Listening to music is just about my favorite thing in the world to do. Some days I just listen to music for the entire day. So, I have heard quite a few albums in my lifetime. To narrow them down to the top five is difficult, but I feel that these are the best of the best. I highly recommend these albums. I will tell you why.
1. Beck - Sea Change. This is my favorite album ever recorded. There are a lot of sounds on this album, but it is still done in a very subtle way. It's an old fashioned album done by someone that can't help but use new fashioned technology. The fusion is superbly done. It really is a masterpiece. Sure, it's a little sleepy. It's also a little too simple. Still, it's the best album ever recorded.
2. Remy Zero - Villa Elaine. Remy Zero is America's best alternative rock band. They rose up in the late nineties and tried to hang on during the early 2000s. They didn't succeed. They eventually broke up without ever really making it. They left behind a few albums. This one is they gem. It's their second album, and it is perfect. They nailed the alternative rock genre. This is America's shot at the alt-rock scene.
3. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells. Two people have never made so much sound. It's amazing to think that all of this sound is being generated by just two people. When you hear them live, you realize that they are really making all of this music. White Blood Cells is their best work. Their other albums might be more concise, but this one displays their energy and charm better than the others. It's a little long to get through, but any shorter would have ruined it.
4. Dido - Life for Rent. Dido might not be the most emotive singer on the planet. She makes up for that in her subtleties. Life for Rent is a spot on album. The melodies are sharp. Her voice doesn't change much, but when it does it matters. The songs tell stories, and they are stories that you can come back to. There is a lot of personality in this album. It's one of the most character driven albums ever made. That character is Dido.
5. Fun - Aim & Ignite. This is most fun experience I have ever had listening to music. That is what they were going for. They were trying to make an album that would always be fun to listen to. That's what this is. It might not be the deepest affair you will have in the world of music. I don't always want that out of the tunes I listen to. Sometimes I just want to have fun.
These five albums have changed my life for the better. I should give honorable mention to the Grand Archives and Jack's Mannequin. They both made albums that I adore, but just couldn't fit in my top five list.
