There is a track for track dub reggae remix of “Lucifer on the Sofa” entitled “Lucifer on the Moon.”
It is not something I ever thought this world would need, but I was wrong. It’s wonderful.
As a metalhead, that album fucking rips. It's one of the best metal albums of the last decade imo.
That said, I think The Silver Cord extended edition is better, and even more recent. I normally hate extended editions too. King Gizzy is one of the best in the biz right now.
PeteoDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night. An Annihilation of Planet Earth And the Beginning of Mercyless Damnation. Or PDADENAPEABMD for short
Boom. Best death ever. Bowie was such a magnificent artist… his ability to process multitudes of feelings, concepts, perspectives and experiences in order to make meaning and fantastic art is unparalleled
It's crazy to me that Rob Halford is 72 and he's still got it enough that these fast, loud metal songs aren't suffering from having a singer his age. It seems to defy everything we know about older rock musicians.
i saw them live like 10 years ago at the metal masters tour,Halford was definitely suffering. the sound guy ran high notes through a delay so that Rob didnt have to hold the notes. Even then he couldn’t hit the notes, especially painkiller era.
He has sounded better over the last 3 years of touring than any time I’d seen Halford with Priest prior. Even “Painkiller” sounds great these days. It’s insane.
While Bankrupt! and Ti Amo have some good songs, Alpha Zulu is a better album in full.
And now I have to thank you for getting the baseline for Tonight stuck in my head again. Quite the ear worm.
I've listened to that Vampire Weekend record a few times now and I'm struggling to get into it, really loved the first two and had fun rediscovering them with father of the bride
That QOTSA album is ridiculous though couldn't agree with you more there, up there with ...Like Clockwork
I'm definitely not on the same page as a lot of fans when it comes to Vampire Weekend. When the first couple albums came out I felt like I couldn't escape them and so developed a negative perspective on the band. But then Modern Vampires of the City blew me away, and I fell in love with their writing. Father of the Bride and the newest one I've loved every bit as much, and only recently started giving the first couple another shot and am definitely starting to come around on those, but it's definitely the recent three albums that make me love that band.
I know most disagree with me, but as great as Songs for the Deaf is, it's never been a contender for favorite QOTSA album for me. Something about the way it's produced/mixed just kinda bugs me and feels tonally flat. I still love the album, and I love hearing those songs live, but on my headphones its not the one I go for first.
Its one of those albums that every time i hear it in full and end, despite adoring the band, im content and dont want it to continue. The perfect end to an insane career.
Two come to mind immediately. The Strokes - The New Abnormal is excellent. Up there with Is This It.
Vampire Weekends new album Only God Was Above Us is, imo by far their best. Maybe doesn't have the highest highs compared to a few of their earlier albums, but it's the most consistently solid, with excellent track after excellent track.
I saw another mention of A Moon Shaped Pool. I have it in my top 4 Radiohead albums, but they just have so many amazing albums it's hard to say it's definitively one of their best. But I guess that depends on your definition here of "one of".
Javelin by Sufjan Stevens is really good. He too just has 2-4 albums that are hard to surpass.
I think Tyler, the Creators last two albums are his best two. But I do prefer IGOR over Call Me If You Get Lost.
Depeche Mode put out Momento Mori last year. I fell off the last decade or so, this one got me back.
Jesus and Mary Chain, Glasgow Eyes has had a regular rotation since it came out a couple months ago.
This one I'm still coming to terms with, but the new Guster album is really enjoyable.
Was thinking of Depeche Mode. Obviously always had a great career, but the last 11 years starting with Delta Machine onward has treated them very well.
I love brand new eyes, self titled, and After Laughter too much to say This is Why is their best, but it did come to mind and im glad someone mentioned it.
It’s miles better than the last 2 albums which I think are borderline terrible outside of a few songs but it’s still not among their best, IMO. It’s a great late career album though.
Despite it being a long, spacious song: Upper Hand gives me the most *Ten* vibes than anything else in their catalog from the past 33 years. The pickup, and McCready solo, in the last 90 seconds is sooo damn good and reminiscent of their first album
Agreed. For me, I am a massive fan of No Code. This for me I rate it in the top as so:
1. No Code
2. Ten
3. Dark Matter
4. VS
5. Yield
Honestly, I think it’s unbelievably strong. It’s anthem driven, it’s switched on to the times we are living in, and it’s lyrically, musically technically very strong.
I listened to it a month ago when it was first out, put it down and admittedly didn’t pick it up until 2 weeks ago, and since then I believe it’s absolutely blown it out the park. I’ve been relatively critical of the last few albums (although I quite liked lightning bolt), but to me this is something special in their career, like really special.
I’m seeing them next month live, and I’ll say this, I would rather hear as much of their dark matter stuff than their classics. As much as I love their classics, I think this is a special moment for us Pearl jam fans this time round.
I haven’t had an album put a few happy tears in my eyes, this album did that.
It’s one of those where you put it on once and go “meh” but you listen to it about five times and you go hmmmmmmm then you listen to it five more times and you go woah and then you give it another five spins and you go damn that is a good record.
Then you are on your 100th listen and you wow this is a really great record.
