AlbumLove (March 2024): 2010 - 2014
Time Period: 2010 - 2014
Choose one album
that you love
that you think deserves more love
Tell us what it is, and why.
Additional Details
Why AlbumLove?
In this day and age, algorithmic recommendations for music are easy to come by, and it's trivial to seek out new music that interests you by searching online. AlbumLove offers an opportunity to sift through music loved by others, including those who might have divergent tastes from you. Think of this as an opportunity to listen outside of your comfort zone, with music that you know someone else adores, from a small pool of thoughtful hand-selected options.
What do I post?
Any album that you love and that you feel deserves more appreciation. There are no restrictions on genre, year, or anything else, and nothing is “too popular” or “too niche”. If you think it needs more love — for whatever reason — then it’s welcome in AlbumLove.
Name the artist and the album, and then, most importantly, share what you love about the album. It could be the music itself, but it could also be your associations with it -- maybe the album reminds you of someone you love, or you saw the band live and got a new appreciation for the studio songs.
Also, commenting on others' recommendations is encouraged! If you love something that someone else shared, let them know!
Do I have to listen to what everyone else posts?
Nope. You don't have to listen to anything if you don't want to. This is about creating a menu of options that people can explore as they wish.
Can I post more than one album in a month?
Nope. Limit one! This helps us be more selective about what we choose, as well as preventing the threads from getting flooded with too many contributions to keep track of.
Why albums and not songs/artists?
I like albums. :)
Seriously though, I feel like it's a very different thing to like an album as a whole versus a few songs or just an artist's general vibe. I like the idea of quantizing music for appreciation in the same way we might do with books or movies.
What about EPs?
Fair game!
The Ides – Me Like Bees, 2013
I've been listening to this one a lot lately. I'm a sucker for lyric-heavy indie rock and albums with themes, and this checks both boxes. Me Like Bees is a four-piece from Missouri and this is their debut LP, with a sound that's reminiscent of Modest Mouse but a little less harsh. They also throw in lots of Biblical references, which hit home for me as someone raised in a heavily Evangelical environment. The final track, Pneumonia, ranks among my favorites of all time; it's a masterpiece of songwriting.
Rise Against - The Black Market(2014)
Oh good, I get to post my favorite album of all time. When it first came out I was basically like, "Sweet, a new Rise Against album." A few of the harder songs got added into my workout rotation and I moved on. The depth of some of the songs didn't really hit me until after I lost my Grandma (one of the two family members I was by far the closest to).
Most of the songs are your typical anti-establishment punk fair, but this was released during the depths of the Obama administration so there wasn't really a Bush or Trump to take the easy way out with. A lot of the songs on this album are more individually focused.
The album opens with an incredible, fast-paced "we're going to win and you should be scared" anthem. Other great social commentary songs are The Black Market, The Eco-Terrorist in Me, Awake Too Long.
Then there are the more personal tracks like I Don't Want to Be Here Anymore, Methadone, Sudden Life, and Tragedy+Time. Tragedy+Time is an interesting one because it's kind of divisive. I have found it resonates with people who have gone through something traumatic or life-changing, and it's the song that made me cry for the first time when I lost my aforementioned Grandma.
That all being said, my two favorite songs on the album are the one-two punch at the end. People Live Here is one of the most poignant songs ever written - in the wake of Sandy Hook and the reactionary nightmare that followed, it still hits home hard today, especially with the situations in certain parts of the world. Bridges is ostensibly about the working class struggle but also has a second meaning in opinion about sunk costs in relationships that are no longer healthy.
Anyway I don't want to go on forever about this album. Rise Against is one of my favorite bands of all time, and The Black Market is my favorite of their albums.
Sisyphus's self titled from 2014 (aka. Sufjan Steven's experimental hip hop album).
Wow, ten years since this released! This is my first AlbumLove that was widely met with lukewarm reviews and moved on from, but it's a hill I'll continue to die on. This was an incredibly formative record for me, coming out right around the time I finished school - complex relationships, drugs, leaving home - all the usual stuff.
The album is a three-man effort from Sufjan Stevens (who needs no introduction), Seregenti - Chicago based comedy(?) MC, and producer Son Lux. The result is this weird, spacey, cathartic, pornographic, awkward 50 minutes that was too colourful for hip hop heads and too crass for anyone hoping for indie folk (which, don't worry, does feature).
The opener, 'Calm It Down', captures the sound of the album from the gate - one part earnest and the other part theater. I used it endlessly when I found myself a little overwhelmed.
For me, no song has captured that sense of deep, undeserved lethargy as much as 'Flying Ace', a song that never quite finds its feet and seems to feel bad about it. The closer, 'Alcohol' has this thick, marching rhythm that weighs heavier and heavier and never seems to stop, until it does.
Sufjan Stevens has been pigeon-holed in recent years, and I think he's settling into that sound. But he's always been multi-talented, and a great connoisseur of the camp and corny. People say this was an awkward moment for Sufjan they like to try and forget. I disagree. Give me the Sufjan that's dancing with his chains and shades on and mouthing the words 'I don't want to be a fucking peanut'.
It also has (non-arguably) the greatest final line on any album.