The 40 Best Songs Made By Mormons

This was a difficult list to assemble.

I myself am a currently active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (forever a mouthful to say). Oddly enough, my initial idea for a list like this was "Greatest Songs Made By Scientologists." By all means, that would have been one heck of a list. But I share stuff in common with these folks. So this is all fun and weird and personal.
By the time I weeded things out, I didn't even care about the rankings. I decided what kinda music doesn't belong here (R.I.P. choral and orchestral musicians), current v. former membership (I'll take what I can get), how associated they are with the song, as well as adding a few "I know a guy who says they're LDS" picks... No one should have to care too much about this. The fact is, they're all here together. Mormonism is an experience in itself, and anybody who's been there knows this; including everyone on this list.
What we have here is the greatest ward potluck social of all time.
Glad you could make it!

Here are some acts who didn't make it:
Celtic Woman Not only is the timeline of band membership confusing, but their music sucks.
The Osmonds There are plenty of Osmonds here, just no songs by the collective family unit.
The Moth & The Flame Utah indie pop band on the rise, but no thanks.
The 5 Browns Kinda cool story behind this group, but their genre doesn't really fit the list.
David Archuleta Nah.
Gregg Hale Apparently toured as a guitarist + engineer for Spiritualized in the late 90's.
Yo Gabba Gabba! The TV show's co-founder is LDS, but he appears elsewhere on this list.
Jewel She was raised in the church! Until her parents left, non-coincidentally when Jewel was age 8.
Dallon Weekes This active member of the church has been an active member of Panic! At The Disco in 2009. I haven't liked any of their songs since 2008. But this ain't the last you heard from Panic!

