Some really great albums I think people should know about if they don’t already:
By Matt Baker March 3, 2009
I was recently making a list of my favourite albums (see below) and I realized that there are a lot of really great albums that people may not know about. While that may seem like the most obvious statement you’ve ever read, it inspired me to make yet another list. This is not intended to be a list of obscure music for showing off, there are probably a lot of people out there that know quite a few or all of these albums, but not everyone does. So if you see one you are unfamiliar with, go check it out and let me know what you think. Or suggest some things you really like that I may not have heard; I am always on the lookout for new music. mattandroz@squirrelsofdoom.com
No Cities Left – The Dears: The Dears have a bunch of good albums, but this is definitely my favourite. Very dramatic and lush.
The Golden River – Frog Eyes: Not everyone is going to like this one, but you should give it a chance. I’m not even really sure how to describe it, so I don’t think I will. Allmusic.com says, of the first song on the album: “If David Lynch had written a Motown ballad during the filming of Dune, it probably would have sounded a lot like One in Six Children Will Flee in Boats”. Suffice to say it is quite melodramatic.
Elk-lake Serenade & 
Skyscraper National Park – Hayden: Very relaxing acoustic (mostly) folk-rockish music. Beautiful lyrics and simple arrangements.
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel: I just love this album a ridiculous amount (it can be found high up on the top 10 list below). The lyrics are full of strange imagery that does not really make sense and yet you understand exactly what he is trying to convey. Very few albums have such a feeling of intimacy and insight into the songwriter as this one.
Ambassador – Elliot Brood: Self-described “death country”. That doesn’t make much sense to me as it gives the impression of metal, which it is not at all. It is alterna-country. I especially like Johnny Rooke and Jackson. And who doesn’t love banjos?
Picaresque – The Decemberists: Some more dramatic music, but with a 18th century sea-going feel. Very romantic (in the chivalrous, adventure, emotional, introspective literature sense; not like a bodice-ripper) with lyrics that are often more like short stories set to music.
John Prine – John Prine: Great folk-country from the early seventies with a wonderful sense of humour and melancholy. Highlights include Sam Stone, Angel From Montgomery and Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.
Closing Time – Tom Waits: I think most people are most familiar with Tom Waits from his Rain Dogs style music (which, if you don’t know it is also great), but his first album is more piano-bar, jazzy type music.
Morning Noon Night & 
Now, More Than Ever – Jim Guthrie: I stumbled across Jim Guthrie’s music in an independent music store in Guelph ON, where it was playing on the stereo. I asked the guy at the desk about it and found out it was a local guy, so I bought his CD (Morning Noon Night) and it was great. I later learned that my girlfriend (who grew up in Guelph) knew his sister and had heard a demo of his. Neat. Anyway, I’ve seen him live a couple times since then and he has released Now, More Than Ever, which I am less familiar with, but it is great.
Day For Night – The Tragically Hip: If you are Canadian it is almost guaranteed that you know this album, or at least a number of the songs, but for everyone else in the world, check it out.
Felt Mountain – Goldfrapp: Goldfrapp is kind of 1940s singing with sort of electronic music. A crap description to be sure, but Alison Goldfrapp’s voice is beautiful and rich. Think Portishead sung by a 1940s lounge singer.
Finally We Are No One – Múm: Relaxing, weird electronica by yet another weird Icelandic group. Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK is also very good.
Transistor Radio – M. Ward: Another album of modern folk-type stuff that is not quite folk-rock but not straight up folk. Simple, interesting music with catchy melodies and good lyrics. Looking at this it doesn’t sound great, but it really is.
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: This album is just fun all over, with slick, catchy music that still has a lot of depth and intricacy. Relative to some other Flaming Lips albums, this is quite accessible but still has a lot to keep you coming back.
Top 10 Albums
10. Funeral – Arcade Fire: I hesitated to put this on here, but I really just love this album every time I listen to it. Very solid and complex.
9. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground: This album is slicker than the first two Velvet Underground albums, but still keeps similar themes with more melody that makes it easier to listen to. I love the first 2 albums, but in terms of re-listenability (is that actually a word?) this has a lot more going for it.
8. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco: I see a trend towards complex, yet catchy music here and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has it in spades. I can’t believe this almost was not released.
7. The Bends – Radiohead: Full of awesomeness but not quite up to the level of some of their later albums.
6. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie: This is nearly a perfect album, I can just listen to it over and over again.
5. OK Computer – Radiohead: One of the greatest rock albums ever made, OK Computer is practically a perfect album. Everything fits together perfectly with intricate music that allows you to return to it over and over again and still get something new out of it every time.
4. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel: I talked about this above, so I won’t discuss it again. Wonderful.
3. The Wall – Pink Floyd: Sure it may be bloated and led to the implosion of Pink Floyd, but I still The Wall is incredible. It is not my favourite album, but I think it is the best album ever made (at least that I have heard). It is rarely talked about with other Rock Operas, but I think that of them all it is really the most operatic, with incredible production values and attention to detail. The first disc has some of the more radio-friendly songs, but the album is best on the second disc where it becomes truly operatic with Waiting For The Worms and The Trial.
2. Kid A – Radiohead: With Kid A Radiohead went in a radically different direction from OK Computer and essentially said “Forget you guys, we’re doing whatever it is we feel like” and, I think, sealed their place in music geek fandom. An incredibly complex and layered album, the first time you listen to it it is good, but not great. It is only the 20th time you hear it that its brilliance really starts to shine through.
1. Amnesiac – Radiohead: Even more so than Kid A, Amnesiac takes some work to get in to. If Kid A takes 20 listens to fully appreciate, Amnesiac takes 50. There is so much there for anyone who wants to look for it. I don’t understand why people complain that there is no melody or guitar present. Pyramid Song has a beautiful melody and Knives Out, I Might Be Wrong and Dollars and Cents are straight up rock, albeit more interesting than most songs. Even Like Spinning Plates has a nice melody and Life In A Glass House has a wonderful New Orleans jazz feel to it. Sure there is some electronica, but it just adds to the depth of the music and provides yet more layers to listen to. Every time I listen to it I choose a different aspect of the songs to focus on and it always seems fresh. When you eventually get around to looking up the lyrics (because Thom Yorke can be a bit hard to understand at times) it adds a whole new level to the music and you can spend much time trying to figure out what the hell is going through his mind. Anyway, if you tried Amnesiac but didn’t quite get into it, give it another chance. If you’ve never heard it, seek it out, but be prepared to put in some effort. All I can say is listen to it a few times all the way through with no distractions.