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Artist Album Year (release)
Genre (broad, 1Specific
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2814 新しい日の誕生 2015 Electronic Vaporwave, Ambient A collaboration between Hong Kong Express and t e l e p a t h. Atmospheric vaporwave as dystopian as it is psychedelic.
A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory 1991 Hip Hop Jazz rap, Alternative Hip-Hop, Boom-Bap Perhaps Tribe's best album, sees Phife Dawg's emergence and some of the best lyricism and production in rap history.
Air Moon Safari 1998 Electronic Downtempo One of the most pleasurable, playful, sprightly electronic discs of the 90's.
AJJ People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People
2007 Folk
in the World Folk-punk Fast and straight to the point folk-punk album with sarcastic and self-depreciating lyrics.
Alice In Chains Jar of Flies 1994 Rock Alternative Rock, Grunge Jar of Flies is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once.
Altar of Plagues Teethed Glory and Injury 2013 Metal Post-Black Metal An album which pushed the boundaries of the stagnant black metal scene
American Football American Football 1999 Indie Emo, Math Rock Your teenage feelings made incarnate; punctuated by Mike Kinsella's wistful lyrics and twinkly style of guitar playing.
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion 2009 Electronic Psychedelic Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Freak Folk, Indietronica One of the most accessible albums in AnCo's catalogue. Uplifting, head in the clouds psychedelic summertime pop.
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works 85-92 1992 Electronic Ambient Techno An essential in the electronica canon. Played a huge part in bridging the gap between techno, acid house, and bedroom knob twiddlers.
Arca Stretch 2 2012 Electronic IDM An insane work of tense and glitchy hip-hop from popular producer and songwriter Arca.
Arcade Fire Funeral 2004 Indie French Canadian, indie rock, art rock, baroque pop Emotional without being emo; a reflection on mortality which resonates with positivity in even its darkest moments.
Asobi Seksu Citrus 2006 Indie Shoegaze, Indie Rock Very cute dreampop with an asian waifu singer
Baroness Blue Record 2009 Metal Sludge Metal, Progressive Metal A hard-hitting, catchy prog metal record with overtones of blues rock, grunge, and hard rock. If you like catchy riffs, you'll love this.
Beach Boys Pet Sounds 1966 Pop Baroque Pop Songwriting genius Brian Wilson's magnum opus. A timeless classic, and an album everyone should hear.
Beach House Teen Dream 2010 Indie Dream Pop, Indie Pop Beach House broke the dream pop mold with an album that didn't deviate from the genre's standards, but executed them with great precision.
Behemoth The Satanist 2014 Metal Blackened Death Metal Very well produced blackened death metal that is a great entry point into both metal subgenres.
Beirut The Flying Club Cup 2007 Folk Balkan Folk, World, Baroque Pop Santa Fe export Zach Condon's greatest musical project to ever grace the shores of São Paulo
Between The Buried and Me Colors 2007 Metal Progressive Metal Colors strikes a perfect balance between BTBAM's death metal and prog influences. Ambitious, heavy, melodious, and strikingly accessible.
Big Black Songs About Fucking 1987 Rock Noise Rock, Post-Hardcore Legendary producer Steve Albini's first band, a truly abrasive post-hardcore project
Björk Homogenic 1997 Pop Trip Hop, Art Pop Each song feels like flying over a frozen mountain: soaring high with Bjork's voice and gliding along with Mark Bell's masterful production.
Black Flag My War 1984 Punk Hardcore A massive influence on sludge metal and grunge, showing heaviness could be derived not just from speed, but also from guitar downtuning.
Hardcore Hip-hop, East Coast Hip-hop, Jazz Rap, Boom-
Black Moon Enta Da Stage 1993 Hip-Hop Bap Often overlooked in favour of other New York hip-hop classics, this album is unique for its dark production and lyrical content.
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath 1970 Metal Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Blues Their debut record set the blueprint for heavy metal and the title track is still the most evil sounding thing on Earth.
Blank Banshee 0 2012 Electronic Vaporwave, Vaportrap At this point Black Banshee is synonymous with Vaportrap. A complex and colorful record with layer after layer of excellent samples.
Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children 1998 Electronic IDM, Downtempo BoC create their own unique style of IDM with songs that sit between robotic and human due to their creatively unnerving samples
Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited 1965 Rock Folk Rock The Dylan album that clearly marks his transition from a classic 50's folk sound to using more rock influenced instrumentation
Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago 2007 Indie Indie, Folk Debut album from Justin Vernon after returning from his 8 month meditation in his family's cabin, living off of the land.