40 Radioactive Imagine Dragons
Guitarist Wayne Sermon is a member, as is their frontman Dan Reynolds. Ugh... I'll probably lose a lot of YSA church friends for saying this, but... I freaking hate Imagine Dragons. The whole menu. If you're a fan of Imagine Dragons, you need to stop making fun of Nickelback. I just felt obligated to cram one of the most popular songs of the decade to the tail-end of this list. You're welcome.
39 Come Home Soon SHeDAISY
Country trio consisting of Kassidy, Kristyn, snd Kelsi Osmond. This is the gagging order.
38 Nothing On But The Radio Gary Allan
I just think it's hilarious that this song's by a Mormon. And of course, some of y'all may know Gary Allan as the guy who does the country cover of Vertical Horizon's "Best I Ever Had."
37 She's So High Tal Bachman
Son of famous Canadian classic rocker Randy Bachman, every missionary who's served in British Columbia knows at least one member who went to high school with Tal and hates his guts.
36 Hope Paul Cardall
Paul Cardall shouldn't be on this list due to his falling under the "soothing piano" genre and getting promoted by Seagull Book. But he's my favorite of the crop, and this song is brilliantly weird.
35 Truck Got Stuck Corb Lund
Corb Lund is an Alberta Mormon who makes corny country music.
34 Animal Neon Trees
Drummer Elaine Bradley is apparently an active member. Frontman Tyler Glenn famously left the church in 2015 (as did many LGBT members) and rushed into a solo career that nobody talks about. But for a sanitized Stokes ripoff, I've always had a soft spot for this song.
33 Mong York Gothen
I think the guy's name is Evan Jolley or something. Underground music project from SLC. Made an album back in 2013. Sounds like Andrew Bird, in a good way. I dig it.
32 Private World New York Dolls
Bassist Arthur Kane joined the church in 1989. This is the only song he has songwriting credit for on the essential glam-rock album New York Dolls. Might be the worst from the album, but whatever.
31 Third Rock From The Sun Joe Diffie
Tony Martin went to BYU and has since written multiple #1 hits for country artists. The mashing of worlds here is pure gold: The guy who recorded "Pickup Man" recorded a song written by some Mormon dude that's just a ripoff of Garth Brooks's "Ain't Going Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)" but with these goofy themes about truckers and aliens.
30 A Little Bit Country-A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll Donny & Marie Osmond
It's the only song I know by them. So yeah. The heck with it.
29 Meet Me In Montana Marie Osmond, Dan Seals
(sigh) No, Dan Seals (of England Dan & John Ford Coley) is not a Mormon. Of course Marie is. For some reason everyone in the world knows that. Anyways, this song is a road trip classic.
28 Loftcries Purity Ring
My buddy Liam from Canada confirms that lead singer Megan James attended the YSA ward in Vancouver. The band's from Edmonton, but I believe him. My personal favorite track here.
27 The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage Panic! At The Disco
Frontman (and practically sole band member) Brendon Urie used to be LDS. Which makes me wonder how he found that Dallon Weekes guy... home teaching?
26 She Will Be Loved Maroon 5
Guitarist James Valentine is a member! While he's on every Maroon 5 track, he was co-writer on this one, and only a couple other tracks. Ironically, if you had to blindly guess which Maroon 5 track was written by a Mormon dude, you'd probably pick this one anyway.
25 The Taste Of Ink The Used
Frontman Bert McCracken was raised LDS, and this is easily the band's best song.
24 You Got It All The Jets
Apparently they're all Mormon. All The Jets. And this is a cute little 80's jam.
23 Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner
22 Excitable Boy
21 Werewolves Of London Warren Zevon
SO... Warren Zevon's upbringing was as zany as his songs. His mom was a Mormon from England and his Jewish/Russian dad was a bookie for an LA mobster. These songs are better than most songs on the list, but Warren left the church in his mid-teens. Since most artists here have had more church involvement than this, I figured I'd sneak in these songs mid-list.
20 Super Rad
19 Pool Party The Aquabats
Nobody on this list (or any list ever) fits a niche quite like The Aquabats. No other band can say they consist mostly of active Mormons (3 of 'em), were a vital contribution to the "third wave" ska movement (thanks I guess), and birthed a children's TV show (Yo Gabba Gabba!).
18 Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye George Strait
Country hit songwriter Tony Martin strikes again! And this one's actually good!
17 The Usher SubRosa
The last thing you expected was a metal song on this list. Led by Rebecca Vernon, SLC's SubRosa is one of the most critically acclaimed metal bands of the decade. This track is as gorgeous as it is covered with sludge.
16 Disarray Low
If you think my high ranking of this song is solely to promote the new crazy/weird Low album... you're right. More on these guys later.
15 All These Things That I've Done
14 When You Were Young The Killers
Brandon Flowers' activity in the church has a history of switching on and off. As does his songwriting technique. Gotta admit, he hits the sweet spot on these 2 tracks.
13 If I Were Your Woman Gladys Knight & The Pips
Proclaimed "Empress of Soul" Gladys Knight joined the LDS church in 1997 with 2 of her kids. Some of you may recognize this song from the cover that shows up on The Diary Of Alicia Keys.
12 Dinosaur Act Low
So, Low is a band whose only 2 constant members are an LDS couple from Minnesota. Alan Sparhawk is usually their frontman, but drummer Mimi Parker sings a good chunk of their songs. Low is seminal act amid the slowcore genre, yet their 2001 album Things We Lost In The Fire was like a foretelling of multi-instrumental indie to come. These guys were ahead of their time.
11 I'll Make A Man Out Of You Donny Osmond, Chorus - Mulan
That's right. The song you've been singing in the shower for the last 20 years is sung by Mormonism's smiley-face TV legend Donny Osmond. It's his work most worthy of memory.
10 American Woman The Guess Who
Randy Bachman played guitar for The Guess Who, and even has co-writer credits for this song. He was actually an active member of the church while with the band! And as impressive as that is, his conception of this riff might be all the more impressive. It's a classic among classic rock songs.
9 You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
8 Takin' Care Of Business Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Randy Bachman finally made it to the helm of a great rock band. He is the lead singer and songwriter for both these songs, which you have all heard before, multiple times. Randy left the church in the early 2000s, but I can tell you firsthand that he was--and still is--a lovable fella among the church members of British Columbia. Having heard his music, this is probably no surprise to you.
7 Lullabye Low
Low's I Could Live In Hope was one of those important indie releases from 1994. My favorite track is a tough pick between Alan's opener "Words" and Mimi's centerpiece "Lullaby." So let's pretend like this is either of those songs. Low have been consistently talented at giving their music a "cold" sound (see their Christmas album for more). Between their depressive lyrics and atmospheric production, "Words" is where it all started and "Lullaby" is its perfected state.
6 Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)
5 Midnight Train To Georgia Gladys Knight & The Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips (whatever a "pip" is) started making R&B music way back in the 50's, but didn't reach their true commercial and critical peaks until 1972. In 1973, "Neither One Of Us" won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance, while "Midnight Train To Georgia" took the Grammy for Best R&B Performance. How does that even work? 
Anyways. Gladys has 7/18 Grammy record from 1967-2005. She represents soul and R&B on a legendary status. And she's a devout Mormon.
4 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
3 Wake Up
2 Intervention Arcade Fire
This is a controversial choice to cram a bunch of Arcade Fire songs at the top of this list. It's widely known that singer Win Butler is a former member of the church, and ranking Arcade Fire's stuff over Bachman-Turner Overdrive is a sin built for hipsters. What a lot of folks don't know is that Win's brother Will Butler is a multi-instrumentalist in the group who has co-writing credit on almost all their songs, is still a member of the church. And it's not like Will's just some groupie disguised as a musician. The guy got a freaking Oscar nomination for his composition work on the score for the 2014 film Her. And I know Win says he's no longer LDS, but nothing's more Mormon than a white dude who plays overly-aggressive basketball.
Anyways... Why these songs? While Arcade Fire has tons of Christian themes in their lyrics, I'd say these songs are spiritual experiences in themselves.
1 Mr. Brightside The Killers
I feel so stupid for ranking this song #1. But I had to. I actually love that the song structure is literally just the same verse and chorus repeated twice. It's maintained popularity and relevancy for like 15 years now. Have you listened to alternative rock radio recently? Other bands are still trying to write their "Mr. Brightside." But it's its Mormon adolescence background that adds a dose of magical honesty to this song.
The song runs fluent with dramatic high school emotion that kids my age have all experienced. There's a tone of sexual frustration in its story, like Brandon is half-heartedly fighting to think of anything else. The couple in the song are into smoking, a sinful trait which every Mormon storyteller seems conscious to bring up. And "jealousy" is "turning saint into the sea." "Saints?" Well, it's easier to say than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

