Common Place Blog

Here are the rest of my entries for my top 100 favorite albums. I already posted the first 50 albums and this is the rest. Your feedback is always welcome.

50. Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)
Perfect combination of pop, hip-hop and electronica produces great results. The album is also full of guest spots and this helps to diversify the sound even further. All the songs sound diverse enough, yet they have similarities that make the album a great listen from start to finish. Plus, it’s just fun, and something different yet again.

49. Garbage - Bleed Like Me (2005)
I was never a big Garbage fan, but this CD really surprised me. Bleed Like Me is rocky, harder, edgier, and in my opinion better than all their previous work. ‘Why Do You Love Me’ always gets stuck in your head. And while Shirley Manson’s vocals are good, the best part of the album is the music and production behind it. The band is just a collection of industry-seasoned producers who know what to do in the studio, and it definitely shows.

48. Full Devil Jacket - Full Devil Jacket (2000)
Although many people want to throw this band in the orgy of nu-metal bands that came out in that time period, I would beg the differ. This album has some complex time signatures, great song-writing, diverse sound including one of my favorite acoustic songs - “Monster”. Don’t get me wrong, the albums is mostly really heavy, so if you’re not into that type of music you just won’t get it. But for me, there is much more going on once you get past the heaviness.

And of course, the biggest asset of this album is Josh Brown’s vocals. He’s got an amazing voice. I was wondering for a while what hapenned to this band, as they have not released an album since this debut. Then I heard a song on the radio, and I immediately recognized the voice. Turns out he’s got a new band - Day of Fire and their stuff is great as well; much softer though.

47. Collective Soul - Blender (2000)
These guys are just great songwriters. The music is a weird combination of sometimes heavy-metal riffs with the softest pop-vocals, which unfortunately does not make too many fans for this band. Usually they’re either too heavy for pop-crowd or too bubble-gum for the rock crowd. But for people willing to look past generalizations this is an awesome band. I don’t believe they ever wrote a bad song. Almost every song has great hooks and can be radio-friendly. Why Pt 2, is a standout for me on this CD.

46. Coldplay - Parachutes (2000)
While I was never a big fan of Yellow - the song that catapulted them into mainstream, I somehow got this CD from a friend. It was just great melancholic music and was something different from what I was into at the time. Trouble was the song that really stood out for me. It is still one of my favorite songs eva.

45. Deus - The Ideal Crash (1999)
What a weird and misleading album this is. At first, it seems like it’s just a bunch of pop-rock songs, but they just always seem to turn into some weird uncomfortable noise-filled instrumental direction. Great combination of radio-friendly hooks and experimental music that’s just un-like anything you’re quite used to. It’s always refreshing to find a new band that’s not afraid to bend the rules once in a while and still be good.

44. The Dissociatives - The Dissociatives (2004)
Dissociatives is a collaboration of Silverchair’s Daniel Johns and producer Paul Mac. Undoubtedly I decided to check them out since I’m a Silverchair fan and was really hooked on this CD. It does not sound anything like Silverchair at all. It’s mostly an experimental electronic-pop CD with hooky songs and stellar production. If you listen to all the albums Daniel Johns have played on, you would not think it’s the same person. I love the diversity - that’s what good music is about, to me.

43. Green Day - American Idiot (2004)
I was never much of a Green Day fan in the early days. Pretty much until ‘Warning’. For some reason that album got me interested. I guess it just had a more grown-up sound. American Idiot was another step in that direction. It is an awesome album on so many levels. Not only are all the songs great on their own, it seems almost like a concept album so that when you listen to it from start to finish all the songs flow together really well. Not to mention the 9 minute Jesus of Suburbia track that just seems against the punk-pop rules altogether as well as the unforgettable - Boulevard of Broken Dreams hook. Yeah it may have been overplayed to death by radio, but you know as soon as you heard it that it was something special.

42. (hed) PE - Broke (2000)
(hed) PE is not a very well known band; probably because they are a hip-hop-punk-heavy-metal-reggae-hardcore-acoustic-death-metal songwriters (I should patent that genre) that just don’t fit into any mold. They are also very obnoxious and don’t give a fuck about anything, which they proudly proclaim on several occasions. But hey, sometimes not all music needs to be serious. Even in rock music there is room for a party band. Broke is my favorite album by them. Even though this particular album probably resembles rap-metal sound than anything else it is also their most radio-friendly record (and that is not a bad thing).

41. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (2006)
This album has really hit me. Snow Patrol really brings out the emotion in music. And nowhere it is as more evident as in “Make This Go On Forever” which has got to be one of my favorite songs ever. They just know how to write powerful songs and then produce the hell out of them to make them sound like you’re about to explode everytime you listen to it.

40. Tool - Ænima (1996)
Ænima is the album that probably jump-started the modern sound of Tool. Opiate and Undertow were still kind of rough-sounding, but this album really defined their sound to come. It was more tightly produced and even more experimental than before. Forty Six & 2 is probably my favorite song on this CD, but the whole album from start to finish is just stellar. I remember listening to it non-stop in my HS years and it still remains one of my favorite CDs. Oddly enough, I believe this was their most commercially successful CD as well.

39. Catherine Wheel - Wishville (2000)
Rob Dickinson has one of the greatest voices in rock music and it definitely shows on this CD. The songwriting is very mature and does not seem to follow the same old formula. There is something different about their approach to structuring a song. Even though the songs have great hooks, many have also weird time signatures and experimental sound that makes it all the more interesting.

38. Collective Soul - Youth (2004)
Now, this is more of a traditional songwriting band, which comes out with yet another collection of pop-rock songs. Youth is the first album they recorded on their own, without a record company. Even though the sound is undoubtedly Collective Soul, it does have some new elements, which make it an interesting record. Not sure if it’s the departure from the record label, or just a sign of maturity, but Youth is probably my favorite Collective Soul album.

37. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight (2007)
I loved this album from the first listen and it grew on me even further since. Minutes to Midnight is just a whole new direction for them. While Meteora was more of the same, this CD just blew up the formula they got used to and started over. One of the best things about this album is that it is diverse, and if you read the rest of my entries, you know that I love diversity. For a band that helped jump-start the Rap-Metal genre, this CD only has 2 tracks with any rapping at all. The rest is a mix of all kinds of songs. Some songs are still just as heavy and screaming as some of the early work, while others are soft or more experimental.

The sound and the beats is still Linkin Park - just more mature. Mike Shinoda is also singing more on a few songs which helps to diversify the sound even further. I think this guy is the real brains behind Linkin Park and everything he touches has his patented sound, including the Fort Minor project.

I always knew these guys are capable of writing awesome music. Even though the early Linkin Park had more of a teen angst sound, you could hear that they are a talented songwriters/producers. And then there is the last track “The Little Things Give You Away” that just does not sound like Linkin Park at all. It’s got a non-standard beat and a great production. All in all, I think Rick Rubin really pulled out the best in these guys.

36. Nelly Furtado - Loose (2006)
OK, maybe it’s not well known but Nelly Furtado is legitimately one of my favorite artists. I know she is usually thrown into the batch with Brittneys and Fergies of the world, but this is just not so. She is just good. I don’t even know what it is about her, but there is something definitely different going on there.

Loose sounds very different from her previous work. It’s much more hip-hop oriented, since it’s produced by Timbaland. It’s got a whole new feeling, yet the music is still just as good. Although the single Promiscous is probably not the best representation of the CD and not one of my favorites, the rest of the album is outstanding.

35. Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Did I just follow up Nelly Furtado with Pantera? I believe so. Why? Cause that’s how I roll B.

Seriously though, Vulgar Display of Power is the best Pantera CD and is just sick. It came together at perfect time. I think Cowboys from Hell had a little too much of early Pantera days of glam rock with high pitched vocals, while their further albums fell more into “let’s make heavy music just to piss everyone off”. This album is the perfect in-between and shows that good songwriting and heavy music can coexist. ‘Walk’ is just a classic heavy metal song and is def one of my favorites.

34. Tool - Opiate (1992)
Tool’s debut EP - what can you say about it other than, this is what started it all. The sound is still raw, it only has 6 tracks, 2 of which are live; but it introduced Tool to the world. Even though you couldn’t tell yet at the time what a force this band will become, it certainly caught people’s ears. The songs had great hooks even back then, yet there was something different about them.

