Best Ever Albums

Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 20:30:28 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 07/03/2026 00:30

What July 3rd, 2026 releases do YOU wish were real, and not just some fake thing I made up for cheap laughs because I'm hopelessly insecure and strongly suspect that nobody is reading this thread anymore?

If there was ever a week to take off and forget all about this stuff, this is it. We're looking at an almost-historic dearth (I always liked that word) of new releases this week, with just two new studio albums by acts most people have heard of — Madonna and Deep Purple. The sad thing is that there are people will see the new Madonna album and think, "wow, what a great week for new releases!" without actually checking how many there actually are.

Earlier I mentioned a new Robyn Hitchcock "live" album, Live at Acheron, which I would normally be pretty excited about. It's not really a live album though, it's a live in studio album, which is to say he walked into the Acheron Recording Studio in East Nashville with an acoustic guitar and just recorded a bunch of his 80s favorites — along with two covers, of Syd Barrett's "Gigolo Aunt" and the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" — with no audience, no overdubs and no backing musicians. All well and good, I suppose, but he'll have a new full-band studio album called The Confuser out at the end of the month, and I'm not going to pretend I'm as excited to hear this one as i am to hear that one.

I should also say that the new Deep Purple album (Splat!) isn't bad. It's true that the three members who are still around from the classic "Mark II" lineup are 80 years old now, but apparently they can still play, it has a pretty cool album cover, the keyboardist (Don Airey) uses organ synth patches to sound just like Jon Lord, and Ian Gillan still sounds like... Ian Gillan! His vocal cords have barely aged a day! (The guitarist, though, I'm not so sure about — he seems to prefer "textures" to outright riffage for some reason.) All in all, they really don't sound that different from the band that made Machine Head, though I wouldn't expect another "Smoke on the Water" or "Highway Star."

There's also a new record from Adam "Low Cut Connie" Weiner called Livin in the USA, which I'm going to say is the pick-of-the-week purely for political reasons. Musically it reminds me of straight-up 70s/80s AOR, like some of Billy Joel's or Huey Lewis's more upbeat singles, complete with saxophones and everything. Supposedly they put on a pretty good live show... Hopefully this one gets some media attention, if only for the lyrical content — otherwise, it's probably a little too old-school Dad-rockish for mainstream commercial success.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

I'm tempted to not even mention the rest, but here they are anyway:

Wax Minds, Funatic Asylum: In addition to having the most impressively hideous album cover I've seen this year, this "weird-punk" outfit from Bremen, Germany, is actually a lot of fun. I think the word "weird" is used here to try to prepare you for how the guitars sound, but it probably won't be enough.
Smirk, Speculative Fiction: A more conventional all-guitars punk record, by a solo act from Connecticut, or maybe Brooklyn. There's some promise here, but I actually think a more bigger, more post-punk sound would benefit the material. (I'm just sayin'.)
Hey Thanks., Avoidance: Here's an 80s-retro synthwave band with "New Romantic" (which is also retro) leanings, from New Orleans, Louisiana of all places. They write some good tunes, and this is their second album — I should note that on their first (2022's Start/Living), they called themselves "Hey Thanks!" with an exclamation mark. That could cause some confusion. My guess is that whoever owns the copyright on the exclamation mark must have complained.
Miko, Petals and Marbles: Miko is the nom de plume of Rie Mitsutake, an avant-poptronica singer (at least that's what I call it) from Tokyo. (Not to be confused with Young Miko, who is actually from Puerto Rico.) For most Western ears this stuff is probably a little too repetitive and maybe a little too "bloopy" too, but if you like Japanese music in general, especially of the electronic variety, I'd say it actually has a pleasing hypnotic effect to it. (For me, it's a nice change from all that hyperpop stuff so many Japanese musicians have been producing lately.)
Wash, Wash (released on June 30th): Wash were a group of 90s OG shoegazers from Perth, Australia, and if you've ever been to Perth it won't surprise you that they were the only shoegaze band there at the time. These recordings of them are mostly demo-quality and a little harsh-sounding, despite being cleaned up for this release... but I thought I'd mention them anyway because I'm kind of a "history buff."