50 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time (acc. google)

I like music lists. So I google search stuff like "greatest hip hop albums all time." Google itself will respond with its own list of sorts; a ribbon of hip-hop albums it considers the best. Interesting list, but no actual commentary. 
This is where I come in. 
You can google the same thing twice and could look a little different, but generally the same idea. Their picks are pretty predictable to music nerds like myself. 6 artists have 3 albums each. 7 artists have 2 albums each. There's 32/50 for ya right there. 10 albums produced by Dr. Dre. 9 albums are hosted by members of either Wu-Tang Clan or N.W.A. I mean honestly, I haven't heard all these albums all the way through. Yet somehow, I know at least 1 track from each of them. So I'm gonna pretend like I've heard all of them hundreds of times and provide a kinda snarky comment about each of them. Let's just get this over with. 

50 DMX It's Dark And Hell Is Hot 
DMX swears a lot.
49 Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 
Yeah, um, spoiler, Kendrick's on here a lot.
48 The Pharcyde Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
YA MAMA, YA MAMA, YA MAMA
47 Eminem The Eminem Show 
*token white guy
46 Black Star Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star 
Appropriately placed.
45 Ice Cube Death Certificate

Arguably my favorite album cover on this list. 

44 Dr. Octagon Dr. Octagonecologist
Kool Keith starts his career as a member of the at least somewhat accessible member 80's rap group Ultramagnetic MC's only to grow weirder with age to the point that he makes a 1996 concept album about a violent time-traveling gynecologist from Jupiter BECAUSE WHY NOT? 
43 Nas It Was Written 
I always assumed this was obviously Nas's 2nd best album, but lo and behold, there are 2 ranked higher than this. 
42 Boogie Down Productions Criminal Minded
I don't how people can look at these guys and say crap like "Golly gee, hip-hop used to be fun!"











