15 albums you should own

[Sam]

I remember the last time I made one of these lists. My taste in music has changed a lot since then, so if anyone remembers my last list, it'll be a surprising change. The albums i'm listing aren't in any particular order.

 

Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

What an amazing album. This album, I think, is the pinnacle of Hendrix's work with The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It blends jazz, r 'n' b, psychedelic rock and even a little 60's Britpop - this combination makes for very interesting music. Personally I love this album for it's pure 'groove' - the flawless blues guitar licks of Hendrix, the simple yet funky basslines from Noel Redding, all kept in time by Mitch Mitchell's avant-garde, jazzy drumming. Those three elements come together to produce a very coherent body of music, that flows very well, and influenced many artists.

 

 

Geogaddi by Boards Of Canada

Firstly, I must say, this is a very deep and complex album. When interviewed about this album, brothers Mike and Marcus said that the album was built around 'mathematical formulas' - not necessarily an audible feature as such, but this has an effect on how the synthesizers and drum machines were programmed. Said by many to be a 'dark, ominous' album, the tracks on this album are full of detail - intense sound manipulation and degradation are evident. This album makes use of the whole range of frequencies, with ominous sub-bass and eerie samples of education videos. The whole album gives of a sense of nostalgia, which many musicians have tried, but failed to do. In my opinion, an essential record of electronic music.

 

 

Rubber Soul by The Beatles

I think this album is where the direction of The Beatles' output changed vastly. Taking inspiration from the folk sound of artists like Bob Dylan and The Byrds, it's musical aesthetic is rather different to their previous, more 'rock' oriented material, expanding on the boundaries of rock music, as it was. They utilised new sounds, such as sitars, fuzz bass, and even manipulating the sound of a piano to sound like a harpsichord. The tracks on Rubber Soul move away from the blissful love songs the Beatles first became famous for, more exploring the emotions and the hard facts of life. Definitely an album you'll love if you enjoy a more laid-back, chilled listen.

 

 

The Smile Sessions by The Beach Boys

An album shrouded in mystery. Further developing the sound that Brian Wilson pioneered on the 'Pet Sounds' LP, this record was developed in a turbulent period of Brian Wilson's life, fuelled with frequent use of psychoactive drugs. After the release of Pet Sounds, many expected more material of the same sort of vein - many say if the album had been released when originally intended in 1967, it would of eclipsed the efforts of The Beatles on their 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' record. Exploring the realms of psychedelic music, this album was meticulously produced by Brian Wilson utilising a vast range of studio techniques - this album is unique in a way that it also includes a number of takes of some of the tracks, which gives an interesting insight into how the unique sound of The Beach Boys was made. If you're even remotely interested in musical production, I have to recommend this album.

 

 

The King Of Limbs by Radiohead

An interesting new direction for Radiohead. Taking further inspiration from the world of electronic music, this album seems to be built around curiously engineered drum loops and effects. To me, it seems like Thom Yorke has continued the concept of 'using voice as an instrument' that manifests itself in much of Radiohead's output. The record has a dark feel to it - the lyrics have an almost aggressive feel, continuing the exploration of emotions that Thom Yorke has become of master of with his songwriting. For anyone who enjoys the prospect of a listening to a band that in some ways spawns new genres.

 

 

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin

Another pinnacle of electronic music. Produced by a man notorious for his complex, meticulous beats that influences stretch across electronic music, this album is hard to place under one genre. Taking influences from ambient music, house, acid house and elements of psychedelia, this is another complex collection of tracks. Known for it's 'lo-fi' sound (the master tapes were taken from cassettes that Richard D. James gave to his friends to listen to), this album is rather unique. Personally, I feel this album gives me a very 'spacey' feeling - long, downtempo tracks with muted synths and flawlessly programmed drums that work very well together. The album has an interesting spectrum of samples that it takes, from sound effects from Robocop to voice recordings of friends manipulated and inserted into the mix. Definitely an album to own if you like electronic music at all - even Skrillex names Aphex Twin among his favorite artists.

 

 

Within And Without by Washed Out

Ernest Green is a trendsetter. One of the musicians at the forefront of a genre of music many dub 'chillwave'. This album develops on the sound that Green achieved in his 'Life Of Leisure' EP - rather than a complex mix of sampling, the album was produced with a backing band. Using synthesizers and various production techniques, this album possesses a unique, 'blissed out' sound that other chillwave musicians haven't quite succeeded at achieving. The whole album is coated in reverb, further lending itself to the blissed out sound.Another album to listen to for those who love sitting back and seeing where the music takes you.