Finally, there's the self-titled album from Ondanaconda. Most of you have heard the expression "it's turtles all the way down"; this band from Geneva, Switzerland is just like that, only it's jaw harps all the way down. Yup, a four-piece band, all four playing jaw harps. And it's not bad, either! I like it more than your typical Eurodisco/EDM record, at least.

Anyway... that's all I've got! "Five and eleven," as they say...

Next week looks a lot better — apparently the full 7-track LP version of the She's Green album is coming out, plus we've got the Rolling Stones, Jack White, Luke Haines, Xiu Xiu, Sad13, and Sundayclub, plus a compilation of live tracks from Rain Parade.

Until then! 😄

Album of the day (#7273): Brat by Charli XCX

DommeDamian — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 19:56:22 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 07/02/2026 23:56

Not for me.

What album are you listening to? (cont.)

matterhornrider — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 18:50:23 GMT

Author: matterhornrider

Posted: 07/02/2026 22:50

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969) by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

New Release Highlighted Album Adjustment

MadhattanJack — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 18:45:52 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 07/02/2026 22:45

albummaster wrote:

Just altered it so new releases are constrained to this week, it may have been that way before for safety in case there were no upcoming releases.

I almost never go to the home page myself... Regardless though, this isn't exactly the best week to be making that change. There may be fewer notable new releases this week than any week in the history of recorded music.

Basketball Megathread

Repo — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 14:12:22 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 07/02/2026 18:12

AfterHours wrote:

Could not believe my eyes when I saw that trade! Celtics usually make very good smart moves!

How did they not get a better deal for Jaylen Brown, a roughly top 10 player!?

I am dumbfounded. I honestly don't know how to re-engage with my Celtics rn. 🙁

edit: I don't think I felt this bad about my divorce! �...

Now Pat's What I Call Music!

Patman360 — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:53:23 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 07/02/2026 14:53

1025

Oasis - Some Might Say

Link

And back to Oasis and Britpop, feels like one of the more forgotten singles off (What's The Story?) Morning Glory, their second album, but it was the first of 6 of them.

I have my phases where I blast this on the CD player in my car, and then I don't listen to Oasis again for a year, but I do like it and it's really gotta go into the top 50.

Oasis and Britpop were a huge element of my childhood in the 90's, despite being Irish.

28.

Ranking:
1. The Cranberries - Zombie (Now 29)
2. Boyzone - Love Me For A Reason (Now 30)
3. Blur - Parklife (feat. Phil Daniels) (Now 29)
4. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York (Now 10)
5. Pulp - Common People (7" Edit) (Now 31)
6. The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? (Now 2)
7. Sinead O'Connor - Mandinka (Now 11)
8. Oasis - Whatever (Now 30)
9. U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) (Now 4)
10. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Boom! Shake the Room (Now 26)
11. Spin Doctors - Two Princes (Now 26)
12. The Cranberries - Linger (Now 27)
13. R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight (Now 26)
14. Blur - Girls & Boys (Now 28 )
15. R.E.M. - What's the Frequency, Kenneth? (Radio Version) (Now 29)
16. Phil Collins - Something Happened on the Way to Heaven (Now 18 )
17. Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol (Now 29)
18. The Cure - Friday I'm In Love (Now 22)
19. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Now 18 )
20. Baltimora - Tarzan Boy (Now 6)
21. Duran Duran - A View To A Kill (Now 5)
22. The Housemartins - Happy Hour (Now 7)
23. Steve Winwood - Higher Love (Now 8 )
24. Wham! - The Edge of Heaven (Now 7)
25. Feargal Sharkey - A Good Heart (Now 6)
26. Happy Mondays - Step On (Now 17)
27. (MC Sar) & the Real McCoy - Another Night (Radio Mix) (Now 29)
28. Oasis - Some Might Say (Now 31)
29. The Cure - The Love Cats (Now 1)
30. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Now 6)
31. Snow - Informer (Radio Edit) (Now 24)
32. Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - Lost Weekend (Now 6)
33. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy (Now 14)
34. New Order - True Faith '94 (Now 29)
35. Enya - Caribbean Blue (Now 20)
36. Supergrass - Alright (Now 31)
37. Genesis - Invisible Touch (Now 7)
38. Genesis - I Can't Dance (Now 21)
39. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Do It) (Now 3)
40. Vic Reeves & the Wonder Stuff - Dizzy (Now 20)
41. The La's - There She Goes (Now 18 )
42. Gabrielle - Dreams (Now 25)
43. R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts (Now 25)
44. Radiohead - Creep (Now 26)
45. BC52's - (Meet) the Flintstones (Original LP Version/Fred's Edit) (Now 28 )
46. Men at Work - Down Under (Now 1)
47. Bananarama - Venus (Now 7)
48. The Housemartins - Caravan of Love (Now 9)
49. Los Lobos - La Bamba (Now 10)
50. Ace of Base - All That She Wants (Now 25)

Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:52:07 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 07/02/2026 14:52

Misc….

I started adding some track ratings to some entries of the selections I am revisiting (above). I may do a lot more…

They are still being tweaked and not “official” until I actually add them to my Songs/Tracks list, which I’ll probably start updating with these soon.

For example I’ve already tweaked some tracks (above) for JCOA and Vision Creation Newsun… others on the way…

________

If Vision Creation Newsun is a favorite, I would also recommend Dan Deacon’s 2009 album Bromst!

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

Johnnyo — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 07:59:17 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/02/2026 11:59

albummaster wrote:

Johnnyo wrote:

Pet Sounds

The second instrumental track on the album

There’s nothing terrible about this track but it feels out of place on this album. Not sure how to describe the sound but it feels “off” to me which isn’t much help I know.

Couldn't find a Youtube that I could post

I've personally come to love this track, one of my favs on the album. It's a got a real psychedelic & slightly trippy vibe to it. The whole album is about the sum of its parts and I think here the juxtaposition helps the flow of the album.

Interesting take AM. I agree with the sentiment about the sum of the parts and I can see where you are going with how it fits in. I'm just not a huge fan of the track.

I have to say though, overall, I've reappraised the album and now consider that it just falls short of a classic which is a huge improvement on my feeling prior to this exercise. One more track to go and then a my final thoughts on the album as a whole. Very enjoyable experience exploring this album

Albums You Added To Your Collection Today

Johnnyo — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 07:45:51 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/02/2026 11:45

The joys of going to a gig

London Stone (1992) by The Bevis Frond

&

The Auntie Winnie Album (1988) by The Bevis Frond

Minor annoyances/usability issues

albummaster — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 04:12:34 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 07/02/2026 08:12

Romanelli wrote:

Thanks.

Specifically, it's after hitting Add Chart, then clicking Home / Newly Added Albums. It was working fine until a couple of days ago. Now it ignores the request and returns me to the chart edit page.

Thanks for noting extra steps to repro this, I'll check to see what's happening.

Monthly overall chart movements

albummaster — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 04:09:14 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 07/02/2026 08:09

Cheddar wrote:

Wow, this is an incredible amount of work. Thank you so much for this, this makes my nerdy little heart happy.

Thanks, tbf most of the heavy lifting was done a while back. Not sure whether to extend past 1,000 but think that's a decent threshold.

Album Anomalies

Johnnyo — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 04:05:26 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/02/2026 08:05

MadhattanJack wrote:

There's no question that it's rare — it basically never happens. In this case you had a confluence of blundering A&R, bad time estimates, panic-driven solution-making, and personal generosity, and in the music business you basically never get personal generosity. (The most complete version of the story online is probably this one.) The bigger question probably isn't how rare it is, it's why the rareness doesn't translate into higher prices on the used market for that version of the album... I guess they just pressed too many of them.

Thanks MJ. Really interesting points. I might never have spotted the 0 if I hadn't had this album as a features album last month and I've owned the album for more years than I care to admit. Just shows how little attention I paid to the paper circle.