41 Kanye West Late Registration
Somehow, over time, this has become Kanye's most underrated album.

40 Public Enemy Fear Of A Black Planet
1990 AOTY?
39 Dre. Dre Compton
Nah.
38 Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
I'm pretty sure nobody who's ever watched Are We There Yet? has ever heard this album.

37 Lauryn Hill The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Shout out to the girl I dated from Chicago whom never gets on facebook; this album still reminds me of you.
36 De La Soul 3 Feet High And Rising
Daaaaang this is ranked super low. 
35 Run-DMC Raising Hell 
Sorry to keep sounding like an "old-head," but daaaaang this is ranked super low. 
34 Mos Def Black On Both Sides 
Anyone else kinda enjoy that Be Kind Rewind movie Mos Def did with Jack Black? 

33 50 Cent Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
SO OVERRATED [drops mic]. 
32 GZA Liquid Swords 
Of course this deserves a spot on this list, I'm just surprised there's no Ghostface on here as well. 
31 Mobb Deep The Infamous 
Gotta love Mobb Deep. 
30 2Pac Me Against The World

"Dear Mama" will always be a personal favorite.
29 OutKast ATLiens
Um, yeah, Outkast, kinda good.
28 Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill
"Can you think of a stupider name than the Beastie Boys? If you could think of a stupider name, I'd probably be pretty impressed." -MCA
27 Fugees The Score
Fun fact: I was introduced to Fugees via the Sesame Street special Elmopalooza. 

26 Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Love the video where Kendrick dresses up like Uncle Sam and makes funny faces. 

25 OutKast Stankonia

"Ppht, yeah right Andre, like our country's actually gonna be bombing Baghdad any time soon," said the music critic giving a first listen to Stankonia's "B.O.B" 2 days before George W. Bush would be elected president. 

24 Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique 
I believe that everyone should listen to this album amidst contemplating the meaning of life. 
23 Nas Stillmatic
Okay, so "Ether" is the ultimate dis track, but this shouldn't be here. 
22 Eminem The Slim Shady LP 
I'll never fully understand the rap scene in 1999, but I remember hearing Eminem songs when I was a kid in the back of Atlee Zipf's van driving through Oakland at night and it seemed pretty fitting. 
21 Dr. Dre 2001
It bangs, but too high. 
20 A Tribe Called Quest Midnight Marauders

We on award tour, with Muhammad my man!
19 Madvillain Madvillainy
You can't see me, but I'm applauding.
18 Kanye West The College Dropout
As a guy with a Bachelor's Degree working some random local menial job, this album just sounds better every year.
17 Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Fun fact: Released on my 20th birthday.
16 The Notorious B.I.G. Life After Death
If you haven't seen the video of Dinosaurs' Earl Sinclair lip-syncing to "Hypnotize," here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VzZi-YrkRY  

15 2Pac All Eyez On Me

I just want you all to know that some of Pac's richest friends paid the bail money to get Pac out of jail for his sexual abuse charges just so Dr. Dre could save the guy's career with "California Love" and I always sound like a terrible person when I put it that way but that's kinda exactly what happened. 
14 A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory 
As much as I praise these other albums, I'd straight-up put this in my top 10. 
13 Kendrick Lamar good kid. m.A.A.d city 
Brought to you by Domino's! 
12 OutKast Aquemini
Only ripens with age. 
11 Jay-Z The Blueprint
If Ray Lewis can have an amazing Super Bowl season after tiptoeing past murder charges, Jay-Z can make an amazing 2X Platinum album after pleading guilty to stabbing a guy, because this is 2001.

10 N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton
[sighs] No, I haven't seen the movie yet.
9 Eric B. & Rakim Paid In Full
THIS IS SOME OF THE DOPEST STUFF YOU'LL EVER HEAR
8 Public Enemy It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
This is google's highest ranking 80s album on the list, and I gotta agree with 'em.
7 Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Long before there was Chef Curry, there was Chef Raekwon.
6 Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt
Beyonce was only 14 years old when Jay made this aaaaand things just got awkward...

