My 50 Favorite Albums of All Time
After all these years and decades, these albums still feel fresh and inspiring, and reveal new insights even after countless listens.
As is the case with my 50 favorite songs of all time — with which this list has a fair amount of overlap — I want to make very clear that these are my favorite albums of all time, which is not necessarily the same as “the best” or “most iconic” or “most influential” albums of all time. But I won’t even begin to pretend that this list is even remotely objective.
As with my favorite songs, these are the 50 albums that have stuck with me over the years and decades. Even after all this time, they still feel fresh and inspiring, revealing new insights even after countless listens. They continue to shape and affect me, offering beauty, comfort, rest, faith, and encouragement whenever I need them.
What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971)
A deeply human plea for compassion and understanding that’s only grown more powerful in the 50+ years since its release.
Music for Eighteen Musicians by Steve Reich (1978)
An album that completely rewrote my understanding of what music can or should sound like.
Faith by The Cure (1981)
Informed by death and loss, this album contains some of The Cure’s most personal and intimate songs.
Blade Runner OST by Vangelis (1982)
One of the greatest soundtracks ever composed still hasn’t been released in its entirety.
Structures From Silence by Steve Roach (1984)
A landmark release in the realm of space music.
It’ll End in Tears by This Mortal Coil (1984)
With its evocative title and moody artwork, I’m pretty sure this became one of my favorite albums even before I actually listened to it.
The Unforgettable Fire by U2 (1984)
The sound of a band challenging themselves to explore new sonic directions instead of sticking to what fans might expect.
Sleeps with the Fishes by Pieter Nooten and Michael Brook (1987)
With its moody atmospherics and haunting vocals, this feels like the Platonic ideal of the classic 4AD aesthetic.
Shaded Pain by Lifesavers Underground (1987)
An album that shouts out from the wrong side of the tracks about human frailty and a desperate need for God’s grace.
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (1990)
One of finest examples of 4AD’s classic sound, and of the dream pop genre as a whole.
Violator by Depeche Mode (1990)
A slick, arresting trip through the darker aspects of human desire and obsession.
Sin Disease by Scaterd Few (1990)
A wild and invigorating listen filled with enough passion and conviction for a dozen albums.
Children of Nature OST by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (1991)
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson’s heartbreaking string arrangements, ominous synth ambience, and angelic choirs makes for a compelling soundtrack.
Loveless by My Bloody Valentine (1991)
The album that allegedly bankrupted Creation Records is a landmark in the realms of shoegaze and dream pop.
Wish by The Cure (1992)
My very first Cure album, and one that occupies a very special place in my heart.
Strength by The Violet Burning (1992)
With its moody atmospherics and passionate, Psalm-like lyrics, this is my favorite worship album of all time.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet by Gavin Bryars (1993)
A deeply moving and even devastating experience.
Fathom by Mortal (1993)
Offered a new lexicon through which to express my faith and doubts via music that felt fresh and relevant to my young ears.
Souvlaki by Slowdive (1993)
The shoegaze legends’ sophomore album contains some of their most beloved songs.
Eating the Sea by Soulwhirlingsomewhere (1993)
The album that best distilled Projekt’s classic “darkwave” sound down to its purest and most heart-wrenching essence.
Euphoria by Insides (1993)
Dream pop has rarely sounded this blunt, edgy, or confessional.
Quique by Seefeel (1993)
Is it shoegaze? Drum n’ bass? Techno? Ambient? Dub? Yes.
Hex by Bark Psychosis (1994)
A truly singular work that has influenced countless artists while defying easy categorization.
I Could Live in Hope by Low (1994)
Low’s music was deliberately quieter and slower than their alt-rock contemporaries, giving birth to what we now call “slowcore.”
The Gift of Tears/Mirror/La Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps by Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus (1994)
The Army tapped into a vein of Christianity wholly unfamiliar to me, one entrenched in mysticism and contemplation.
Selected Ambient Works Volume II by Aphex Twin (1994)
I think Richard D. James somehow tapped into and channeled a wholly other plane of existence for these songs.
Fold Zandura by Fold Zandura (1995)
A marked departure from Mortal’s sound while still delivering much of what I loved about Mortal in the first place.
Gold by Starflyer 59 (1995)
An indelible part of my life’s mopey soundtrack.
Return of the Rentals by The Rentals (1995)
I’ll gladly exchange most of Weezer’s discography for this debut album from Weezer bassist Matt Sharp.
Endtroducing by DJ Shadow (1996)
Proved beyond any shadow of doubt that DJs could be composers in their own right.
Walking Wounded by Everything But the Girl (1996)
The use of breakbeats and jungle tempos in the service of emotional pop ballads was something entirely new to me.
We Are the Music Makers by Joy Electric (1996)
I loved the notion of a synth-pop album about knights, dragons, ancient kingdoms, ghosts, and madrigals.
Labradford by Labradford (1996)
A gorgeous post-rock album that feels like it’s stuck in the deepest winter.
Idylls and the Secret Remain by Lucid (1996)
A shadowy world where you’re never quite sure if what you’re hearing is real or part of someone else’s waking dream.
The River of Appearance by vidnaObmana (1996)
Serene atmospherics that are nevertheless tinged and shaded by darkness and mystery.
Drum & Bass for the Masses by Faith Massive (1998)
An album of intricate rhythmic patterns set against soulful vocals and moody atmospherics.
It’s Hard to Find a Friend by Pedro The Lion (1998)
David Bazan displays an uncanny ability to perfectly capture my own experiences as a Christian prone to skepticism.
81:03 by Antarctica (1999)
The New York quintet finds the unlikely connections between emo, shoegaze, post-punk, techno, and ambient music.
The Cycle of Days and Seasons by Hood (1999)
A dreary album evoking grey skies and and rain-slicked streets, and the beauty found therein.
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2000)
Post-rock doesn’t get more cinematic than this, balancing moments of rapture with moments of darkness.
The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads by Lift To Experience (2000)
This ambitious album about the apocalypse threw old time religion into a psych-rock whirlwind.
Dreaming of Spires by July Skies (2002)
Effortless dream pop suffused with a delicate, autumn-soaked nostalgia.
Catch for Us the Foxes by mewithoutYou (2004)
Effortless dream pop suffused with a delicate, autumn-soaked nostalgia.
Consider the Birds by Wovenhand (2004)
Some of the darkest and most haunting praise and worship music ever recorded.
The Täby Tapes by Nanook of the North (2004)
One of Sweden’s more offbeat pop offerings, but also one of its most layered and delightful.
Come on Feel the Illinoise! by Sufjan Stevens (2005)
The apotheosis of Sufjan Stevens’ indie-chamber-folk.
The Coldest Season by Echospace (2007)
Supremely chilled ambient techno that ably slips into the background for late night coding sessions.
Rain Temple by 2814 (2016)
Supremely chilled ambient techno that ably slips into the background for late night coding sessions.
Soft Ice by Poemme (2017)
Supremely chilled ambient techno that ably slips into the background for late night coding sessions.
Inner-Space by ISON (2019)
Cosmic metal that’s perfect for contemplating your insignificance amidst the cosmos.
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