33. Brother Cane - Wishpool (1998)
Seems like Brother Cane never really got their due in the grunge-era of music. Their last album is probably their best - or at least my favorite. It’s just straight-up good rock and roll music with solid songwriting all around. The title track ‘Wishpool’ starts with a cool bass intro and then kicks into full gear, setting up the album perfectly.

32. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
If Parachutes introduced the band to the world, this album just catapulted them into a stratosphere and quickly made them one of the biggest bands in the universe… and rightfully so. It is my favorite Coldplay album. Every song is filled with emotion and passion which grabs hold of you. Of course the piano riff in Clocks quickly became the most recognizable piece of music in recent memory; and the opening track - Politik is one of the more powerful piano songs that I can think of.

31. Travis - The Invisible Band (2001)
Travis delivers just a great collection of pop-rock songs on this one. The opening track ‘Sing’ is probably my favorite song on this album. I wouldn’t say these guys are doing anything revolutionary. Sometimes just writing catchy songs with simplistic approach is all you need - if you’re insanely good at it that is. I am a sucker for catchy hooks.

30. DC Talk - Jesus Freak (1995)
These guys always seem to be great songwriters that were just ahead of the curve. They started out as a pop hip-hop act, and then added rock and soul to this album. In 1995 it still wasn’t a cool thing to mix rap and rock and these guys were doing it before anyone. Funny enough they abandoned hip-hop altogether in their next release, just as rap-rock was hitting mainstream. This CD is just a great mix of good songwriting, awesome vocal harmonies and a diverse sound that was unlike anything else at the time.

29. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
It is easy to overlook this album if you think of it in terms of “Well of course Nevermind is gotta be up there”. But if you forget about all the hype and all the historical propaganda you heard over the years and just listen to it as if you heard it for the first time, it’s just a great frigging album. Some people may hate on Nirvana just because they got all the credit in the grunge era and were probably the least technical musicians. But it ain’t about that. The great songwriting is what made this album and they should deserve all the praise they’re getting.

28. Sevendust - Animosity (2001)
Animosity has revamped Sevendust sound and introduced the next level for the band. This was a more mature and at times a softer album than before. Sevendust can do it like no-one else, mixing heavy metal and soul. I believe they also have a more original drum sound that helps this band stand out even further. Live Sevendust shows are off the chain. Lajon is probably the most charismatic front-man I’ve seen on stage. I’ve seen them many times and will always try to catch them when they’re in town, even after Clint left the band. Praise, Trust, X-Mas Day and of course Angel’s Son are my favorites on this CD.

27. 8stops7 - In Moderation (1999)
It’s a shame that 8stops7 only put out one major CD and then disappeared. They were a great hard rock band with an original sound. The originality of their sound came mostly from Evan’s non-stop vocal performance. I don’t know how this guy can last an entire show. Usually most songs have some instrumental breaks, but this guy just sings non-stop from start to finish in every song.

In Moderation does not sound all that polished, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. The album has a raw feeling that helps to sell the band’s honest sound. Uninspired is one of my favorite songs on that album, and I still think this band could have had a big hit if they released it as a single.

26. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness (2003)
It’s hard to believe that this band used to be a death metal band early in their career. Even though this album is at times heavy, it does not have any death metal vocals at all. In fact the vocals is what makes this album stick out in your mind long after you listened to it. The vocal delivery and the pronunciation is a big part of the hypnotic sound on this album. The hooks and the experimental song structuring also add to the overall theme.

25. DC Talk - Supernatural (1998)
If their previous album marked transitioning, then I guess this album is where they ended up. There is no rapping on this CD at all - just straight up rock and roll. Far cry from the early days of ‘Nu Thang’. You can really say these guys have tried many things musically and it worked every time; mainly because they are just good songwriters. The production on this CD is awesome and songwriting is at the highest level compared to their previous work.

24. Sia - Colour the Small One (2004)
Although having an album full of sappy chick songs on this list may not be the coolest thing to admit for a manly dude such as myself, I just cannot help it. I love this CD. Most importantly I love Sia’s sexy voice along with the emotional music behind it. I gotta say ‘Breathe Me’ did catch my ear, and it’s a hard song to get out of your head once you hear it. Guys, sometimes it’s okay to like sappy music… if it’s that good.