5 Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP 
So wait, does everybody from Detroit have an annoying voice? Or is it just Eminem and Jack White and Danny Brown and Iggy Pop and Madonna and Xzibit and the guy from MC5 and Ted Nugent and Kid Rock and... 
4 The Notorious B.I.G. Ready To Die 
Fun fact: First rap album I ever owned, as stolen from a buddy of mine at Redfish in 2009. 
3 Wu-Tang Clan Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

One of my older brothers used to think Wu-Tang Clan was a jokey rap group that hipsters only enjoyed ironically, and despite his being totally incorrect, it's not like ya can't see where he's coming from. 

2 Dr. Dre The Chronic 
I also think this is the 2nd greatest hip-hop album of all time. 
1 Nas Illmatic 
I also think this is the greatest hip-hop album of all time.

The Miseducation Of Scott E Hall

Unbeknownst to most, I've lived in Stockton, California zip code longer than anywhere else. It's the location of my childhood. Summer 1996-Summer 2006. My family moved out of California when I was 15 years old, having just wrapped up my freshman year at Linden High School. I haven't visited the area since I was 16. I'm 27 now, and I basically can't remember anything! My childhood, Stockton, nothing.
For the record, this has had 0 effect on my life. It's just that... well, I'm facebook friends with my 7th Grade teacher... and she recently posted pictures of her classroom door... and it's been giving me chills. First time I've seen a glimpse of Glenwood Elementary in years. Just the tiny bit you can see in the photos looks exactly like it did when I was in middle school. It's insane.
So here's an ode to my middle school days. Hindsight, don't fail me now.

The Miseducation Of Scott E Hall

So, for starters, we practically lived on the border of Stockton and Linden. Linden is a small farming town. Stockton is the straight-up hood. Glenwood Elementary was in walking distance of my house. All my neighbors smoked. Even some of the kids my age were already into it. While most students also lived nearby, we had kids all the way from the inner-city and kids from beyond the vineyards.
I never really considered my school all that racially diverse. A lot of white kids + a lot of Hipanics. That was it. But we definitely all came from different backgrounds. My dad was a math teacher (and still is). Some of my friends lived in trailer parks, some of them lived in mansions. It's been a shame growing up and seeing those worlds further divide before my eyes. I witness a lot of adults simply clinging to those with a similar socioeconomic status. I guess that's where we people find a lot of commonalities, but dang... I'd feel super guilty if I ever went on a cruise or something. We used to all play soccer with each other at school and now some high education and a fat paycheck makes you more deserving or something. Sheesh.
Here's some background music, by the way.

There were a few Mormons in the school; I was the only one in my grade. I remember our ward driving all the way to the Oakland Temple to do baptisms for the dead. My oldest brother Keith left for his mission in 2004, and I wasn't sure how to react. By the time I reached middle school, Mormonism was simply my shtick. I was the butt-end of a lot of jokes... and I made up most of those jokes myself. I was "the little Mormon boy." Had some fun with it. I didn't swear or anything. Didn't listen to rap (IRONIC, I know). I was a weird, quiet jokester... I think this part of my personality has stuck around. But gotta admit, Mormon childhood sounds like it was an extremely different experience for kids in Idaho + Utah. There are a lot of Mormons here. Which is cool and all, it's just bizarre to hear their different dialect + point of view when discussing spiritual issues. I think some kids actually thought about marriage back when they were in middle school. There's also a lot of gospel terms that get tossed around in regular conversation. Still getting used to that. And the low-key underlying tones of Trump justification have just become humorous to me.
For some reason, I was super good friends with my teachers Mrs. Baker + Ms. Matto. A few friends and I had lunch with them every day when we were in 8th Grade. I'd talk with them about my classic rock and joke about George W. Bush + John Kerry. Ah, the 2000's (sigh), It was a different time. 9/11 was fresh on our minds. Barry Bonds was my childhood hero. I hated Kobe Bryant. I was an encyclopedia of classic knowledge. I hated modern pop music + would always play tricks on the DJ at school dances. The poor guy.

