: I'll be honest, I don't think Aenima or Lateralus would do much better for me here. Tool is just a band I do not get, even if I can see the talent in what they do.

5. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

Win-Loss-Tie: 18-4-2 (Score: 19)

Average Rank: 7.81/25

Top Three Tracks: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and the Jets, Funeral For a Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 2

MetalmindStats: 2/22

Seanchan: 3

rwlh: 7

Snake5555555555: 10

Johnbobb: 11

neonreaper: 11

HBJDubs: 12

Raetsel_Lapin: 12

rwlh: A bit long, but it has an all-time favorite and a bunch of other songs I like too.

Favorite song: Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)

Seanchan: This was one of those albums I wasn’t sure I had initially ranked correctly, but after a re-listen, this is exactly where it should be. The opening 4 songs, clocking in at 20-25 minutes, are pretty incredible. Yes, at 75 minutes it is a little long, but there’s always something to look forward to. Even my lowest ranked songs aren’t terrible, they just look bad when you realize there are some stone cold classics at the very top.

FoolFantastic: A sweeping piano rock epic, which is the only time those words will ever go together. Home to several of the greatest songs ever recorded, and though there may be one or two obvious duds among its 17 tracks, the rest all showcase Elton's range. One of the few hour-plus albums I will regularly put on.

4. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Win-Loss-Tie: 20-3-1 (Score: 20.5)

Average Rank: 8.33/25

Top Three Tracks: Ziggy Stardust, Moonage Daydream, Starman

Individual Rankings:

FoolFantastic: 1

neonreaper: 2

Johnbobb: 3

Raetsel_Lapin: 6

Seanchan: 7

MetalmindStats: 7/22

Snake5555555555: 13

HBJDubs: 16

rwlh: 19

rwlh: This was the biggest disappointment of the bunch for me. I’ve always been interested in Bowie, but this album feels like “stereotypical classic rock,” which I’m not that into. Maybe I’d like his later output more?

Favorite song: Suffragette City

Seanchan: A rock classic that I sadly had not heard before doing this ranking. Doing a re-listen for this album ranking really cemented that it HAD to be higher than I originally placed it. This is a really solid album front to back! Even if it doesn’t have as many big hits (radio or personal) as my next 2 ranked albums (Fever and Thriller) have, it has the advantage of being a “no skips” album.

FoolFantastic: Simply the best album by one of the greatest musicians (though Low and Blackstar make worthy competition). Though none of the tracks would crack my personal Bowie top 10, pretty much every song here is great at a minimum. Few albums have ever been this consistent front to back. Tying this all together is a story of stardom gone wrong, truly bringing the 'glam' to life.

3. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)

Win-Loss-Tie: 21-3-0 (Score: 21)

Average Rank: 7.74/25

Top Three Tracks: You Oughta Know, Hand in My Pocket, All I Really Want

Individual Rankings:

HBJDubs: 3

Johnbobb: 5

MetalmindStats: 5/22

neonreaper: 6

Raetsel_Lapin: 8

rwlh: 9

Snake5555555555: 9

FoolFantastic: 12

Seanchan: 12

rwlh: I love her voice and the overall production.

Favorite song: Hand in My Pocket (this is my favorite song from all 25 albums); additionally, Your House would take top spot in most of these albums

Seanchan: An overall good album but one that doesn’t really “thrill” me. Still, there’s a lot of her hit 90s singles here that make this very listenable.

FoolFantastic: I think this album sits in that unfortunate zone where it was popular right when I was developing my first memories, so it feels too familiar for me to truly appreciate its strength. Despite this, I can't deny the volume of great songs here.

2. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

Win-Loss-Tie: 21-1-2 (Score: 22)

Average Rank: 8.52/25

Top Three Tracks: War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid

Individual Rankings:

neonreaper: 1

rwlh: 2

Seanchan: 5

Snake5555555555: 7

FoolFantastic: 8

Johnbobb: 8

HBJDubs: 10

MetalmindStats: 12/22

Raetsel_Lapin: 22

rwlh: Incredible album! Not a dud here.

Favorite song: Fairies Wear Boots

Seanchan: One of those metal classics that I sadly hadn’t heard before, other than the significant radio play the hits have received. This is a really solid album, and an interesting and easy listen.

FoolFantastic: One of the earliest metal albums and still among the very best. Sits at the perfect midpoint between atmospheric and technical magnificence.

1. Green Day - American Idiot (2004)

Win-Loss-Tie: 24-0-0 (Score: 24)

Average Rank: 6.51/25

Top Three Tracks: Jesus of Suburbia, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends

Individual Rankings:

Johnbobb: 1

Raetsel_Lapin: 1

Seanchan: 1

FoolFantastic: 3

MetalmindStats: 4/22

Snake5555555555: 6

HBJDubs: 7

rwlh: 10

neonreaper: 25

rwlh: Enjoyable pop-punk with a darker edge. There were quite a few I already knew, but didn’t realize were from this. It’s not higher because some parts dragged for me.

Favorite song: Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Seanchan: A towering achievement and an absolute classic. I hadn’t listened to this in a few years and somehow I had forgotten just how amazing this is, a perfect combination of pop, punk, and rock. Never anything but an absolute lock for the top spot in this Rank the Albums.

FoolFantastic: Not my favorite album of the 2000s by any means, but almost certainly the most representative of the culture at the time.