Boredoms Vision Creation Newsun 1999 Rock Experimental rock, psychedelic rock 70 minutes of transcendent, krauty, psychedelic instrumental jams; a true masterpiece of guitar based music.
Boris Pink 2005 Metal Stoner Metal, Noise Rock A logical marriage of stoner and noise rock (with some heavy drones thrown in - because without them, it just wouldn't be Boris).
Brand New The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me 2006 Rock Indie rock, Emo A subtly uplifting and emotionally deep take on religion, love, loss, and isolation.
Brian Eno Another Green World 1975 Electronic Art Pop The way that Eno approaches music is reminiscent of a mathematician more than a musician. This is pop music created using his own rules.
Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People 2002 Rock Canadian Very electic indierock, best indierock album of the 00s
Built to Spill Perfect From Now On 1997 Rock Pacific Northwest, Indie Rock The album is emotional without being in your face, with a tender airiness made possible by Doug Martsch's lovely, but heartbreaking lyrics.
Burial Untrue 2007 Electronic Ambient Dubstep Divine blend of murky 2-step, dubstep, and UK garage. Imagine a sad rainy London night, smoking the last one in the pack and feeling... sad.
Burzum Filosofem 1996 Metal Atmospheric Black Metal Possibly the best work of one of the most infamous musicians to ever have lived, Varg Vikernes.
CAN Tago Mago 1971 Rock Krautrock Tago Mago is an album of colossal dimensions. Essential Kautrock and a good entry point into the early 70s German music scene.
Capn Jazz Shmapn Shmazz 1995 Indie Emo, Math Rock, Midwest Emo Some of the fastest and loosest emo ever recorded. The blueprint for many math and emo albums that followed. Exceptionally fun listen.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic BandTrout Mask Replica 1969 Rock Art Rock, Experimental Rock, Free Jazz, Blues Rock Like hurtling through a Hadron Collider. Simultaneously set the experimental template, and has never been matched.
Charles Mingus The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady 1963 Jazz Avant-Garde Jazz One of the best jazz records from a legend of the genre, it is sonically gorgeous and tells an amazing tale.
Clever Girl No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room 2010 Rock Math Rock, Indie Rock, An instrumental album that conveys happiness with one amazing atmosphere , made by everyday people
Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas 1990 Rock Dream Pop, Early Shoegaze One of the essential dream pop albums, it mixes wonderful melodies with a warm atmospheric fuzz
Com Truise Galactic Melt 2011 Electronic Chillwave Standout of the synthwave revival of the early 2010s. Heavily influenced by 80s music, but slowed down with a unique psychedelic spin.
Common Be 2005 Hip-Hop Conscious Hip-Hop, Jazz Rap Common delivers uplifting and soulful verses about everyday struggle over masterfully sampled beats, provided by Kanye West.
Crystal Castles Crystal Castles 2008 Indie Noise Pop Combines 8-bit bleeps and bloops, noisy electronics, and no small amount of witchy vibes. Pleasantly unpredictable and downright unsettling.
Curtis Mayfield Superfly 1972 Soul Soul-Funk A groovy film soundtrack that boasts songs both catchy and moving; a perfect introduction to funk and soul.
Daft Punk Discovery 2001 Electronic French House Extremely dynamic production and excellent danceability. This album can be enjoyed by nearly anyone.
Danny Brown Atrocity Exhibition 2016 Hip-Hop Experimental Hip-Hop Danny lays flawless flows over some of the genre's weirdest beats with massive success. Heavy themes of drug use and mental anguish.
Darkthrone Transilvanian Hunger 1994 Metal Black Metal One of the primary bands in the second wave of Norwegian black metal. This album is the third in the band's "unholy trilogy."
Low
David Bowie 1977 Rock Neo-Krautrock, Early Post-Punk First album in the famed Berlin trilogy. The second half is filled with dark, lush ambient soundscapes courtesy of famed producer Brian Eno.
Conscious Hip-Hop, Political Hip-Hop, Psychedelic Hip-Hop,
De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising 1989 Hip-Hop Alternative Hip-Hop, Jazz Rap Foreshadows the dominant East Coast sound of the early 90's, with producer Paul Prince integrating classic rock and funk samples.
One of the most famous albums in hardcore punk, set apart by the distinct voice, singing style, sarcasm, and biting social commentary.
Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 1980 Punk Anarcho-Punk
Deafheaven Sunbather 2013 Metal Third Wave Black Metal, Blackgaze A black metal entry point for many. Unexpected crossover hit. Lush barriers of guitar sound almost drown George Clark's emotive screaming.
Death From Above 1979 You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine 2004 Punk Dance Punk No bullshit punk music adapted to the 21st century. A feel-good breakup album, cathartic and fun as all get out.
Death Grips The Money Store 2012 Hip-Hop Experimental Hip-Hop, Industrial Hip-Hop Revolutionary production combined with Ride's cryptic lyrics to make an album that defines controlled chaos. Palatable paranoia.
Deerhoof La Isla Bonita 2014 Rock Noise, Pop, Punk panda panda panda panda panda panda panda panda panda
Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030 2000 Hip-hop Experimental hip hop, west coast hip hop A hip-hop opera of epic proportions. Del's unique concept paints a vivid picture of the future, a dystopian world abundant with wack MCs.
Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca 2009 Indie Pop, Progressive Pop, Landmark indie title featuring unique vocal melodies and an eclectic mix of influences, including west african guitars & classical strings.
Dismemberment Plan Emergency & I 1999 Rock Indie rock An embodiment of indie rock and post-hardcore, this album conveys a harsh energy and anxiety, both instrumentally and vocally.
DJ Rashad Double Cup 2013 Electronic Footwork, Juke, Ghetto House, Instrumental Hip-Hop Invigorating, textured, and more soulful than the vast majority of albums in a genre typically tailored to dance-offs.
DJ Shadow Endtroducing…. 1996 Hip-Hop Trip-Hop, Instrumental Hip-Hop, Plunderphonics Trip-hop classic that pioneered plunderphonics by being the first album purely produced from samples.
Earl Sweatshirt Doris 2013 Hip-Hop Alternative Hip-Hop A lyrical debut record from Earl that is equally personal and adolescent. Some self-production along with an all-star lineup of beatmakers.
Earth, Wind & Fire Spirit 1976 R&B Soul, Funk, Chamber Pop Spiritual and introspective ballads contrast with funky club hits while EWF are at their peak relevance in the golden era of soul
Electric Wizard Dopethrone 2000 Metal Stoner Metal, Doom Metal Heavily down tuned guitars, Black Sabbath-inspired bluesy riffs, misanthropic and occult themes, everything a good metal album should have.
Elliott Smith Either/Or 1997 Folk Nu-Folk, Singer-Songwriter Few can evoke monumental emotional pain like Elliot Smith. However, this album remains one of the brightest in a very dark discography.
Emperor In The Nightside Eclipse 1994 Metal Black Metal The first symphonic black metal album, highly influential in the genre and a landmark release in the second wave of Norwegian black metal
Faust Faust IV 1973 Rock Krautrock A superb blend of rock, folk, and ambient music from the acclaimed krautrock band Faust.
Fight Like Apes ...And The Mystery Of The Golden 2008 Rock Indie Rock, Indie pop Irish indie band Fight Like Apes formulates a fun and raunchy pop punk album, with all that good teen angst.
Final Fantasy Has A Good Home 2005 Pop Baroque Pop, Folk Surprisingly with the violin as his foundation, Owen Pallett creates a cold and pensive set of baroque pop songs.
FKA Twigs LP1 2014 Pop Alternative R&B, Experimental R&B, Art Pop, Trip-Hop Crystalline and saccharine on the surface, but peeling back the layers on this one over repeated listens reveals the humanity.
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues 2011 Indie Nu-Folk, Chamber Pop A beautiful and unique blend of soulful baroque-pop and folk.
Wonky, Nu-Jazz, Experimental Hip-Hop, Dubstep, Free
Flying Lotus Cosmogramma 2010 Electronic Jazz, Alternative R&B, Downtempo Advances the Wonky subgenre by further combining it with jazz and R&B to make one of the most influential electronic albums of the 2010s.
Frank Ocean Blonde 2016 Pop Psychedelic Pop, Experimental R&B Rich storytelling and adventurous production breathe new life into contemporary R&B.
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa 1969 Rock Experimental Rock Wildly inventive jazz-rock out of 60s Los Angeles from the virtuoso hippie bandleader and teetotaler Frank Zappa.
Fugazi Repeater 1990 Punk Hardcore, post-hardcore, art punk Political without feeling preachy; a perfect balance of aggression, emotion, and melody. Guaranteed to put some pep in your step.