I don't recall ever having a crush on anyone. But lemme tell ya, those mid-teen years are a hormonal train wreck. I always wondered how kids "dated" back then. Like, did their moms drive them to Burger King or something? Anyways... everybody talked about sex semi-ironically. They were all joking about it, only not. A lot of my buddies just wanted to get laid or whatever, yet the thought of someone so much as going on a date with me scared me crapless. Anything hormonal was just a fragile issue for me. Yeah, everything was a sex joke until things got real. I still remember this one time a 6th grade girl got pregnant and the reality of it all was insane. For all of us. While I feel like Glenwood gave a good informative sex-ed discourse, it's a shame that we never got to learn about actual relationships and human compatibility. I definitely feel like lots of adults (heck, myself included) are still learning about that for ourselves.
I remember our family visited Logan UT once when I was in middle school. I thought it was pretty legit, so I randomly decided I'd go to college there years later. Huh. I'm still here. It is pretty legit.
While my music taste has changed a ton over the years, I still vividly remember listening to Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run on a charter bus riding alongside the Pacific Ocean on the way back from our big 8th Grade field trip to Monterey. I also recall my buddy in the backseat peeing in a Gatorade bottle.
Here's some generic conclusive statements: To sum things up, I used to be a weird kid and now I've grown into a weird adult. Have I become a product of my past surroundings? Kinda. I think I've always had a case of looking at my current environment and purposely trying to be the opposite. I'm the goody-2-shoes among my liberal friends + I'm the rebel among my hardcore Christian friends. Whatever. I still make stupid life choices + get scared of dating + smell like B.O. sometimes. I guess that's just the kid inside all of us.
Here's a picture of my 7th Grade self dressed up as John Denver.

The Beatles' Best Albums (ranked by my facebook friends)

I've been wanting to list my favorite Beatles albums for a while now. But I could never pick a definite #1. So I openly asked my peers via facebook to answer the question for me. I got plenty of responses; definitely enough to keep the list interesting!
Thank you guys for helping me make this list! I conjured up some kinda points system that divvied out how often albums got mentioned, how many were people's indefinite favorites, and even points for comments getting facebook likes. 9 albums were mentioned. And some of them weren't even by The Beatles!
So here we go!

The Beatles' Best Albums

(ranked by my facebook friends)

9 Love .5 pts

So, by all technicality, this album shouldn't count. It's a 2006 compilation of remixed Beatles tracks helm'd by master producer George Martin himself. I've heard it myself, and I gotta admit, it's pretty darn enjoyable + I'm surprised it got brought up.








8 Let It Be 1 pts

Ah, the prototype for the breakup album. I personally like the album cover more than the album itself, but I don't think I'm alone in that. "Two Of Us" is my personal favorite track.









7 Magical Mystery Tour 1.5 pts

This is a tough album to define. Side A is a string of some of The Beatles' most "WTF" psychedelic songs; production-wise as well as lyrically. Side B is kinda unfair, as it is a set of separately-released singles from 1967. All things considered, I freaking love this album. As magically colorful as it presents itself, I can imagine this being a frightening experience on hard drugs.






6 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 2 pts

Surprised how low this got ranked! Sgt Pepper is often considered the greatest album of all time. If you heard every Beatles album except for their 1967 releases, I'm sure all of y'all would be asking, "Okay... What the heck happened between this... and this?"








5 Revolver 2 pts

Gotta love Revolver. Sometimes undermined by the fact it was released during the same summer as The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds + Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde, this was actually a huge artistic leap for the greatest band of all time. "Eleanor Rigby" + "Tomorrow Never Knows" on the same album? Daaaaaaaang, this thing is loaded.







4 White Album 3 pts

I love White Album because it's a mixbag of crazy tracks with mysterious recording techniques that I personally find extremely creepy + terrifying. To add on to that, look up Charles Manson's conspiracy theories regarding the album. If anything, my favorite 1-2 punch from any Beatles album is on side A here: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" + "Happiness Is A Warm Gun."