23. Filter - Title of Record (1999)
After ‘Hey Man, Nice Shot’ labeled them as a one-hit-wonder, Filter comes out with this killer of an album. It’s a beast from start to finish. There are very few successful bands that can pull off industrial sound and Filter is one of them. Of course Richard Patrick’s voice is just unbelievable. It sounds like it was created in a lab just for this type of music. There are also a few soft spots on the record including a cross-over hit ‘Take a Picture’ which is one of my favorite songs as well.

22. Fort Minor - The Rising Tied (2005)
Oh man. In a very short time this became my favorite rap album. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that it is masterminded by Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, but the music and the beats behind this, is just unlike anything I heard before, in a rap genre. Even though Dr. Dre’s influence is apprarent, it’s definitely not the only thing that’s present here. The hooks are amazing as well, and there are quite a few guest spots on this album. Jay-z is an executive producer and even he admitted that this is some next level shit. “The music is so big” he says in the intro.

There are many stand outs on the CD, but one of my favorite ones is ‘Cigarettes’ where the whole song is about how gangsta-rap is just a product being fed to us by record companies. Little Mike got some balls taking on stuff like that.

21. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
Once again, I think Pink Floyd is a timeless band that is just as big today as it ever was. It’s popular today even with the young people who were born after Pink Floyd’s prime years, like myself. I’m usually not too big on giving classic bands their props, but these guys are just on a level of their own. They were never the greatest technical musicians, but just the level of imagination and creativity in their music has not been achieved before, and has influenced many artists to come.

‘Welcome to the Machine’ is a huge favorite of mine. I mean when you hear the intro with all the build up and then the voice comes in with the “Welcome my Son, Welcome to the Machine”, you’re just like “Oh my God, this is the greatest thing I ever heard. If I die right now, I would not be disappointed”.

20. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step (2003)
I read that when it came time for Maynard to record this CD and he listened to the early cuts of Billy Howerdell’s music, he told Billy it needs to be redone, as the music was too heavy, and Maynard had plenty of that with Tool. The result is a more interesting and diverse record than their previous one. A Perfect Circle is without a doubt more mainstream and more accessible band than Tool. But it still offers plenty of experimentation and innovation on top of the radio-friendly hooks. Thirteenth Step is for the most part a bit softer and more melancholic then the debut Mer De Noms, with a few exceptions. Speaking of which…

19. A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms (2000)
When this album was coming out everyone was on Maynard’s case for not recording more Tool music and instead dicking around with this “side-project”. Well, the “side-project” turned out to be a beast in its own and has spun a following all by itself. Maynard’s alter ego is perfectly captured on the album, since you can still clearly see that it’s him, but yet he does things with APC he would never dream of doing in Tool. ‘Magdalena’ is one of my favorite songs on the album. I think it represents perfectly what APC is all about.

18. Poe - Haunted (2000)
A pop concept album? Say what? really? I guess these things can be possible when good minds work together. This album is definitely a great exception in the pop genre. It has some of the most innovative and creative songs, and they all flow together well. I mean when ‘Wild’ one of your more catchier songs goes on for 9 minutes and doesn’t even feel that long, you know you’re breaking some new ground. Don’t get me wrong, the creative concept albums have been around forever, just not too many in a female electronic-pop genre. I’m guessing all this innovative experimentation is probably what got her in trouble with her record company, who probably expected the same old formula so that they can stamp out the records and rack in the cash; but instead got… this.

17. Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005)
Opeth is one of the most innovative bands out there, but when I heard that this album was not produced by their long time producer Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree), I thought “Uh-oh”. For some reason I had this image that Steven Wilson was holding them in place; away from being overly heavy. And now that they are free to run around they’ll just be screaming and sacrificing animals all over the place. Well, the sound is definitely different from the previous albums, but the level of creativity I believe is at the all time high, and that is saying something for a band that’s already known for it’s creativity.

While death metal growling vocals are indeed present, they are offset by singing just as much. This album is actually more melodic than their previous work (except for Damnation) and the dynamics on the CD is tremendous. The soft ‘Hours of Wealth’ is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in a while.

16. Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (2004)
Tears for Fears was a pop-icon group of the 80’s, but in 04 they decided to return with an album that has a very different twist on something familiar. I really fell in love with this CD and couldn’t stop listening to it. ‘Call Me Mellow’ was the song that caught my ear and the rest of the album was just as good. It has more guitars and less electronics then their previous new-age-esque sound, but the great songwriting and willingness to experiment stayed the same.

15. Vast - Nude (2004)
Successfully mixing dark electronic, pop rock, with some heavy metal riffs thrown in, this album takes Vast to yet another level. Not as many chants though as on the previous work :). ‘Thrown Away’ has just one of the most memorable riffs ever and gets stuck in my head all the time. I just saw them live few days ago too, and it was the heaviest show I’ve seen from any band that has a fat-guy frontman with an acoustic guitar.

14. Nelly Furtado - Folklore (2003)
This was such an unkown commercial flop that it’s just a shame, as I think it’s without a doubt her best CD out of the 3. The first album was definitely cool, but when this one came out I was really hooked. It has more of a pop-rock feeling and not too much of that hippity-hopping going on. I always say that I don’t care about genres and generalizations. If a pop-female artist can come out and do something different and make records this good, she’s OK in my book. I like music, period. ‘Powerless’, ‘Try’ and ‘Island of Wonder’ are some of the standouts on this CD.

13. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
Master of Puppets is the quintessential metal record. Not much to say. I remember when I got hooked on Metallica and thought it was the greatest thing since… well… ever. Master of Puppets still stands the test of time and is one of my favorite albums to date. I mean, the title track ‘Master of Puppets’ is one of the most innovative metal songs. The riffs on that song are insane and then of course it has that soft passage that brings it all together. As a guitar player you have even more respect for Metallica, as they introduced a level of speed and complexity to the genre that influenced a generation of musicians to come.

12. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
I mentioned earlier that it’s hard to pick an album from The Beatles as their entire catalog is so good. But Sgt. Pepper’s is without a doubt one of my favorite albums from start to finish. It is a bit different from the rest of The Beatles albums. Even though they do tons of experimenting on other CD’s as well, this just sounded like they went off into a whole other universe. It is so diverse. It has elements of psychedelic rock, progressive rock, art rock, or whatever else you wanna throw in there. Of course at the time there was no such thing as those genres. The Beatles were one of the first bands to span these genres into life. Also, the title track has that pop drum beat that has been copied and over-used ever since. But even if you forget all about the historical importance of the CD and just listen to it, the music sounds unbelievable even for a young dude like myself who did not grow up listening to The Beatles in the 60s.

11. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)
I can already hear people laughing uncontrollably and cursing my name for mentioning Linkin Park along with The Beatles and Metallica in the same sentence. But hey, this post is not titled ‘The Greatest Albums of all time’, it’s my favorite albums. And this CD does score tons of points on a personal connection scale, even if it lacks in the music critics love department.

Actually, when I first heard ‘One Step Closer’ I was far from impressed and really didn’t think anything special of it. I somehow got the CD by mistake and after listening to it, I just couldn’t believe how good it was. I think ‘One Step Closer’ is actually their worst thing ever and did not represent the band accurately at all. The rest of the CD was much better though. The sound was entirely original. It was much different from the rest of the rap-metal bands at the time. I believe it’s because it is layered with terrific samples that are entirely their own. The album may have been overplayed and hated to death, but these kinds of factors do nothing for me when it comes to judging music. I don’t care if they’re on every 16 year old girl backpack or if they have gay sex with Nsync. The music is the only thing that matters to me.

10. Earthsuit - Kaleidoscope Superior (2000)
Earthsuit is a very little known band so people may be wondering - who the hell is that. To be honest, I’m surprised myself that this album actually made into my top 10, as I really didn’t see it coming. It’s just that when I sat down to organize the list I realized how much I love this CD and I would rate it higher than the other 90 albums on this list.

The music is pretty hard to describe. It’s electronically driven, but has elements of progressive rock, hip-hop, reggae and pop. The sound is just catchy as hell, and every song sounds a bit different. So it’s hard to generalize the sound of the album as a whole. Sadly this was their only release. Although the mastermind Paul Meany went on to form Mute Math who are now more popular than Earthsuit ever was.

9. Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)
What can you say about Jeff Buckley - probably the greatest singer of his generation who inspired and influenced countless artists with this one CD. The album is the collection of songs Jeff performed many times on live coffee-shop circuit in NYC. But when the songs are finally put together with a full band, production and studio recording it really brings them to a whole other level, that couldn’t be achieved with just him and a guitar.

There is not much to describe about CD. You just gotta listen to appreciate the voice and the music. The music has some jazz influence, but also has moments of psychidelic rock and very unconventional experimental songwriting.

Sadly this was the only real studio album Jeff Buckley made before he passed away, even though the record label is constantly trying to release any kind of material they can get their hands on.

8. Metallica - …And Justice For All (1988)
This is definitely my favorite Metallica album, and has been for a while. It’s appealing to me on a few levels. First, the music sounds great, even today (20 years later). Second, it has a personal connection. I listened to this CD alot when I was growing up. Third, as a guitar player I used to know how to play most of the songs on the CD, and that only made me a better guitar player and a made me have better respect for the complexity and difficulty of playing metal riffs.

The sound on this CD is also a bit different from other Metallica albums. The whole album has the chunky guitars that strip out the mid frequency, giving it a very recognizable sound. The riffs and time signatures on this are at its highest level for Metallica on this CD. Must have taken alot of practice and memorization to get it all right. I also love the Metallica attitude overall. Even today, I may not like the music as much (and I know that everyone says that), but the attitude of ‘we don’t give a damn what you think, we’ll be making the kind of music we want’ is what I can respect.

7. Opeth - Damnation (2003)
Opeth is a melancholic jazz-folk band, who thrive on catchy hooks, well written harmonies and very interesting chord progressions… Well, actually, no - they are usually categorized as Death Metal band from Sweden, but just from listening to this CD you could never guess that and just classify them as the former. There is absolutely nothing on this CD that can be classified as Metal or even Rock.

Opeth has always been about dynamics, combining heaviest of the heavies with soft jazz passages and everything in between. This time, they decided to create an album to showcase their soft side, and the result is so good that it has many people scratching their heads asking ‘why won’t they do this all the time, why do they need to growl on other CDs and scare half of the sane population away’.

Well in actuality this album is not that different if you break it down. It still has insanely complex and unconventional guitar work, great hooks, perfect production. So it still keeps all the best elements of their music and just eliminates the heavy part. It’s full of melancholic songs, that seem to have jazz and folk influences. I think everyone should give this album a listen. You won’t be disapointed. And don’t worry, there is no cookie-monster screaming going on on this album. Just beautiful (and mostly sad) music all around.

6. Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream (1999)
Before progressive metal fully became a part of Porcupine Tree’s sound, there was this transitional album. It mostly consists of some unconventional pop songs with elements of progressive rock/metal thrown in sparsely here and there. The songwriting on this album is just amazing, even for Porcupine Tree. The hooks and harmonies really make this album. ‘Piano Lessons’ is probably my favorite song on here.

5. Tool - 10,000 Days (2006)
As with all Tool albums, it is hard to listen to it and make up an opinion right away. I actually did not like the album too much from the first listen. But there is something about this band, especially later albums, that the more you listen to it, the more you get sucked into the music by this almost hypnotic connection. It’s not easy for everyone to get into Tool, but usually for people that do, they stay hardcore fans for life.

This CD is the most complexely structured album from them yet. So it’s even harder to get into from the beginning. However, once I got familiar with the music, it’s like a whole new world opened up and you’re really taken on a journey complete not only with great music, but also with Maynard’s voice and his story-telling on this CD. I mean the whole concept of 10,000 days seemed like it was written by a hollywood writer. Maynard’s mother has been hit with Paralisys but was able to live for 27 years with the disease until she passed away. 27 years is roughly 10,000 days, and Maynard keep coming back to this theme throughout the album.