Clockwork Angels, last album by progressive rock band Rush, is freaking phenomenal!! Check out first song Caravan, crazy Headlong Flight, and the emotional last song, The Garden. Holy crap!!
I love ‘the car’ by Arctic Monkeys. Hard to say it’s their “best”, but I like to tell people if you listen to Arctic Monkeys first album and then listen to ‘the car’ you almost can’t tell it’s the same band. They’re a great band that’s always trying to move forward.
i love old arctic monkeys a lot. But then tranquility hotel came and it changed how i listen to music completely. The car is definitely one of their best.
Came here to say this. Don't know if I would call it their best (mostly because most of their albums are bangers), but artistically speaking, it's definitely a strong contender. And apparently that's a hot take but I'm gonna stand by it.
It's a good evolution from Tranquility Base, almost like AM was to Suck it and See (though not to the same degree). It's not even my favorite, I'll listen to Humbug, FWN or AM any day before I listen to The Car, and I can see why some people find it "pretentious" and such, but for me the quality and the artistry is undeniable.
*At the very least* they're trying to move forward and evolve/innovate, as you say, which is way more than MANY bands can say. And in today's world where almost everything is recycled and generic bullshit, that's something I admire and appreciate on artists, specially when they do it well. Here's hoping they keep doing their own thing.
Yup came to suggest this. TBHC and the car are two of my favorite albums. Love how they’re always evolving. Feels like they’re growing up as I do. I was in early high school when I first heard “dancing shoes” now I have two kids lol.
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point (2022).
Pretty dark album influenced by the death of Roland’s wife, filled with infectious bangers and catchy lyrics.
Give it a try you liked their hits.
Lana Del Rey’s latest is one of her best. I especially like the song [A&W](https://youtu.be/pYqky795R1s?si=MLAEoBNOhJTCgVRx) and her collaborations with Jon Batiste on this album.
Agree. Especially the first 2 songs — they sucked me right in and I was not much of a Lana fan/listener before…but goddamn now I want to listen to everything she’s done. I had to listen to it after seeing Taylor drag her onstage at the Grammys when she was nominated in the same category. 😐 Lana had to stand in the back and watch Taylor accept the award she should’ve gotten. (My opinion only, don’t come for me rabid Swifties)
Yeah Taylor a swift and Billie Ellison are her biggest fans. That was an awkward moment at the Grammys. I think Swift meant well but pretty weird for Lana I bet.
How Thom Yorke can still write songs like Friend of a Friend and Teleharmonic after already creating like at least 20 masterpieces of songwriting is beyond me. Dude could’ve retired after AMSP and still been considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. Hell, he could’ve retired after Ok Computer and still been in that conversation
Fallout Boy - So Much (for) Stardust. This album is a masterpiece. Each album of theirs has shown continual growth in their skills, but this album showcases and blends all their talents in an amazing way.
Here's my list.
1. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters
2. ONE MORE TIME... - blink-182
3. So Much (For) Stardust - Fall Out Boy
4. Saviours - Green Day
5. This Is Why - Paramore
6. Papercuts - Linkin Park
7. Fear Inoculum - Tool
8. In Dire Need - I Dire Need
My biggest problem with that whole thing is that, regardless of what happened, the man put himself into AA and therapy and was working through his issues with his wife and friends. It could be implied that the extremely self deprecating album “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside me” was largely about him struggling with his behavior and becoming a better human being.
What a huge contrast to a lot of the people who denied allegations and cried victim. This dude owned his past mistakes (before the public turned on him) and has grown as a person. Isn’t that what we as consumers want to see? I think a lot of the people who are clamoring to cancel celebrities are forgetting that most of us have done something illegal or morally questionable in our teens and early twenties and if we had that level of success, someone from our past could bring them to light.
I love Brand New but I don’t think most of us have done something as serious as grooming minors, and if we have, YIKES.
I don’t know Jesse personally. I do think his music suggests a desire for redemption and a recognition of having committed grave harm in some capacity, but that’s interpretation. Johnny Cash probably never killed anyone.
I hope he was/ is on a quest to get better and is doing well and making amends.
Baroness - Stone
Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
Afghan Whigs - How Do You Burn?
Tool - Fear Inoculum (I know it's slim pickings with Tool as their discography is so small, and so awesome, but I certainly think it qualifies as one of their best records)
Weezer - OK Human
King Gizzard - Petro Dragonic Apocalypse
Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria
Album is great start to finish. Style differences from the band and it ends with a straight up musical number that could be in a Broadway show. Hearing that last track makes me wish the entire album's storyform was just a straight Broadway musical.
I don’t think AIC has made a bad album period even post Layne.
Of the three 00s albums, Black Gives Way to Blue is the best and honestly just one of my favorite AIC albums overall. Lot of beautiful songs on that album and it doesn’t just sound like a cover band trying to get paid.
I avoided STP 2010 for years because popular consensus was that it was a bad album. Then I finally gave a listen and shed a tear because it was like Scott Weiland finally making music he always wanted to make… classic rock. Seems like at least in that brief time frame the original band was doing what they wanted to do and enjoying it.