 

 

Distance by Ahkmed

Possibly the finest modern psychedelic rock I've heard. There isn't many albums this album can be compared to. Using a unique combination of studio production and distortion, this album has an intense sound, similar in some ways to the instrumentation of Pink Floyd longer, progressive/spacey tracks. Complex drumming is heard throughout the album, working brilliantly with the bass and rhythm guitar that weave in and out of eachother in dark sounding interludes that suddenly burst into monolithic monsters of distortion and seething space-rock. An album I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves the way instruments work together to create a unique atmosphere.

 

 

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

A rather influential album in the psychedelic rock genre. Produced in a time when this style of music was at it's most popular, the album possesses a quirky feel. There's interesting instrumentation throughout. Around this time many artists were incorporating distortion into their tracks and Pink Floyd employed it perfectly. Syd Barrett, one of the original founders of the band wrote much of the body of lyrics for this album, with themes as varied as space, scarecrows and gnomes, and even a fairy tale. An essential staple of 60's psychedelic music.

 

 

Sunshine Superman by Donovan

Another folk influenced album. Donovan is a musician known for his unique style of fingerpicking, consequently giving his recordings a unique sound. Released in 1967, along with many other now-famous psychedelic records, this album takes much influence from indian music, making frequent use of the sitar and tabla. His clever lyrics take on complex themes that take a while to grasp, similar in a way to some of Bob Dylan's work. The production of the tracks is exquisite - not too much treble or bass. An album that has a very unique sound.

 

 

Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow

I'm proud to say I've had the privilege of meeting DJ Shadow, one of the influential figures in instrumental hip-hop beats. This record was entirely sampled from vinyl records - from his collection that is reputedly larger than the stock of some record stores. Encompassing soul, psychedelia, r 'n' b, hip hop and even a bit of metal, this album stretches across many genres. The way that DJ Shadow segues his samples together and produces coherent, hypnotising beats is just amazing (especially to watch aswell!). Naturally, being an album sampled entirely from vinyl records, it has a very unique sound - the crackle of a record. An album that anyone who enjoys downtempo, instrumental music will love.

 

 

Innerspeaker by Tame Impala

One of the finest new psychedelic acts of recent years. Taking influences from a variety of artists, Tame Impala have developed a tight, groove-driven sound laden with distortion and blissed out synths. The production on this album is interesting in the way it uses reverb. This gives it a spacey sound that contrasts well with the distortion that the band utilises well to create their own unique take on psychedelic rock.

 

 

Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus

I've heard no other album like it. An almost jazzy, free-form interpretation of electronica blended with a beautiful string instruments added to give it a refined, classy feel. There isn't much needed to be said about this album, and it's rather hard to explain it's sound. One of those albums you need to hear to understand it's inventiveness.

 

 

Ghost People by Martyn

Possibly the finest album of electronica released in 2011. Taking influences from old-skool house, techno and d'n'b, Martyn melds these genres together to create his own brand of music that's he's become famous for in recent years. Interesting synthesizers and drum programming can be heard on this LP, synthesizers that older listeners of electronic music won't of heard since the early 90's. An album to get if you enjoy inventive, hypnotising electronic music.

 

 

Untrue by Burial

An album that created waves through the world of electronic music when it was released. Considered by some to be early dubstep, this album makes frequent use of the lower frequencies. Distant vocal samples weave into muted 2-step beats drowned in sub-bass and creamy sounding synths. Turn off your lights, close your eyes and let your mind be taken into another realm by this LP.

 

 

I'm sure some people will have heard the albums that i've listed here. Let me know what you think, and if you haven't heard these albums, find them and take a listen.

[redhaloguy]

Listened to most/all of those albums, and them not being totally pop shite, I enjoy the list and pretty much agree, would enjoy more Jazz/rap/Classical. Just to liven up the genres more.

[Maleficus1055]

Listened to most of them. I can't get into Boards of Canada, Burial, or Tame Impala at all.

[Guest Rob]

I'll admit that I hadn't even heard of most of these albums. They seem interesting though, so I'm giving them a listen ASAP. I plan on listening to Cosmogramma tomorrow; it seems interesting.

[Sam]

Cosmogramma is a very interesting album - the production on it is phenomenal.

[stevepole]

Check out Purity Ring, there a new band and only got a few songs out, but I think you might like them.

[Sam]

Check out Purity Ring, there a new band and only got a few songs out, but I think you might like them.

 

These guys sound pretty good, it's like they've mixed dubstep beats with chillwave. I like it.