Gang of Four Entertainment! 1979 Punk Post-punk, Leeds post-punk, dance punk Funky bass grooves, rhythmic guitars and politically-charged lyrics make for a post-punk classic
Gary Numan The Pleasure Principle 1979 Pop Synthpop, new wave
Genesis Selling England by the Pound 1973 Rock Progressive Rock
Gentle Giant Octopus 1972 Rock Progressive Rock
Ghostface Killah Supreme Clientele 2000 Hip-Hop East Coast hip-hop, hardcore hip-hop Masterful lyricism and classic hip hop beats (produced largely by RZA).
Giles Corey Giles Corey 2011 Folk Dark Ambient, Slowcore Extremely broody album filled with depressing and suicidal lyrics accompannied by dark ambience and some shoegaze influences
Glenn Branca The Ascension 1981 Rock No Wave A jarring listen, essential for fans of noise and post-punk. Brance approaches guitar music more like a composer than a rocker.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven 2000 Rock Post-Rock Intense atmospherics capped off with hair-raising crescendos. An extemely rewarding listen that runs the gamut from gorgeous to ferocious.
Gorillaz Demon Days 2005 Pop Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Alt-rock Biggest release of the 'fake band' that effortlessly blends pop, electronic and hip hop together with collabs from all over the spectrum.
Grimes Visions 2012 Electronic Synthpop, Dream Pop Manic pixie dream girl: the album
Guided by Voices Bee Thousand 1994 Rock Noise Pop, Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock Low fidelity fragments of gold from high work-rate masters of rock songwriting.
GZA Liquid Swords 1995 Hip-Hop East Coast Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop, Conscious Hip-Hop Another monstrous solo effort from a member of Wu-Tang, this time it is GZA da Genius showing the rap world who is boss.
Have A Nice Life Deathconsciousness 2008 Rock Post-Rock, Post-Punk Combines post-punk, shoegaze, industrial, and drone to make something absolutely genre-defying. Epic and essential.
Iggy Pop The Idiot 1977 Rock Post-Punk, Art Rock
Interpol Turn On the Bright Lights 2003 Rock Indie, Post-punk revival A cross-section of the mood of New York City in the wake of 9/11. Blunt and stark, but underlined with hope.
Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul 1969 Soul Soul Milestone in soul music that defied convention with its long running tracks, funky vibe and shot Isaac Hayes to immediate success.
Ivy Lab 20/20 Vol 1. 2015 Electronic Electronic
J Dilla Donuts 2006 Hip-Hop Instrumental Hip-Hop, Jazz rap, Hip-Hop Soul Dilla composed this album in the hospital as he was dying. The result is a masterclass in instrumental hip hop and sampling.
James Ferraro Far Side Virtual 2011 Electronic Ambient, Proto-Vaporwave Sounds of a dystopian outlet mall. A glitchy meditation on consumerism and the capitalist machine.
Jeff Rosenstock We Cool? 2015 Punk Punk Rock, Indie Rock The distilled sound of a quarter-life crises. Listen to it if you want to feel less alone.
Rock
Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick 1972 Progressive Rock Ian Anderson's criticism of english cultural, family and religious values from the viewpoint of a child prodigy. An epic poem.
Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys 1970 Rock Funk Rock Often cited as the greatest guitarist to have ever lived, Jimi Hendrix is an essential listen for all fans of rock.
Joanna Newsom Ys 2006 Folk Freak Folk, Chamber Folk Feels like a medieval poetry book with long, intricate lyrics telling amazing tales and folk-ish instrumentation to set the tone.
John Coltrane A Love Supreme 1965 Jazz Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop Prior to recording, Coltrane experienced "a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life." It shows.
John Zorn The Gift 2001 Jazz Jazz, Surf Rock One of the greatest records of the legendary Jon Zorn , that creates a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere
Johnny Cash American Recordings 1994 Country Folk, Country
Jose Gonzalez Veneer 2003 Folk Folk, Indie Rock
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures 1979 Rock Post-Punk, New Wave One of the cornerstones of gothic music, it's lyrics deal with isolation, depression and suicide.
Judas Priest British Steel 1980 Metal Heavy Metal A part of the new wave of british heavy metal that emerged in the mid 70's, this is the band's quintessential album
Justice † 2007 Electronic Dance, French Electronica Justice took the French House sound pioneered by Daft Punk and re-invigorated it. Electro house made to be played in a stadium sized-venue.
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 2010 Hip-Hop Pop Rap, Electrohop, Rap Rock A shift from self-producing his albums, Kanye's MBDTF also saw him expose himself in order to expound on the theme of overwhelming fame.