Never thought of the value side of it. Never selling the album but as you say, the rareness doesn't translate into higher prices on the used market. Interesting

Thanks for taking the time to post. Great feedback

Chart of the day (#5361): By deadhouse

BestEverAlbums — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 04:00:03 GMT

Author: BestEverAlbums

Posted: 07/02/2026 08:00

Today's chart of the day

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by deadhouse (View chart)

1. Bitches Brew by Miles Davis (1970)
2. Tago Mago by Can (1971)
3. A Love Supreme by John Coltrane (1965)
4. Closer by Joy Division (1980)
5. Ege Bamyası by Can (1972)
6. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
7. Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus (1959)
8. Soundtracks For The Blind by Swans (1996)
9. Rain Dogs by Tom Waits (1985)
10. Filosofem by Burzum (1996)
11. Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen (1967)
12. Master Of Reality by Black Sabbath (1971)
13. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman (1959)
14. Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath (1970)
15. White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground (1968)
16. Spiderland by Slint (1991)
17. Blackwater Park by Opeth (2001)
18. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (1979)
19. Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock (1966)
20. "Mu" First Part by Don Cherry (1969)
21. Sketches Of Spain by Miles Davis (1960)
22. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis (1959)
23. The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett (1975)
24. Faust IV by Faust (1973)
25. Hex by Bark Psychosis (1994)
26. Discouraged Ones by Katatonia (1998)
27. Turn Loose The Swans by My Dying Bride (1993)
28. F♯ A♯ ∞ [F-Sharp, A-Sharp, Infinity] by Godspeed You! Black Emperor (1997)
29. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground (1969)
30. Crystals by Sam Rivers (1974)
31. Ascension by John Coltrane (1966)
32. Obscura by Gorguts (1998)
33. Symbolic by Death (Metal) (1995)
34. Don't Break The Oath by Mercyful Fate (1984)
35. The Mantle by Agalloch (2002)
36. Descent Into The Maelstrom by Lennie Tristano (1976)
37. On The Corner by Miles Davis (1972)
38. Future Days by Can (1973)
39. The Angel And The Dark River by My Dying Bride (1995)
40. Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits (1983)
41. Faust by Faust (1971)
42. Junkyard by The Birthday Party (1982)
43. Paranoid by Black Sabbath (1970)
44. ...And Justice For All by Metallica (1988)
45. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son by Iron Maiden (1988)
46. Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa by Keith Jarrett / Gidon Kremer; Dennis Ru... Schnittke (1984)
47. In The Nightside Eclipse by Emperor (1994)
48. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity by Swans (1991)
49. Prayers On Fire by The Birthday Party (1981)
50. Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus by Charles Mingus (1964)
51. Vol 4 by Black Sabbath (1972)
52. For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music (1973)
53. Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious by Carcass (1991)
54. In A Silent Way by Miles Davis (1969)
55. Onset Of Putrefaction by Necrophagist (1999)
56. Free Jazz by Ornette Coleman Double Quartet (1961)
57. Stained Class by Judas Priest (1978)
58. Through Silver In Blood by Neurosis (1996)
59. Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis (1957)
60. Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler by Ulver (1995)
61. Streams by Sam Rivers (1973)
62. Children Of God by Swans (1987)
63. Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós (1999)
64. Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone (1994)
65. Machine Gun by The Peter Brötzmann Octet (1968)
66. Out To Lunch! by Eric Dolphy (1964)
67. Dub Housing by Pere Ubu (1978)
68. Under The Sign Of The Black Mark by Bathory (1987)
69. Human by Death (Metal) (1991)
70. The Seer by Swans (2012)
71. VIVISectVI by Skinny Puppy (1988)
72. Horse Rotorvator by Coil (1986)
73. Somewhere In Time by Iron Maiden (1986)
74. The Great Annihilator by Swans (1995)
75. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by Mayhem (1994)
76. Ire Works by The Dillinger Escape Plan (2007)
77. Atomizer by Big Black (1986)
78. Storm Of The Light's Bane by Dissection (1995)
79. Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus (1956)
80. Marrow Of The Spirit by Agalloch (2010)
81. Too Dark Park by Skinny Puppy (1990)
82. Sad Wings Of Destiny by Judas Priest (1976)
83. Soon Over Babaluma by Can (1974)
84. Ambient 1: Music For Airports by Brian Eno (1979)
85. To Be Kind by Swans (2014)
86. Bone Machine by Tom Waits (1992)
87. Ride The Lightning by Metallica (1984)
88. Les Stances A Sophie by Art Ensemble Of Chicago (1970)
89. Matador by Grant Green (1979)
90. Ahmad Jamal At The Pershing by Ahmad Jamal (1958)
91. Sunbather by Deafheaven (2013)
92. Y by The Pop Group (1979)
93. ( ) [Svigaplatan] by Sigur Rós (2002)
94. Question And Answer by Pat Metheny (1990)
95. Remission by Skinny Puppy (1984)
96. ///Codename: Dustsucker by Bark Psychosis (2004)
97. World Of Echo by Arthur Russell (1986)
98. Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts by M83 (2003)
99. Cold House by Hood (2001)
100. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter (2010)