3 Rubber Soul 4 pts

Rubber Soul is often considered the first "album-conscience" album ever made (and by that, I mean a stoned Brain Wilson said that in 1965, and that's a pretty sound opinion to go off of). But yeah, can you name an album made by anyone from before 1965 that's better than Rubber Soul? At least nothing with songwriting chops like "In My Life."






2 In Utero 4.5 pts

It deserves to be clarified that this is a 1993 album by Nirvana. This comment, made by my high school buddy who introduced me to The Buzzcocks + Flogging Molly, was surprisingly popular. Since I myself cannot decide on a favorite Beatles album, I myself voted for this. And I freaking love In Utero! The best Nirvana album + arguably the best Beatles album as well! Apparently...






1 Abbey Road 4.5 pts

I always cite Abbey Road as the reason why snobby critics like myself put the word "rock" in quotation marks. This is the prototype for every "rock" album ever. The biggest band in the world gives each individual instrument special treatment with detailed fills + solos meant to be memorized. At its softest and its loudest, Abbey Road is an accessible symphony that covers all the "rock" bases.

my favo albums of 2018 thus far

Hey, I usually list my favorite albums halfway through the year, and that's what this is.
There are 16 albums here. Gonna try to give this an "unofficial" vibe because I think I still have some catching up to do. And even though I have them ranked, my opinion could change on any of these albums. And it's not like everything here will make my year-end list.
But yeah, I like these. And there was some other stuff I liked too. But I probably prefer these.
Playlist at the bottom.
So yeah, let's crank this out.

my favo albums of 2018 thus far

16 CupcakKe x Ephorize
Not for the faint of heart.
15 Kali Uchis x Isolation
Some fresh pop music with Columbian roots.
14 Parquet Courts x Wide Awake!
I guess it's "just a Parquet Courts album," but perhaps their most experimental + conceptual.
13 Iceage x Beyondless
A fun grab-bag of solid rock songs from my favorite Denmark band.

12 Father John Misty x God's Favorite Customer
Some Elton John ballads about self-loathing in relationships.
11 Mount Eerie x Now Only
Mountain man Phil Elverum continues his stages of grief with vivid detail + storytelling.
10 Janelle Monae x Dirty Computer
Some fun, futuristic, Prince-esque pop.
9 Charli XCX x Pop 2
Charli XCX's stint with PC Music reaches its peak in sound + songwriting.
8 Sleep x The Sciences
If you don't know what "stoner metal" is, any Sleep album is a good place to start.
7 Playboi Carti x Die Lit
A snapshot of where rap is today (for better or for worse).
6 Jean Grae & Quelle Chris x Everything's Fine
Some coked-up 70's jazz instrumentals + equally philosophical/hilarious lyrics from weirdo-rap's sweetest married couple.
5 Pusha T x DAYTONA
20 minutes of solid ghetto rap produced by Kanye West [which was eventually followed by the most insane diss trake of all time, "The Story Of Adidon" (R.I.P Drake btw)].
4 Car Seat Headrest x Twin Fantasy
The Strokes: The Musical!
3 U.S. Girls x In A Poem Unlimited
With lyrics smart enough to go way over my head, backed by some lo-fi production and primitive funk beats, Meghan Remy is totally ahead of the game.
2 Beach House x 7
It's like a collage every dream pop band ever, except for Beach House.
1 A.A.L. (Against All Logic) x 2012 - 2017
So, Nicolas Jaar made an album where he messes with a bunch of 70's funk samples, and I'm still not sure whether it's just some project to shrug off or if it's genius.

1st Listen Real-Time Notes: Kanye West, 'Ye'

INTRO
Alright, everybody knows who Kanye West is, everybody has a different opinion about him, he has a new album out today, it's titled Ye, it's 23 minutes long, his behavior has been clinically insane for the last couple years, I'm kinda scared to press play on this thing, but I'm gonna listen to this whole thing, and you're all gonna join in on my experience.
Here is the album cover.