Kate Bush Hounds of Love 1985 Pop Art Pop The album was produced as two suites - side one being "Hounds of Love" and side two a seven-track concept piece, "The Ninth Wave".
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly 2015 Hip-Hop Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip-Hop Sprawling concept album that expertly fuses jazz, funk, soul and a classic hip-hop sound. Covers lyrical themes of fame, race, and identity
King Crimson In The Court Of The Crimson King 1969 Rock Progressive Often cited as the first true Progressive Rock album, King Crimson take an Avant-Garde approach to the Rock of the time.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard I'm In Your Mind Fuzz 2014 Rock Psychedelic 10 classic garage and psyche rock anthems, both calm and energetic.

KLF The White Room 1991 Electronic Electronica

Kraftwerk The Man-Machine 1978 Electronic Krautrock The godfathers of modern electronic music, Kraftwerk laid the blueprints for essentially all synth-based dance music to come.
LCD Soundsystem Sound Of Silver 2007 Electronic Indie, Dance James Murphy's somber indie dance album about a love-hate relationship with the city of New York and growing old
Modern rap classic, complete with a noise intro and calm/slow thug rap over energetic, funky, wavy, or even spooky trap beats.
Lil Ugly Mane Mista Thug Isolation 2012 Hip-Hop Horrorcore, Hardcore Rap, Cloud Rap, Jazz Rap
Lush Split 1994 Rock Shoegaze, Dream Pop
M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming 2011 Indie Progressive, Pop, Indie, Ambient-Electro, Shoegaze
Alternative Hip-Hop, Experimental Hip-Hop, Abstract Hip-
Madvillain Madvillainy 2004 Hip-Hop Hop MF DOOM and Madlib come together to make this alternative classic. Production, samples and rhymes are all layered and complex.
Manu Chao Próxima estación: Esperanza 2001 Ska Reggaeton, Spanish Pop, Political
Marvin Gaye What’s Going On 1971 Pop Motown, Soul
Massive Attack Mezzanine 1998 Electronic Trip-Hop Massive combine multiple genres around the trip-hop framework to create dark soundscapes as beautiful as they are unnerving and creepy
Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas 1994 Metal Black Metal The most controversial release to come from the second wave of Norwegian black metal, this maybe the most iconic black metal album ever.
Megadeth Rust In Peace 1990 Metal Thrash Megadeth's fourth studio release, critically acclaimed as a metal classic
Melt-Banana Fetch 2013 Punk Noise Rock, Experimental Rock Loud, fast and chaotic noise rock with a playful side. Lots of effects and layered guitars over fast drums and Yasuko's high pitched vocals.
Merzbow Pulse Demon 1996 Noise Harsh Noise A wall of fluctating static and feedback that slowly reveals patterns and structure under the noise. Better listened at a moderate volume.
Metallica ...And Justice for All 1988 Metal Thrash Metallica's first album after the death of bassist Cliff Burton, a very gritty thrash album with little bass mix and intricate guitar work.
MF DOOM MM...FOOD? 2004 Hip-Hop Backpack Rap Food themed abstract hip-hop album with frequent cartoon samples and complex verses filled with personality
Midori Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu. 2008 Punk Art Punk, Jazz Fusion, Noise Rock, Jazz Rock Slithly abrasive jazz punk album with a japanese female singer and her keybordist screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Miles Davis Kind of Blue 1959 Jazz Modal Jazz, Post-Bop The most acclaimed and influential jazz album of all time. Pioneered modal jazz and paved the way for avant-garde music in the 60s.
Milo So The Flies Don’t Come 2015 Hip-Hop Spoken Word, Backpack Rap, Art Rap
Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime 1984 Punk Post-Punk, Punk Rock, Indie Rock Probably one of the most unique and creative punk records of all time, that incorporates punk, jazz, & funk.
Modern Lovers Self Titled 1976 Rock Proto-Punk
Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica 2000 Rock Indie Rock
Mogwai Mogwai Young Team 1997 Rock Post Rock
Mort Garson Plantasia 1976 Electronic Progressive electronic, space age pop An lovely electronic album about plants, sounds like the soundtrack to a whimsical greenhouse in space.
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle 1991 Rock Avant-rock An album that can't be really put in a genre. Pushes the boundaries of music and will either scare you or make you laugh!
My Bloody Valentine Loveless 1991 Rock Shoegaze "Loveless" in every way, inspires feelings of endless melancholy with fuzzy guitars drowning sweet-sounding vocals in an ocean of noise.