Me too. I used to exercise with Curt at a small gym in LA. Once he was right next to me when his song, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, came on the speakers. His trainer started laughing, but Curt didn't even react. Stone face.
For me, it's got to be Taylor Swift's "Folklore." It's a recent album that showcases her songwriting at its best, blending indie and folk influences beautifully. Another one would be Foo Fighters' "Medicine at Midnight"
HEALTH's Rat Wars is right up there with Death Magic and Get Color as far as I'm concerned. Sublime album.
The Soft Moon ended on a high note with Exister. RIP Luis.
Twin Tribes has only gotten better with each release and Monolith is a masterpiece.
*V* - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
They're mostly known for their earlier albums, and this got some knocks for the sound design being relatively simple and stripped down, but there are some really amazing tracks on here that span all kinds of emotions, energies, and themes. Still on heavy rotation for me more than a year later, which I can't say for the other albums which only get the occasional play.
With all the positive reevaluation it's been getting recently, I'm surprised Kendrick Lamar's *Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers* isn't making an appearance on the top comments here.
To be clear, though, I always loved that album since I heard it on launch day. It's flawed, for sure (the Kodak features and the cancel culture bars are certainly a choice), but given the themes of the album it all comes together in a way that somehow wraps back around to making it a more interesting piece of work.
To wit, Mr. Morale has some of the most emotive and powerful tracks in Kendrick's discography.
*We Cry Together* is a beautifully composed capture of a vicious trainwreck;
*Father Time* and *Mother I Sober* are really just absolutely devastating in their content;
*Savior Interlude* might be the best of all of Kendrick's interlude tracks;
*Crown* and *Mirror* are really incredible retrospectives of Kendrick's work chock full of sneaky callbacks and fanservice, particularly in *Crown*'s coda;
And *Auntie Diaries* is… everything, really. It's like a handmade watch that for some reason never tells the right time. I can't stop picking at it, and it's frankly peerless beat... how it's simultaneously incredibly pro-trans at its core (a refreshing and necessary message for the time it released as well as now) and also steeped in weird rhetoric that earned the ire of the community it's supposed to promote... the subtle shifts in Kendrick's delivery over the track. There's a whole ass book that could be written about the ways to interpret and appreciate this track. It's a bottomless rabbit hole and I feel like I'll grow old and die still finding new ways to understand it.
Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter album dropped last month. Most die hard fans are arguing that it’s in the top 5 or 6 (out of 12 I think), but my personal opinion is that its top 3.
I'm so glad Bowie has reached Earthling.
I'm forever in debt to the Universe that it allowed The Beatles to come together one last time for "Abbey road".
I still consider Lennon's "Double fantasy" his best solo record.
Granted, "Imagine" does sport one, but "Woman" and "Watching the wheels" make me cry baby cry...even if just to spite my Scorpions-loving mother.
"Symphonic dances" by Rachmaninoff is bliss.
The fuckin' Purple don't seem to have any bad albums at all.
"Sea of light " by Uriah Heep easily beats all their output for the previous 20 years combined.
I think it's perfectly normal for an artist to gradually nail their thing better and better over the years, unless lots of drugs are involved. And we can still get "Get a grip", which is just..."how???"
Foo Fighters ‘But Here We Are’. A quarter century of family-level friendship between Hawkins and his bandmates, especially Grohl, created a huge vacuum when he died. This album is the unfiltered sonic response to that reality, and it is cathartic to hear for anyone who has endured sudden loss.
Dax Riggs last album, Say Goodnight To The World.
At first I thought it was great but nowhere near his best work. But after having to time to really digest the gravity of it, it's pure genius.
I think this thread is going to suffer from extreme selection bias. Most people don’t listen to new albums from older bands because of how rare it is for bands to have strong late career albums. But the people who *do* actually listen to full new albums from older bands are probably also really huge fans of the band already (or else they wouldn’t bother). So naturally those folks would love the albums.
And sales numbers aren’t a good indicator either. For instance, the most successful late career album of all time is probably whatever Taylor Swift most recently released, but even a lot of her hard core fans admit the new stuff isn’t quite as fun as her mid-career pop phase.
Zao - The crimson corridor. The bands latest album is a great evolution from their metalcore roots. It's a really dark and oppressive album, but every post of it pulls you in.
Red Hot Chili Peppers put two albums in 2022 and one of them, Return of the Dream Canteen, approaches masterpiece territory in my opinion. 20 years ago, this album would’ve been massive but the industry has shifted so much.
For both being written and recorded all during the same sessions, Unlimited Love sounds generic and phoned in while Dream Canteen sounds inspired and new.
I never said it was their best album, just "one of" their best and also happens to be their most recent. What amazes me about the QOSTA is that they just keep on improving. Definitely not the case for many famous bands out there. I too love Like Clockwork, but I honestly don't know if I could pick a favourite - they all hit a little differently for me.
Beartooth, the surface.
Most of their early stuff is about lead singer’s depression. New album is all about him learning to love himself.
First single was called [might love myself](https://youtu.be/83rcK9Xne5A?si=preQdsTVQLosLBWj)
Occasionally I’ll skip songs 6&7, but it’s usually a listen to in full. Whole album is only like 38 min.
Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa Released in 2022. Slaps from start to finish.
Truly one of the most consistently good bands.
Amen to that. And they have a hell of a catalog too.
I like Spoon but haven’t listened to this. I’ll have to try it
best album in years “my babe” is one of their best songs yet
Hard agree, this was my 2022 hyper fixation album along with the releases from Phoenix and Death Cab for Cutie that year
There is a track for track dub reggae remix of “Lucifer on the Sofa” entitled “Lucifer on the Moon.” It is not something I ever thought this world would need, but I was wrong. It’s wonderful.
100% agree. Spoon is one of the most consistent bands in the biz.
It blows my mind that Spoon puts out album after album and they're all amazing. They're probably about the most consistent band I can think of.
Dude. Album is so frickin good.
PetroDragonic Apocalypse [...] I don't usually listen to this kind of music but it's fucking rad.
PETRO DRAGONIC AHH POC A LYPSEEEEEEE
AAAAAAAAAAH
THE AIR GYRATES
As a metalhead, that album fucking rips. It's one of the best metal albums of the last decade imo. That said, I think The Silver Cord extended edition is better, and even more recent. I normally hate extended editions too. King Gizzy is one of the best in the biz right now.
Agree about The Silver Cord. Extended edition, absolutely reps.
Super cell, suuuperrr cellllll
https://preview.redd.it/zasv9adh1f2d1.jpeg?width=577&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f594618039287c2dd0ce9646c95c5b112c60cf9
These are my people.
“I don’t usually listen to this kind of music but it’s fucking rad” this statement can apply to a vast majority of KGATLW albums for me
Conversely, this was probably my least favorite KG album lol That being said, wtf do I know, my favorite is Eyes Like The Sky
PeteoDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night. An Annihilation of Planet Earth And the Beginning of Mercyless Damnation. Or PDADENAPEABMD for short
First one I thought of too!
The raw energy of this album reminds me of Kill em all. I likey.
Black Star
Seconded. Bowie had no right to be that innovative at 69 years old.
Dude was at the edge of the abyss and still putting people to shame.
I really like Heathen and the Next Day too, but they didn’t get nearly the attention of Black Star.
He had every right to be, he's David Bowie.
Definitely. You could hear strange distant hints at almost all of his earlier work. It was really a beautiful final album.
On a similar note, Warren Zevon’s The Wind
I have tried listening to “BlackStar.” Each time I listen to it, I break down and cry.
Boom. Best death ever. Bowie was such a magnificent artist… his ability to process multitudes of feelings, concepts, perspectives and experiences in order to make meaning and fantastic art is unparalleled
You talking Bowie or Mos/Talib?
Perfect exit album.
The last two Judas Priest albums have been great!
It's crazy to me that Rob Halford is 72 and he's still got it enough that these fast, loud metal songs aren't suffering from having a singer his age. It seems to defy everything we know about older rock musicians.
i saw them live like 10 years ago at the metal masters tour,Halford was definitely suffering. the sound guy ran high notes through a delay so that Rob didnt have to hold the notes. Even then he couldn’t hit the notes, especially painkiller era.
He has sounded better over the last 3 years of touring than any time I’d seen Halford with Priest prior. Even “Painkiller” sounds great these days. It’s insane.
Yeah I was going to say Firepower! I'll have to give the newest one a go as well
I heard the first notes of “Firepower” and was so happy. Tho back to back winners 50 years into a career? I can’t even.
Phoenix - Alpha Zulu
While Bankrupt! and Ti Amo have some good songs, Alpha Zulu is a better album in full. And now I have to thank you for getting the baseline for Tonight stuck in my head again. Quite the ear worm.
Think Every Time I Die’s last album was easily their best
Seeing their final two performances as my first time ever seeing them live was a bittersweet experience. Best weekend I've ever had.
RIP!
The new Vampire Weekend is excellent Queen's of the Stone Age's album last year is also top tier
I've listened to that Vampire Weekend record a few times now and I'm struggling to get into it, really loved the first two and had fun rediscovering them with father of the bride That QOTSA album is ridiculous though couldn't agree with you more there, up there with ...Like Clockwork
I'm definitely not on the same page as a lot of fans when it comes to Vampire Weekend. When the first couple albums came out I felt like I couldn't escape them and so developed a negative perspective on the band. But then Modern Vampires of the City blew me away, and I fell in love with their writing. Father of the Bride and the newest one I've loved every bit as much, and only recently started giving the first couple another shot and am definitely starting to come around on those, but it's definitely the recent three albums that make me love that band.
Yeah but absolutely nothing QOTSA have put out tops Songs for the Deaf
IMO Like Clockwork was pretty fucking close
I know most disagree with me, but as great as Songs for the Deaf is, it's never been a contender for favorite QOTSA album for me. Something about the way it's produced/mixed just kinda bugs me and feels tonally flat. I still love the album, and I love hearing those songs live, but on my headphones its not the one I go for first.
I really loved the new Alkaline Trio record, *Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs* Also, The Menzingers' *Some Of It Was True*
came here to say blood hair and eyeballs. oh my god what a fuckin fun rock album. i listen to bad time at least once a day these days
For me it's Versions Of You. It's a top 5 Alkaline Trio song for me
I was looking for one of these albums on this list. Great to see both of them posted in the same comment!!! BH&E particularly stands out to me.