About chart of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com chart of the day is randomly selected from all charts of at least 50 entries (and divisible by ten). Charts are only selected if they have a minimum average rating of 75 out of 100 from at least 10 votes, and must have been updated in the last 180 days. In addition, a chart must allow member feedback for it to be eligible to be selected. A full history of chart of the day can be viewed here.

Album of the day (#7271): Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand

Cheddar — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 16:21:35 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 07/01/2026 20:21

Take Me Out has long been a favorite of mine thanks to Madden 05. That game got me into many a great band. Franz Ferdinand among them.

My Musical Musings by Johnnyo

Johnnyo — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 10:19:55 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/01/2026 14:19

I have to say a rather hit and miss gig last night from Sun Ra And His Arkestra at the wonderful Union Chapel here is sunny London Town

When they hit it was fantastic, mainly their more mainstream numbers but too often they went off into free form jazz, which I don't mind but when you have 14 musicians all taking turns to free form it gets a little tooooooo much.

Anyway. Glad that I saw them and the Chapel is a tremendous venue

Chart of the day (#5360): By hoyquarlow

BestEverAlbums — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 04:00:03 GMT

Author: BestEverAlbums

Posted: 07/01/2026 08:00

Today's chart of the day

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by hoyquarlow (View chart)

1. Disintegration by The Cure (1989)
2. Doolittle by Pixies (1989)
3. Nevermind by Nirvana (1991)
4. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths (1986)
5. London Calling by The Clash (1979)
6. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin (1975)
7. The Head On The Door by The Cure (1985)
8. Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
9. Lust For Life by Iggy Pop (1977)
10. Ten by Pearl Jam (1991)
11. Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones (1969)
12. Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr. (1993)
13. Aladdin Sane by David Bowie (1973)
14. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie (1972)
15. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths (1987)
16. Hell's Ditch by The Pogues (1990)
17. Violator by Depeche Mode (1990)
18. Live Rust by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1979)
19. The Joshua Tree by U2 (1987)
20. Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes (1983)
21. Stranger Than Fiction by Bad Religion (1994)
22. Houses Of The Holy by Led Zeppelin (1973)
23. Trompe Le Monde by Pixies (1991)
24. Antics by Interpol (2004)
25. In Rainbows by Radiohead (2007)
26. MTV Unplugged In New York by Nirvana (1994)
27. The Wall by Pink Floyd (1979)
28. Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears (1985)
29. Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones (1971)
30. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur (1987)
31. Goo by Sonic Youth (1990)
32. Dirty by Sonic Youth (1992)
33. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin (1971)
34. Meat Is Murder by The Smiths (1985)
35. Raw Power by Iggy And The Stooges (1973)
36. Pornography by The Cure (1982)
37. Desire by Bob Dylan (1976)
38. Harvest by Neil Young (1972)
39. Bossanova by Pixies (1990)
40. The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground (1969)
41. New Values by Iggy Pop (1979)
42. Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969)
43. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968)
44. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by Sex Pistols (1977)
45. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
46. The Smiths by The Smiths (1984)
47. Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen (1981)
48. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me by The Cure (1987)
49. Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun by Dead Can Dance (1987)
50. Transatlanticism by Death Cab For Cutie (2003)
51. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins (1995)
52. If I Should Fall From Grace With God by The Pogues (1988)
53. The Division Bell by Pink Floyd (1994)
54. You Are The Quarry by Morrissey (2004)
55. Automatic For The People by R.E.M. (1992)