Nas Illmatic 1994 Hip-Hop East Coast Hip-Hop At 21 Nas sets the gold standard for East Coast hip-hop, packed with rhymes depicting life in an NY ghetto and classic beats by DJ Premier
Neil Young & Crazy Horse After the Goldrush 1970 Rock Country Rock
An immersive trip into German 70's psych rock. Very long, low-tempo, calm guitar tunes and dark avant-gardist ambient/drone compositions.
NEU! NEU! 1972 Rock Krautrock
Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane over the Sea 1998 Indie Indie Rock, Psychedelic Folk, Lo-Fi, Fuzz Folk, An urgent thrust forward of a fuzz-folk album. Energetic, contemplative, iconic.
New Order Power Corruption and Lies 1983 Rock New Wave, Post Punk, Early Electronica The band formed after the end of Joy Division creates a sound more upbeat and electronic influenced than JD's projects.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree 2016 Rock Art Rock, Ambient Emotional Art Rock record by the prolific songwriter, using choral elements and esoteric lyrics to mourn the death of his son.
Nick Drake Pink Moon 1972 Folk Folk, Singer-Songwriter Nick Drake's final album before his suicide, generally upbeat music and generally depressing lyrics. Prepare to feel sad.
Nirvana In Utero 1993 Rock Alternative Rock, Grunge Overshadowed by the insanely popular Nevermind, In Utero is a much more raw and aggressive album that better showcases the band.
Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? 2007 Indie Indie Pop, Art Pop, Experimental Pop, Neo-Psychedelia Sugary, very glitzy psych rock dealing with themes of mental illness and social anxiety.
Oneohtrix Point Never Replica 2015 Electronic Experimental, IDM
Opeth Blackwater Park 2001 Metal Progressive Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Rock Progressive metal album which rapidly changes from death metal to clean acoustic interludes, produced by and features Steven Wilson.
Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come 1959 Jazz Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz The first free jazz album, a monument in that respect. Expect chaos.
Alternative Hip-Hop, Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip-Hop, Hip-
Outkast Aquemini 1998 Hip-Hop Hop Soul, Southern Hip-Hop Thick, layered space age atmosphere. Andre 3000 continues to experiment while Big Boi delivers some of his coldest and cleverest bars ever.
Surreal, literary lyricism blended with timely use of noisy washes of guitar in well-mixed, always-brief pop song structures.
Pavement Slanted and Enchanted 1992 Rock Indie, College Rock
Pescado Rabioso Artaud 1973 Rock Latin Rock, Blues Rock
Pink Floyd The Dark Side of The Moon 1973 Rock Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock Among the best-selling albums of all time, this is an atmospheric, alien prog-rock album by classic rock giants Pink Floyd.
Pixies Doolittle 1989 Rock Alternative Rock, Indie Rock Insanely influential release defined by its catchy and chaotic structures with themes of religion, surrealism and death
Portishead Portishead 1994 Electronic Trip-Hop, Downtempo The sound of being in a spaceship in a Gerry Anderson show from the 60's, whilst on a lot of acid.
Funk Metal, Funk Rock
Primus Pork Soda 1993 Rock Les Claypool is living legend of the bass guitar, Pork Soda is one of his greatest works.
Prince Sign O’ the Times 1987 Rock R&B, Funk, Psychedelic Pop
Queen A Night at the Opera 1975 Rock Glam Rock
Radiohead Kid A 2000 Rock Art Rock Radiohead reinvents themselves for the new millennium with a style heavily influenced by electronics and experimentation
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 1995 Hip-Hop Hardcore Hip-Hop, Mafioso Rap, East Coast Hip-Hop Arguably the best Wu-Tang solo project. A concept album about money, crime, heists, and existentialism that pioneered mafioso rap.
Redman Muddy Waters 1996 Hip-Hop Hip-Hop
Richard and Linda Thompson I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight 1974 Rock Folk rock Husband and wife folk duo, one of the greatest documents of the 70s British folk scene outside of Canterbury.
Ride Nowhere 1990 Rock Shoegaze, Brit-Pop The most Rock-Oriented of the 3 "essential" shoegaze albums, this album combines riffs and speed with the more dreamy aspects of shoegaze
Robert Wyatt Rock Bottom 1974 Rock Prog Rock, Avant-Rock, Jazz Fusion This innovative rock-jazz fusion with lyrics like nursery rhymes manages to become an emotionally stirring masterpiece.