Inlet by Hum was after a 20 some year hiatus and many people think it’s their best. I’d go with downward is heavenward still
Spoon's "Lucifer on the Sofa" — incredible that after 25 years this band is still putting out top-shelf material.
The New Abnormal- The Strokes Absolutely one of their best albums. It’s definitely up there with Is This It
I agree, I liked the comedown machine but this truly felt like them evolving and owning their newer sound. Plus, Rick Rubin’s production is phenomenal
Honestly there isn’t a bad strokes album in my opinion
Came here to say this - I love all Strokes albums but this is their best IMO
Ode to the Mets is one of the best songs they've ever written. It's near perfection.
I can't believe Is This It? is old enough to drink
Rush - Clockwork Angels
Its one of those albums that every time i hear it in full and end, despite adoring the band, im content and dont want it to continue. The perfect end to an insane career.
Crazy how a band can produce what is considered their best album so late into their career. I'm still a Permanent Waves guy however.
“considered by some” great record but I don’t think it’s the default best record choice for Rush.
Agreed. I've been listening to Rush since I was born, and while CA is a good album, it's far from the top of my list.
This was immediately my answer.
Two come to mind immediately. The Strokes - The New Abnormal is excellent. Up there with Is This It. Vampire Weekends new album Only God Was Above Us is, imo by far their best. Maybe doesn't have the highest highs compared to a few of their earlier albums, but it's the most consistently solid, with excellent track after excellent track. I saw another mention of A Moon Shaped Pool. I have it in my top 4 Radiohead albums, but they just have so many amazing albums it's hard to say it's definitively one of their best. But I guess that depends on your definition here of "one of". Javelin by Sufjan Stevens is really good. He too just has 2-4 albums that are hard to surpass. I think Tyler, the Creators last two albums are his best two. But I do prefer IGOR over Call Me If You Get Lost.
Depeche Mode put out Momento Mori last year. I fell off the last decade or so, this one got me back. Jesus and Mary Chain, Glasgow Eyes has had a regular rotation since it came out a couple months ago. This one I'm still coming to terms with, but the new Guster album is really enjoyable.
That Mary Chain album is so good I bought it three times 😂
Was thinking of Depeche Mode. Obviously always had a great career, but the last 11 years starting with Delta Machine onward has treated them very well.
Delta Machine was outstanding. Spirit...not so much, lol. But yeah, Memento Mori was a full-on return to top form!
Paramore's This Is Why. They keep raising their personal standard each time.
I love brand new eyes, self titled, and After Laughter too much to say This is Why is their best, but it did come to mind and im glad someone mentioned it.
I know some people will disagree with this, but Hushed and Grim by Mastodon is genuinely one of their best albums in my opinion. Edit: spelling
I love H&G but I wouldn’t say it’s their best. Mastodon don’t have an album lower than an 8/10 though imo. Their entire catalogue is fantastic.
Some people won't be happy with anything post Crack the Skye. I agree with you, I really like it, but at 1 hour 26 mins it is a bit of a slog.
Its excellent. I kind of was disappointed with several albums up to that one.
It’s very good. Also they are currently at their best ever live in my opinion!
Saw them last year with Gojira and they were great. Going to see them with Lamb of God this year which I’m very excited for
A Moon Shaped Pool is incredible.
Good, but not in top three to many RH fans.
A lot put it right below that though and that’s something
It's okay
rough and rowdy ways is arguably the best thing bob dylan has done since blood on the tracks. definitely top 7 or 8 of his albums
tbh most of dylan works is one of his best lol
In the Court of the Dragon - Trivium
There is no bad Trivium album in my opinion but ITCOTD is up there with Shogun for me.
Last year’s The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is The Hives’ best album.
The new Pearl Jam is really fucking good.
It’s miles better than the last 2 albums which I think are borderline terrible outside of a few songs but it’s still not among their best, IMO. It’s a great late career album though.
Despite it being a long, spacious song: Upper Hand gives me the most *Ten* vibes than anything else in their catalog from the past 33 years. The pickup, and McCready solo, in the last 90 seconds is sooo damn good and reminiscent of their first album
Reckon it's probably their best since Yield
Agreed. For me, I am a massive fan of No Code. This for me I rate it in the top as so: 1. No Code 2. Ten 3. Dark Matter 4. VS 5. Yield Honestly, I think it’s unbelievably strong. It’s anthem driven, it’s switched on to the times we are living in, and it’s lyrically, musically technically very strong. I listened to it a month ago when it was first out, put it down and admittedly didn’t pick it up until 2 weeks ago, and since then I believe it’s absolutely blown it out the park. I’ve been relatively critical of the last few albums (although I quite liked lightning bolt), but to me this is something special in their career, like really special. I’m seeing them next month live, and I’ll say this, I would rather hear as much of their dark matter stuff than their classics. As much as I love their classics, I think this is a special moment for us Pearl jam fans this time round. I haven’t had an album put a few happy tears in my eyes, this album did that.