...Ya know, I gotta admit, the deeper I get into music, the more I see album covers like this. Perhaps not so much in the rap world; not nearly as much as among garage indie bands who try to sound like Pavement or Meat Puppets... anyways. Here we go. The album. Ye.

1 I Thought About Killing You
Is this Francis and the Lights?
The title is pretty darn literal. Who is he talking about? Sounds like he's referring to himself.
It's a spoken word piece...
Whoa... an instrument.
"Sometimes I think really bad things." Thanks, XXXTentacion.
I think he's high.
Whoa, rapping. Kinda.
Instrumental is cool.
Whoa, switch-up!
This is legitimately weird. Lyrically, the background stuff.
FRITO LAY.
2 Yikes
1 minute in, this is already more accessible.
Russel Simmons, pray for me.
"You know how many girls I took to the t*tty shop?" I don't.
"We could be in North Korea." This is basically a Kanye/Trump relationship reference.
Same lyrical themes as the last 8 years.
Bipolar is a superpower... dang...
3 All Mine
NICE organs.
Weird vocal part here. Part(s).
Naomi Cambpell, Stormy Daniel...
Tristan Thompsion namedrop.
"I love your t*tties cuz they prove I can focus on 2 things at once." That's a terrible line. On multiple levels.
Ha. A come/cum joke. Nice, Ye. Nice.
Cool futuristic noise parts.
Yet this song really really sucks.
4 Wouldn't Leave
Ooh, pretty :)
Weird, but pretty.
He referenced his "slavery was a choice" comment. Didn't even justify it... It's just about him.
I think that's a crying baby in the background.
"I got a gentlemental." HA!  I kinda like that.
George Jefferson?
I need to know more celebrity names.
Wait... is he saying "white"? "White enough?"
To every guy who's ever been embarrassed... this song is dedicated to me now?
Aw, cute. Shoutout to the females who stuck with stupid guys. No, like, he actually kinda said that.
5 No Mistakes
Interesting sampling... not sure if I mean that in a good way or bad way.
Is that the 'Devil In A New Dress' beat?
What is this song about?
"The Cubs lost?" I guess he's from Chicago. They lose games sometimes...
This song is 2 minutes.
Chorus>Verse>Chorus. But what the heck is going on?
6 Ghost Town
Super old sample.
Who's singing? Is that Ty Dolla $ign?
Heavy guitar outta nowhere...
No, he was high when he made this. Like, during the process. Not beforehand, but like, 'WTF, let's just press some buttons and see what happens.'
Hey, he's doing some good singing here...
Kinda catchy. I would dare call it "emotional" if it wasn't so... bad...
What the frick that drum beat!!! That's sick.
WHAT? What is this?????? That was some outterspace sh*t.
So many different ideas, no direction :(
Sounds like Queen + White Album + Country Joe & The Fish + Gospel music + The Shaggs
7 Violent Crimes
Nice female vocal. Pleasant. Upfront production.
Very Chance The Rapper. Gospel.
Nice beat.
Some usual Kanye contradictions here.
Meet The Fockers.
He rhymed karate with Pilates.
I think it's about girls... His daughter...
He says the word "pray" a lot.
Nicki Minaj reference, but self referential.
I just realized this is not an album. Like, not really.
A girl on the voicemail at the end... what the heck?

AFTERTHOUGHTS
It's hard to call this an "album" considering it's only 23 minutes. It's hard to call this "music," because it's so non-focused. It's hard to say Kanye is just "trolling" us with this because some of the production is pretty dope. But where on earth does he go from here? This would be a pretty easy moment to erase from his catalog; music history at all, really. But this isn't something where he can just make a comeback... not any time soon. And even though we can shrug this off as some unofficial experimental mixtape, the fact that it exists still kinda creeps me out. Yeah, it's a cry for help; I'd say Kanye somewhat made it that way on purpose. I know he's trying to sound like he's off his rocker. The reason why I'm convinced he's truly on his way there... I think he himself believes it.