4. Tool - Lateralus (2001)
Barely edging out 10,000 Days, I gotta put Lateralus slightly ahead. Once again, it was not an easy album to get into at first, but after a couple of listens it drew me in. The album is not as complex as 10,000 days, and has more radio appeal, but the progressive experimental sound was definitely there. I always thought that if you break down all the individual members in rock and roll, I would put Maynard as having best voice and Danny Carey as best drummer of all time. So if you think about it that way, having 2 of the best musicians in their field in the same band is pretty insane.

I love how rhythmically oriented this album is. The time signatures seem complex and unnecessary at first, but once you’re familiar with the songs it makes all the sense in the world. ‘The Grudge’, ‘Schism’ and ‘Ticks & Leeches’ are my favorite tracks on the album.

3. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)
This double album is just full of great music, and it’s tremendous on so many levels. Obviously, it is best if listened to in its entirety from start to finish, as it has many passages that don’t even constitute as a song on its own. But also, it has many great songs that have become classic hits on their own, such as Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), Mother, Young Lust, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, and others.

I think most people are familiar with the concept of the Wall, which is about a broke-down rock star going through a crisis. The Wall is a metaphor for a few things on the album, and it is a central theme that brings everything together. The Wall is something you build around you to prevent anyone from coming inside. The Wall is also a metaphor for the education system that builds “clones”, where you’re nothing more than just another brick in the wall. In the main character’s case his mental Wall is the cause of all of his problems. He emotionally isolates himself away from everything around him while building the Wall and eventually trying to get out of it. I’m usually don’t get too much into lyrics, as I am more of a musical person, but the concept here is very interesting and thought provoking. The movie is great as well and it helps to tell the story that much better.

2. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (2002)
This was the first album I heard from Porcupine Tree, and it is still my favorite without a doubt. First of all, I don’t think there is a bigger album that influenced me more to go out and find more different types of music than from what I was used to. I remember I was looking around for new bands to listen to on the internet, and after having found Opeth, I learned from their community about Porcupine Tree. After I got this CD, I just could not believe how a band that I never heard of before sounded so grand as if they are seasoned veterans (which they were by that time). I think the first question everyone asks about Porcupine Tree when they get into them is “how the hell are theses guys not huge”?

In Absentia was their heaviest album to date. It seemed to have introduced the Prog Metal sound fully into their vast collection of styles. But yet it offers plenty of beautifully crafted passages as well. The vocal harmonies are unlike anything I heard before. It is somewhat reminiscent of Queen and Alice in Chains in terms of layering voices, but yet I think they might have even outdone those bands on this album.

The perfect mix of rhythmically oriented riffs and not too complex time signatures combined with catchiest hooks and ambient sound give this album a very unique feel. They differ vastly from other prog-rock bands in that, they try crazy stuff, but yet they manage to keep the simple catchy pop-hooks at the same time. Other prog rock bands just want to take it to a whole new level of craziness and at some point as a listener you can just start to lose interest. But there is no fear of that with this album.

I wanted to list the standouts, but then realized that it would be more than half of the album. So just do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I have yet to find a person (who’s into rock music) that would be disappointed with this one.

1. Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile (1999)
I was never a big fan of Nine Inch Nails before this album, even though I thought the first album - Pretty Hate Machine was pretty cool. It had alot of New Age influences and Head Like a Hole was an awesome song. But then all that stuff Reznor did since then, I just did not get at all. Sounded just like a bunch of noise, screaming and overall nothing that appealed to me. And then he came out with The Fragile and the whole world changed for me.

This double concept album does remind you of the Wall somewhat. It has a common musical theme that keeps coming back throughout. Yet it has many songs that can stand on their own. It goes on a journey of dynamics and adds the patented electronic samples as only NIN can deliver. It does have a few heavy songs, but most of the CD is not as heavy as previous work. If you can get past the first song, you should be all right.

Sadly, I believe this was one of their worst selling albums and it fell out of the charts pretty fast. It’s funny that I hear music from this CD in various movies that came out since, like Final Destination, Man on Fire, and of course 300 trailer which single-handedly brought this album back to everyone’s attention. The album does seem to be full of tracks that can be used to reflect all kinds of moods suited for film. It has quite a few instrumental passages that fit with the overall album perfectly. All in all, it should be listened to from start to finish to appreciate the vastness of the sound. But if you’re not into heavy music at all you may probably have some problems surviving through a couple of the tracks.