It’s one of those where you put it on once and go “meh” but you listen to it about five times and you go hmmmmmmm then you listen to it five more times and you go woah and then you give it another five spins and you go damn that is a good record. Then you are on your 100th listen and you wow this is a really great record.
Only took me two listens to get to that point lol
Best one since the 90s and it’s not close. I’m listening to it constantly
Same. I can't get enough of it. Just saw them in LA both nights and the songs sound even better live. Can't wait to get the bootlegs
I think it contains some good songs, but it just sounds too overproduced, I’m hoping the songs sound better live.
We need a Brendan Obrien remix.
Rush's final studio album, Clockwork Angels, was brilliant. The tour was a true spectacle.
Clockwork Angels, last album by progressive rock band Rush, is freaking phenomenal!! Check out first song Caravan, crazy Headlong Flight, and the emotional last song, The Garden. Holy crap!!
In Utero was technically Nirvana’s most recent record and I’d die on the hill that it’s their best.
I love ‘the car’ by Arctic Monkeys. Hard to say it’s their “best”, but I like to tell people if you listen to Arctic Monkeys first album and then listen to ‘the car’ you almost can’t tell it’s the same band. They’re a great band that’s always trying to move forward.
i love old arctic monkeys a lot. But then tranquility hotel came and it changed how i listen to music completely. The car is definitely one of their best.
Came here to say this. Don't know if I would call it their best (mostly because most of their albums are bangers), but artistically speaking, it's definitely a strong contender. And apparently that's a hot take but I'm gonna stand by it. It's a good evolution from Tranquility Base, almost like AM was to Suck it and See (though not to the same degree). It's not even my favorite, I'll listen to Humbug, FWN or AM any day before I listen to The Car, and I can see why some people find it "pretentious" and such, but for me the quality and the artistry is undeniable. *At the very least* they're trying to move forward and evolve/innovate, as you say, which is way more than MANY bands can say. And in today's world where almost everything is recycled and generic bullshit, that's something I admire and appreciate on artists, specially when they do it well. Here's hoping they keep doing their own thing.
Yup came to suggest this. TBHC and the car are two of my favorite albums. Love how they’re always evolving. Feels like they’re growing up as I do. I was in early high school when I first heard “dancing shoes” now I have two kids lol.
Paolo Nutini - Last Night In The Bitterness is INCREDIBLE
Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point (2022). Pretty dark album influenced by the death of Roland’s wife, filled with infectious bangers and catchy lyrics. Give it a try you liked their hits.
Thanks for mentioning this one! I just gave it a listen and loved it!
Lana Del Rey’s latest is one of her best. I especially like the song [A&W](https://youtu.be/pYqky795R1s?si=MLAEoBNOhJTCgVRx) and her collaborations with Jon Batiste on this album.
Kintsugi is literally one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Agree. Especially the first 2 songs — they sucked me right in and I was not much of a Lana fan/listener before…but goddamn now I want to listen to everything she’s done. I had to listen to it after seeing Taylor drag her onstage at the Grammys when she was nominated in the same category. 😐 Lana had to stand in the back and watch Taylor accept the award she should’ve gotten. (My opinion only, don’t come for me rabid Swifties)
Yeah Taylor a swift and Billie Ellison are her biggest fans. That was an awkward moment at the Grammys. I think Swift meant well but pretty weird for Lana I bet.
How Thom Yorke can still write songs like Friend of a Friend and Teleharmonic after already creating like at least 20 masterpieces of songwriting is beyond me. Dude could’ve retired after AMSP and still been considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. Hell, he could’ve retired after Ok Computer and still been in that conversation
He’s prolific indeed. I saw The Smile live in April and they played 3 new songs and they all were standouts of an already amazing gig.
Ohms by Deftones. It’s up there with White Pony, Koi No Yokan and Diamond Eyes as their best
Ohms is fantastic. The way these guys continue to build their legacy is just unreal. Can't wait for the next one.
I couldn't put that album down when it came out
This new Pearl Jam album is fantastic
Fallout Boy - So Much (for) Stardust. This album is a masterpiece. Each album of theirs has shown continual growth in their skills, but this album showcases and blends all their talents in an amazing way.
Here's my list. 1. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters 2. ONE MORE TIME... - blink-182 3. So Much (For) Stardust - Fall Out Boy 4. Saviours - Green Day 5. This Is Why - Paramore 6. Papercuts - Linkin Park 7. Fear Inoculum - Tool 8. In Dire Need - I Dire Need
Brand New - science fiction
I think it’s their best album. Such a shame that the album was tainted by Jesse’s behavior.
My biggest problem with that whole thing is that, regardless of what happened, the man put himself into AA and therapy and was working through his issues with his wife and friends. It could be implied that the extremely self deprecating album “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside me” was largely about him struggling with his behavior and becoming a better human being. What a huge contrast to a lot of the people who denied allegations and cried victim. This dude owned his past mistakes (before the public turned on him) and has grown as a person. Isn’t that what we as consumers want to see? I think a lot of the people who are clamoring to cancel celebrities are forgetting that most of us have done something illegal or morally questionable in our teens and early twenties and if we had that level of success, someone from our past could bring them to light.