Roxy Music For Your Pleasure 1973 Rock Art Rock, Glam Rock
Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 2014 Hip-Hop Hardcore Hip-Hop, Industrial Hip-Hop The unlikely Atlanta/NYC duo return in peak form to drop a string of nonstop bangers.
Rush 2112 1976 Rock Prog Rock Classic rock concept album set in the year 2112
Ryo Fukui Scenery 1976 Jazz Piano Jazz Famously popularized by YouTube, Ryo Fukui's first album contains accessible jazz while boasting his prodigious piano skills.
Sade Love Deluxe 1992 Jazz Ambient, Cool Jazz
Sex Pistols Nevermind the Bollocks 1977 Punk Punk Rock considered by many the definitive punk album, NMtB was the ultimate art school rebellion, with many songs designed to spark controversy
Shellac 1000 Hurts 2000 Rock Noise Rock Fronted by the legendary Steve Albini, it features abrasive yet minimal instrumentation and and one of the most powerful openers ever.
Sigh Imaginary Sonicscape 2001 Metal Avant-Garde Metal Genres don't exist in this album , the legendary Japanese band made an album few will surpass
Sigur Rós Ágætis Byrjun 1999 Rock Post-rock Ambient, blissful post-rock, Jonsi's Icelandic Falsetto lending a ghostly quality to the beds of Synth and Guitar.
Sleep Dopesmoker 2003 Metal Stoner Metal, Doom Metal Consisting of only one hour long song, this album features trance inducing heavy riffs and drumming.
Slint Spiderland 1991 Rock Post-rock, Math rock, Post-Hardcore A strange, noodling guitar-based work with unforgettable, intricate textures and a huge emotional range.
Slowdive Souvlaki 1993 Rock Dream pop, Shoegaze The most pop-oriented of the three essential shoegaze albums, this is often considered dream pop's singular masterpiece
Solar Fields Mirror’s Edge Original Soundtrack 2009 Electronic Ambient, Psy-Trance Essentially just a Solar Fields album but featuring a very balanced blend of ambient music, breakbeat and psytrance.
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation 1988 Punk Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, Experimental Rock Cornerstone of 80s American music tackles topics about the shortcomings of its generation and the blind optimism of the youth.
Spiritualized Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
1997 Rock Dream Pop, Psychedelic Rock This album, mostly concerned with drug addiction, is full of awe inspiring instrumentation and songwriting
St. Vincent Actor 2009 Pop Art Pop, Baroque Pop, Progressive Pop
Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto 1964 Jazz Bossa Nova, Bossa Nova-Jazz The essential bossa nova and latin jazz album.
Sufjan Stevens Illinois 2005 Indie Chamber Pop, Nu-Folk, Folk Pop A vast careening monolith, from folky ruminations to guitar-led bangers to orchestral set-pieces. And fun.
Sun Kil Moon Benji 2014 Folk Folk Rock, Indie Folk Sad man writes sad songs, cry yourself to ash.
Sunn O))) Monoliths and Dimensions 2009 Metal Drone Metal For many the humming guitar tones and hefty textured passages found here were a gateway to Drone Metal.
Sunny Day Real Estate Diary 1994 Rock Emo, Alternative
Swans To Be Kind 2014 Rock Post-Rock, Post-Punk A two hour epic featuring repetitive riffs and an immense sense of atmosphere. An intense listen.
Sweet Trip Velocity : Design : Comfort 2003 Electronic Glitchtronica
Talk Talk Laughing Stock 1991 Rock Post-Rock, Jazz Rock Sparse, delicate post-rock, Talk Talk basically invented the style.
Talking Heads Remain in Light 1980 Rock New Wave At a time of musical stagnation, Talking Heads, with the production Brian Eno, created an essential, danceable Art Rock album.
Tame Impala Lonerism 2012 Rock Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Kevin Parker progresses his songwriting and experimentation to make the most popular and widely celebrated psych rock album of the decade.
Television Marquee Moon 1977 Rock Post-Punk, New Wave, Proto-Punk, Art Rock The album that wrote the book on dual guitar interplay. Marquee Moon (the track) is an utter essential.
The Allman Brothers Band Eat A Peach 1972 Rock Southern Rock, Blues Rock
The Antlers Hospice 2009 Rock Indie rock Indie concept album dealing with love, death and the imperfection of human beings. Saying more would spoil it.
Plunderphonics, Nu-Disco, Instrumental Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop
The Avalanches Since I Left You 2000 Electronic Soul One of the staples of plunderphonics: SILY is made from 3500 samples carefully sewn together to create a perfect summery meta-album.
