Our Favorite Albums (221 – 230)
221. Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer – Child Ballads [2013]
Nominated by Bill Revill of Acoustic Blender who says: Beautifully sung and arranged. Brings these hundreds of year old songs to life.
222. Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill [1995]
Nominated by DJ Jagged Little Thrill of What the Funk & Word on the Street.
Morissette began work on the album after moving from her hometown Ottawa to Toronto; she made little progress until she traveled to Los Angeles, where she met producer Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard had an instant connection and began co-writing and experimenting with sounds. The experimentation resulted in an alternative rock album that takes influence from post-grunge and pop rock, and features guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and harmonica. The lyrics touch upon themes of aggression and unsuccessful relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette’s angst. (wikipedia.org)
223. Masada – Live at Tonic [2001]
Nominated by Andy Chatfield of Center for the Arts Radio Hour.
A live recording of Masada, the project of John Zorn, who performed on June 16, 2001 at Tonic, which was located at 107 Norfolk Street, New York City.
224. Frank Ocean – Blonde [2016]
Nominated by DJ Lukey G of The Guest List.
Blonde features an abstract and experimental sound in comparison to Ocean’s previous releases, with genres encompassing R&B, avant-garde soul and psychedelic pop. The album draws influences from Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys, while Ocean’s use of pitch shifted vocals particularly drew comparisons to Prince by critics. Additionally, the Beach Boys’ de facto leader Brian Wilson is recognized as a strong influence on the album’s lush arrangements and layered vocal harmonies, while the guitar and keyboard rhythms on the album are noted by critics as languid and minimal. (wikipedia.org)
225. Black Sabbath – We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N’ Roll [1975]
Nominated by Fluccs Capacitor of Time Moves Slow who says: Hard Beats, end of the world music. truly an effective expression for terror and revelry.
226. The Wailers – Burnin’ [1973]
Nominated by Karen Stein of Imagine who says: Hard to pick only one Marley album. I chose this one, which came out in 1973 (as did Catch a Fire), because Get Up, Stand Up is one my my favorite songs. This reggae album is far from mainstream reggae, with its shades of jazz, rock, and even funk. Burnin’ was an inspiration to many artists, notably, Lauryn Hill.
227. Neil Young – Mirror Ball [1995]
Nominated by DJ Cheshire Cat of Wonderland who says: Sludgey, booming, and raw, Mirror Ball sees Neil Young and Pearl Jam churning out 7 and 8 minute tracks that harken back to the original Crazy Horse days. Neil Young benefits from hard-working, talented musicians filling out the studio, and Pearl Jam finds a patron-saint of making music for yourself.
229. Warren Zevon – The Wind [2003]
Nominated by Rob of Chocolate Cake who says: Zevon says goodbye. If you aren’t crying at the end, you have no soul.
229. Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? [1995]
Nominated by DJ McKenzie of Splitting Hairs & The Beatles: A Week in the Life who says: An album full of classics that easily one of the best albums of the past thirty years. They may not have been the Beatles, but they were a great band in their own right.
230. The Wildweeds – No Good to Cry: The Best of the Wildweeds / Greatest Hits and More [2002]
Nominated by Leith of The Light Fandango and Robbie of Homegrown.
Hailing from Windsor, Connecticut, the band began in 1966.
