The album as a work of art is a rarity in the modern age. The digital music revolution has changed the way people buy and listen to music, and if you like a song, you just buy it. To consider purchasing the rest of the album is utterly preposterous.
However, the experience of listening to a whole album that is musically impressive on a grand scale is something really awe inspiring. When musicians create a set of songs that fit together in some holistic way, they capture a kind of magic that goes beyond the experience of any single song.
This is a smattering of examples of albums (in no particular order) from a relatively recent time that have left this kind of impression on me, and I hope that others will come to appreciate. YouTube links of the full albums are included for your convenience.
1. Bon Iver: "For Emma, Forever Ago" (2007)
This album truly came out of the blue, released independently in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon to critical acclaim. Vernon wrote the songs while in "hibernation", living in a cabin the middle of the woods for a few months in northwestern Wisconsin. This background information is fascinating, since every song on the album is permeated with a nostalgic, rustic feel that takes you as a listener to an untouched, pristine wintery musical landscape. Most of the songs could be classified in the genre of alternative folk. They feature minimal instrumentation, and each of them have unforgettable and hauntingly beautiful melodies.
2. Green Day: "American Idiot"
The biggest smash hit modern rock album in recent memory almost never happened. After several successful pop-punk releases in the 90's, Green Day started to explore new musical territory in 2002, recording songs in styles from all across the spectrum of musical genres. Alas, the album they planned to release known as "Cigarettes and Valentines" was never to be released, as the master tapes mysteriously vanished from the studio.
Starting from scratch, the pop-punk trio decided to start recording from scratch and gave us the last great rock opera to date. "American Idiot" tells the story of a disillusioned American young man from the suburbs, along with biting political commentary aimed at the Bush administration that still feels relevant today. The catchiness of this album is shown by the fact that even mainstream pop radio stations played its aggressive and somewhat edgy songs.
3. Queens of the Stone Age: "Songs for the Deaf" (2002)
If you ever take a long road trip, this album is perfect to play from start to finish. The premise of "Songs for the Deaf" is creative and simple: Someone is driving in the California desert from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree, and they are switching between radio stations throughout the trip. The songs on the album flow from one to the next the same way one would toggle through radio stations, and have short interludes with funny messages from "DJ's." This album also captures the style of Queens of the Stone Age in its most pristine form: gentle and melodic vocals over driving, intense guitar work.
4. The Strokes: "Is This It" (2001)
Back in 2001, The Strokes showed the musical community that the answer to the question of this album title was an emphatic yes. At the time rock music was thought to be going through a rough stage, as every other band seemed to be feeding off of Nirvana's grungy influence from the early 90's. This debut album from these Brooklyn residents was a comparative breath of fresh air. Its influence on today's "indie" styles is undeniably clear.
Every song on this album is fun, catchy, and rife with twin guitar lines that blend elegantly. The Strokes brought back the image of the classic rock stars, by both dressing the part and writing quality music. Unfortunately, they were never quite able to live up to the promise of this first album, but they continue to churn out decent albums every few years.
5. Panic! At the Disco: "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" (2005)
To call anything released by Panic! at the Disco alternative these days would be considered heresy by the musically inclined community. However, when it comes to their debut album, I would stubborn argue for its validation as a quality alternative rock album. It might have gone over many people's heads that the band wrote this album while still in high school, and started touring shortly after graduating. Their prodigious talent was embodied in Brendon Urie, whose songwriting capability is well beyond his years on this record.
"A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" is most memorable for resulting in a remarkably quirky music video. Beyond that, the album's organization is highly notable. It is basically split into two sections. The first is a creative blend of pop-punk and electronic music, while the second heads into the uncharted territory of baroque-pop-rock, replete with classical sounding and cellos. Although the teenage angst running through this album is obvious, it is well worth the overly long song titles and sarcastic lyrics for the highly original music.
6. Radiohead: "In Rainbows" (2007)
Radiohead is one of those bands that every rock fan hears that they need to listen to, but never really appeals to you upon first listen. There is certainly no better place to start than this album. "In Rainbows" occupies a unique spot in Radiohead's career. Like many other alternative bands of the 90's, Radiohead's first few albums were chock-full of simple and great guitar music. 2000's "KidA" however, represented a surprising departure. Gone were the familiar melodies and instruments; in its place were bizarre compositions with esoteric lyrics, and almost solely electronic instrumentation.
Yet still, critics lauded this new experimental style. This album to me represents the best of both worlds, combining their classic, more relatable style of their earlier albums with the progressive elements of the later ones. It also happens to be simply one of the best sounding albums I've ever listened to, bringing out the contrast between acoustic and electronic instruments masterfully. Ironically, this album also happens to be great to fall asleep to, or when you need to just completely zone out.