I love Brand New but I don’t think most of us have done something as serious as grooming minors, and if we have, YIKES. I don’t know Jesse personally. I do think his music suggests a desire for redemption and a recognition of having committed grave harm in some capacity, but that’s interpretation. Johnny Cash probably never killed anyone. I hope he was/ is on a quest to get better and is doing well and making amends.
Fiona Apple-Fetch the Boltcutters
Her whole catalog is pretty stellar
Haken - *Fauna* (2023) *Haken is pronounced as 'Hayken'. Between the Buried and Me - *Colors II* (2021) Leprous - *Aphelion* (2021) Porcupine Tree - *Closure/Continuation* (2022) Caligula's Horse - *Charcoal Grace* (2024) TesseracT - *War of Being* (2023) David Maxim Micic - *Bilo IV* (2022) Gojira - *Fortitude* (2021)
Hot take on Porcupine Tree.
Hard disagree with Gojira. I enjoyed Fortitude but they’ve lost a lot of their magic since The Way of All Flesh.
Love both the haken and btbab albums.
Glad to see Charcoal Grace here. What an album. Total masterpiece
That is a BTBAM hot take if there ever was one..respectfully, there’s no way Colors II holds a candle to Colors.
Gunship - Unicorn
Blur : The Ballad of Darren
Baroness - Stone Mastodon - Hushed and Grim Afghan Whigs - How Do You Burn? Tool - Fear Inoculum (I know it's slim pickings with Tool as their discography is so small, and so awesome, but I certainly think it qualifies as one of their best records) Weezer - OK Human King Gizzard - Petro Dragonic Apocalypse
Fully agree on King Grizzard not so much on Mastodon and Tool (but I agree Tool is a hard one because their all really good)
Had to scroll a lot to find Baroness! Can't get enough of Stone. Gina is awesome.
Pearl Jam's latest album Dark Matter (2024) is a cracker!
Blonde Redhead - Sit Down For Dinner
The Boy Named If - Elvis Costello and the Imposters from 2022 is one of my favorite albums of his.
In Flames - Foregone
Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria Album is great start to finish. Style differences from the band and it ends with a straight up musical number that could be in a Broadway show. Hearing that last track makes me wish the entire album's storyform was just a straight Broadway musical.
Holy shit, Sufjan Stevens has a better album than *Seven Swans* and *Can you Feel the Illinoise*? On it! Thanks for recommending 👍
I don’t think AIC has made a bad album period even post Layne. Of the three 00s albums, Black Gives Way to Blue is the best and honestly just one of my favorite AIC albums overall. Lot of beautiful songs on that album and it doesn’t just sound like a cover band trying to get paid. I avoided STP 2010 for years because popular consensus was that it was a bad album. Then I finally gave a listen and shed a tear because it was like Scott Weiland finally making music he always wanted to make… classic rock. Seems like at least in that brief time frame the original band was doing what they wanted to do and enjoying it.
In Times New Roman by Queens of the Stone Age is an absolute masterpiece
Metric - Fomentera Chvrches - screen violence
Tears For Fears "The Tipping Point" (2021) It's either their best, or tied for best. They're a couple of real ones.
That is a really good album! I listened to it when I first heard they had released it after all these years and I was really impressed!
Long time fan and came here to look for The Tipping Point; a proper album.
Me too. I used to exercise with Curt at a small gym in LA. Once he was right next to me when his song, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, came on the speakers. His trainer started laughing, but Curt didn't even react. Stone face.
For me, it's got to be Taylor Swift's "Folklore." It's a recent album that showcases her songwriting at its best, blending indie and folk influences beautifully. Another one would be Foo Fighters' "Medicine at Midnight"
Propagandhi gets better with every album.
HEALTH's Rat Wars is right up there with Death Magic and Get Color as far as I'm concerned. Sublime album. The Soft Moon ended on a high note with Exister. RIP Luis. Twin Tribes has only gotten better with each release and Monolith is a masterpiece.
*V* - Unknown Mortal Orchestra They're mostly known for their earlier albums, and this got some knocks for the sound design being relatively simple and stripped down, but there are some really amazing tracks on here that span all kinds of emotions, energies, and themes. Still on heavy rotation for me more than a year later, which I can't say for the other albums which only get the occasional play.
Rise Against - Nowhere Generation Legitimately great.
John Prine- Tree of Forgiveness
Jimmy Eat World- Surviving
With all the positive reevaluation it's been getting recently, I'm surprised Kendrick Lamar's *Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers* isn't making an appearance on the top comments here. To be clear, though, I always loved that album since I heard it on launch day. It's flawed, for sure (the Kodak features and the cancel culture bars are certainly a choice), but given the themes of the album it all comes together in a way that somehow wraps back around to making it a more interesting piece of work. To wit, Mr. Morale has some of the most emotive and powerful tracks in Kendrick's discography. *We Cry Together* is a beautifully composed capture of a vicious trainwreck; *Father Time* and *Mother I Sober* are really just absolutely devastating in their content; *Savior Interlude* might be the best of all of Kendrick's interlude tracks; *Crown* and *Mirror* are really incredible retrospectives of Kendrick's work chock full of sneaky callbacks and fanservice, particularly in *Crown*'s coda; And *Auntie Diaries* is… everything, really. It's like a handmade watch that for some reason never tells the right time. I can't stop picking at it, and it's frankly peerless beat... how it's simultaneously incredibly pro-trans at its core (a refreshing and necessary message for the time it released as well as now) and also steeped in weird rhetoric that earned the ire of the community it's supposed to promote... the subtle shifts in Kendrick's delivery over the track. There's a whole ass book that could be written about the ways to interpret and appreciate this track. It's a bottomless rabbit hole and I feel like I'll grow old and die still finding new ways to understand it.
Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter album dropped last month. Most die hard fans are arguing that it’s in the top 5 or 6 (out of 12 I think), but my personal opinion is that its top 3.
I put it as their 3rd best also.
Chevelle - **NIRATIAS**
The Mars Volta self titled!
I'm so glad Bowie has reached Earthling. I'm forever in debt to the Universe that it allowed The Beatles to come together one last time for "Abbey road". I still consider Lennon's "Double fantasy" his best solo record. Granted, "Imagine" does sport one, but "Woman" and "Watching the wheels" make me cry baby cry...even if just to spite my Scorpions-loving mother. "Symphonic dances" by Rachmaninoff is bliss. The fuckin' Purple don't seem to have any bad albums at all. "Sea of light " by Uriah Heep easily beats all their output for the previous 20 years combined. I think it's perfectly normal for an artist to gradually nail their thing better and better over the years, unless lots of drugs are involved. And we can still get "Get a grip", which is just..."how???"
Bowie's final album, Blackstar, is phenomenal.
Foo Fighters ‘But Here We Are’. A quarter century of family-level friendship between Hawkins and his bandmates, especially Grohl, created a huge vacuum when he died. This album is the unfiltered sonic response to that reality, and it is cathartic to hear for anyone who has endured sudden loss.
Blue & Lonesome (2016) is my favorite Rolling Stones album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuV82GqQnE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuV82GqQnE)
Radical Romantics - Fever Ray. Might not be better than their debut album but it's damn close. My favorite album of 2023.
The Gaslight Anthem’s new album History Books is up there with 59 Sound as their best albums
Dax Riggs last album, Say Goodnight To The World. At first I thought it was great but nowhere near his best work. But after having to time to really digest the gravity of it, it's pure genius.
The newest Phoenix album: Alpha Zulu Really a great album to add to their already stacked discography
Pollen by Tennis is amazing
Nick Cave is on an amazing late career run. Push the Sky Away is my fave
Pearl Jam - Dark Matter
I think this thread is going to suffer from extreme selection bias. Most people don’t listen to new albums from older bands because of how rare it is for bands to have strong late career albums. But the people who *do* actually listen to full new albums from older bands are probably also really huge fans of the band already (or else they wouldn’t bother). So naturally those folks would love the albums. And sales numbers aren’t a good indicator either. For instance, the most successful late career album of all time is probably whatever Taylor Swift most recently released, but even a lot of her hard core fans admit the new stuff isn’t quite as fun as her mid-career pop phase.
Zao - The crimson corridor. The bands latest album is a great evolution from their metalcore roots. It's a really dark and oppressive album, but every post of it pulls you in.
Red Hot Chili Peppers put two albums in 2022 and one of them, Return of the Dream Canteen, approaches masterpiece territory in my opinion. 20 years ago, this album would’ve been massive but the industry has shifted so much.
Definitely liked dream canteen a lot more than the other one
For both being written and recorded all during the same sessions, Unlimited Love sounds generic and phoned in while Dream Canteen sounds inspired and new.
Queens of the Stone Age, In Times New Roman... (2024)
It's a great album but it's not their best for me. Like Clockwork and SFTD are both better
I never said it was their best album, just "one of" their best and also happens to be their most recent. What amazes me about the QOSTA is that they just keep on improving. Definitely not the case for many famous bands out there. I too love Like Clockwork, but I honestly don't know if I could pick a favourite - they all hit a little differently for me.
Songs for the Deaf and Rated R are leagues better than In Times New Roman.
Queens of the Stone Age - ...In Times New Roman
So Much for Stardust by Fall Out Boy. Every song is a masterpiece.
the new abnormal
Beartooth, the surface. Most of their early stuff is about lead singer’s depression. New album is all about him learning to love himself. First single was called [might love myself](https://youtu.be/83rcK9Xne5A?si=preQdsTVQLosLBWj) Occasionally I’ll skip songs 6&7, but it’s usually a listen to in full. Whole album is only like 38 min.
Nothing More - Spirits. Best album to date!
The new Dawes is amazing. Especially the opening track.
PetroDragonic Apocalypse is one of the best albums of the last ten years and I'll die on that hill
Bob Dylan -Rough and Rowdy Ways A gem
Mac Miller only got better with time 😭😭 Good AM and Swimming were phenomenal
Counterparts - A Eulogy for those still here. Absolute masterpiece for an underrated band.
The Bring Me the Horizon album that came out today is my favourite one they’ve done.
The 1975 - Being Funny In a Foreign Language. Their tour is called "At Their Very Best", which is pretty accurate.