21

In honor of my 21st birthday (yes it was last week, but I've been busy), I've decided to put together a very, VERY rough shortlist of my 21 favorite albums of all time. I'm doing this mostly because I've never actually put a list of favorite albums of all time together (soooo many to choose from), but also because it's a lot of fun to do and I figure it should happen anyway. And who doesn't love to read lists?

So here's the thing about the list: there are a lot of omissions. There are several albums I wanted to put on here for the sake of having them on here - albums like Wilco's 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' or Elliott Smith's 'XY' - but chose not to because they, as albums, weren't significant to me in the way these others are (though the artists themselves are WAY significant to me). I mean, I know 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrol' is a phenomenal album, but I tend to listen to 'A Ghost Is Born' more often.

And also, these are by no means the best albums of all time, but simply my favorites. I mean, if I were to put together a list of what are 'supposedly' the greatest albums ever, few of these would make the cut. And along those same lines, I've left off many classics because we know they're great albums, they just don't mean as much to me as some of these others.

Finally, I could easily put the entire Beatles catalog on this list, but for the sake of other albums, I'll only include one.

Without further ado, here is a (ROUGH) list of my 21 favorite albums (with a few words for each):

1. 'Seven Swans' by Sufjan Stevens: Easily my favorite. Gentle, calming, beautiful, and best of all, meaningful - this is Sufjan's 'Christian' album.

2. 'OK Computer' by Radiohead: My introduction to one of the
best bands ever. Every song is great.

3. 'Illinoise' by Sufjan Stevens: More intricate Sufjan, super melodic and absolutely brilliant overall.

4. 'Master and Everyone' by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: About as soft as you can get. Very gentle, acoustic. Really flippin' beautiful.

5. 'The White Album' by The Beatles: My favorite of theirs because it was my first musical memory, listening to Mom's favorite band. What else could possibly be said about it?

6. 'Elephant' by The White Stripes: I used to hate the White Stripes. Then I heard this record and changed my mind.

7. 'Joshua Tree' by U2: Another band whose entire catalog could possibly be on the list. Just gorgeous.

8. 'Greetings from Michigan' by Sufjan Stevens: Sufjan is on here a lot because he is a genius. Beautiful songs with acoustic guitar and banjo, including my favorite song of all time, 'For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti.'

9. 'Sea Change' by Beck: Like you've never heard Beck before; soft, sad acoustic balladry.

10. 'Legend' by Bob Marley: His greatest hits. Defines my springtime now.

11. 'Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd: So simple yet so complex, this is mellow 70's psychelia. Perfect introduction to the band and the decade.

12. 'Lateralus' by Tool: Sure, Tool sometimes gives off the impression of being a demonic band, but I defy you find a better metal album from the last 10 years. This was one of my first CDs ever.

13. 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' by Coldplay: Piano-driven alt-rock with one of the best voices of modern music. Makes me think of winter

14. 'The Bends' by Radiohead: Their second album, and it really shows how much they've changed. It's straight-up modern rock, but really, really good.

15. 'The Lonesome, Crowded West' by Modest Mouse: I could have put many of their albums on here, but this is the one I turn to the most. Kings of indie rock.

16. 'Funeral' by Arcade Fire: Redefined indie music, and you can see it in most bands today. Really impressive.

17. 'Takk...' by Sigur Ros: Icelandic atmospheric prog-rock. Defined my freshmen year, perfect for chilling.

18. 'Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer: Grandfather of modern punk and emo. Lots of catchy tunes.

19. 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' by Neutral Milk Hotel: A new addition to this list, preceded Arcade Fire with the whole 'redefining indie music' thing. Can't stop listening to it.

20. 'Give Up' by Postal Service: Pop techno, beautiful melodies, really catchy.

21. 'Stadium Arcadium' by Red Hot Chili Peppers: Not a landmark album by any means, but full of potential top-40 hits. Another spring time pick-me-up-er.