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 Pop Psychedelic, Rock The most critically acclaimed album from "the greatest or most significant or most influential rock band" of all time; a must-listen.
The Clash London Calling 1979 Punk Post-punk The album that heralded "the death of punk", this album combines Reggae, Ska and other forms of music, with Punk's more brazen stylings.
The Cure Disintegration 1989 Punk Post-Punk, Gothic Rock The Cure's gothic masterpiece; "the best album ever"
Vibrant neo-psychedelia (mostly) made without the use of any guitars
The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin 1999 Rock Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Rock
The Jesus and Mary Chain Psychocandy 1985 Rock Noise Pop, Proto-Shoegaze One of the albums that heralded the birth of shoegaze, Psychocandy is noisy, brash, brutal and exhilarating
The Knife Silent Shout 2006 Electronic Synthpop
The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs 1999 Indie Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Baroque Pop As someone so eloquently put it: "what it says on the tin".
The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium 2003 Rock Progressive Rock, Post-Hardcore, Jazz Rock
The Microphones The Glow pt.2 2001 Folk Lo-Fi, Fuzz Folk Heavy emotional folk album made by one guy, interesting textures and songwriting
Bittersweet singer/songwriter album reflecting on John Darnielle’s childhood and relationship with his recently passed abusive step-father.
The Mountain Goats The Sunset Tree 2005 Folk Indie, Folk Rock
The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream 1993 Rock Dream Pop, Alt-Rock, Grunge Siamese Dream uses intricate sonic landscapes to push its masterful rock songwriting.
The Strokes Is This It 2001 Rock Indie Rock Part of the garage-rock revival scene, Is This It is the band's debut album with catchy riffs and distinct vocals from frontman Casablancas.
The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground & Nico 1967 Rock Art Rock Incredibly influential rock album which holds concepts that have been elaborated on by many bands since, but never truly recaptured.
Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners 1957 Jazz Hard Bop
Toe For Long Tomorrow 2009 Rock Post-rock, Math Rock
Tokyo Shoegazer Crystallize 2011 Rock Shoegaze
Tom Waits Rain Dogs 1985 Rock Blues Rock, Art Rock Tom Waits' voice makes this album unlike anything else of its style. Often bizarre, always brilliant.
Tortoise Millions Now Living Will Never Die 1996 Rock Post-rock
Turnover Peripheral Vision 2015 Rock Dream Pop, Alt-Rock Emo-influenced dream pop which sounds like teenage romance
Underworld Dubnobasswithmyheadman 1994 Electronic Techno, Progressive House, Progressive Trance, Ambient
Van Morrison Astral Weeks 1968 Folk Folk Rock, Folk Jazz A beautiful blend of folk, blues, jazz and classical music, and probably Van Morrisson’s most ambitious work to date.
Venom Welcome to Hell 1981 Metal Speed Metal Extremely influential on the emerging Thrash Metal scene, and would later help inspire the Death Metal and Black Metal subgenres
Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock
Ween The Mollusk 1997 Rock Incredibly distinct and fun experimentation from Ween produced this album that sounds like how it feels to be underwater.
Weezer Pinkerton 1996 Rock Alternative Rock, Power Pop, Emo Fusing their debut album's pop songwriting with intimate lyrics by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the band's most influential album.
Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2002 Rock Alternative Rock
Wild Nothing Nocturne 2012 Indie Dream Pop Dreamy vocals and bright melodies are abundant on this album, each song reminiscent of a nostalgic summer memory.
Wire Pink Flag 1977 Punk Post-punk, Art punk
Wu Tang Clan Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers) 1993 Hip-Hop East Coast Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop Beloved Wu-Tang album where each member uses their own style of hardcore rapping over lo-fi and progressive production from Rza.
X Los Angeles 1980 Rock Punk Rock West coast punk rock with attitude. Produced by Ray Manzarek of The Doors and features his keyboard work on one track.
Xiu Xiu Fabulous Muscles 2004 Pop Avant-garde pop, noise pop A very experimental and considered pop album that deals with themes of toxic masculinity, sexuality, and LGBT identity.
Yeasayer All Hour Cymbals 2007 Rock Experimental Rock
Yes Close to the Edge 1972 Rock Prog Rock Divided into three songs, this is a grandiose, mystical, colourful symphony that has become a prog rock classic.
Yo La Tengo I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One 1997 Rock Noise Pop, Shoegaze, Folk Rock One of the band's most diverse albums, combining influences from the earlier 7 albums to create a sonic rollercoaster.
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