56. Jar Of Flies by Alice In Chains (1994)
57. Incesticide by Nirvana (1992)
58. Different Class by Pulp (1995)
59. OK Computer by Radiohead (1997)
60. Who's Next by The Who (1971)
61. Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan (1966)
62. Rubber Soul by The Beatles (1965)
63. Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin (1970)
64. Bleach by Nirvana (1989)
65. Hunky Dory by David Bowie (1971)
66. Sabotage by Black Sabbath (1975)
67. L.A. Woman by The Doors (1971)
68. Animals by Pink Floyd (1977)
69. Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones (1981)
70. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement (1994)
71. Ocean Rain by Echo & The Bunnymen (1984)
72. Surfer Rosa & Come On Pilgrim by Pixies (1988)
73. Japanese Whispers by The Cure (1983)
74. Pretenders by Pretenders (1980)
75. Speaking In Tongues by Talking Heads (1983)
76. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil (1987)
77. Sunshine Superman by Donovan (1966)
78. Superunknown by Soundgarden (1994)
79. Dirt by Alice In Chains (1992)
80. Live Through This by Hole (1994)
81. No Need To Argue by The Cranberries (1994)
82. The Cars by The Cars (1978)
83. Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol (2002)
84. The Blind Leading The Naked by Violent Femmes (1986)
85. Diamond Dogs by David Bowie (1974)
86. Raoul And The Kings Of Spain by Tears For Fears (1995)
87. Viva Hate by Morrissey (1988)
88. Fun House by The Stooges (1970)
89. Plans by Death Cab For Cutie (2005)
90. An Awesome Wave by alt-J (2012)
91. Bloom by Beach House (2012)
92. To Record Only Water For Ten Days by John Frusciante (2001)
93. Green Mind by Dinosaur Jr. (1991)
94. Against The Grain by Bad Religion (1990)
95. The Left Banke Too by The Left Banke (1968)
96. All Dressed by Plume Latraverse (1978)
97. Mon Voyage Au Canada by Mononc' Serge (2001)
98. Le Dôme by Jean Leloup (1996)
99. Morgane De Toi by Renaud (1983)
100. J'arrive by Jacques Brel (1968)

About chart of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com chart of the day is randomly selected from all charts of at least 50 entries (and divisible by ten). Charts are only selected if they have a minimum average rating of 75 out of 100 from at least 10 votes, and must have been updated in the last 180 days. In addition, a chart must allow member feedback for it to be eligible to be selected. A full history of chart of the day can be viewed here.

Random Album Diary

Cheddar — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 00:34:44 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 07/01/2026 04:34

MadhattanJack wrote:

But we can still read it, right? 😕

I'm actually curious about his essay on "How Algorithms Taught Us to Like the Wrong Track." Don't you think he's missing a more obvious explanation, which is that for many bands from the late pre-download era (i.e., all the ones he mentions), people go to the streaming services to listen to obscure b-sides simply because those tracks are so obscure, and maybe they (the listeners) weren't completists, and now they can't find them anywhere else, so they listen to them just so they can say they've heard everything? ...And that maybe enough people do it to cause the streamer's algorithm to think that's what everyone wants to hear from that band, since maybe the rest of the band's material just isn't poppy enough for the masses?

That's why I do it, anyway. I just suspect he's giving the programmers too much credit for being able to determine when songs really sound similar to other songs.

I feel like this is a fairly optimistic view of the current music listening landscape. I think I come down more with jnmayles on this one.

I agree jn that social media is a big big factor. Tik Tok can blow up a song of any genre, time period, and popularity level. If it catches on there then it could easily become an artist's most listened to song on Spotify no matter where it stood previously.

I also think Bill has a point. There are far more people willing to let Spotify dictate what they listen to rather than be intentional about their music listening these days, and so the trend of musical homogenization has begun to at least some extent with the algorithms and the playlists they produce. If a song has a basic enough sound to be pulled by Spotify's algorithm onto multiple of its computer made playlists, then that can lead to random and obscure songs being "discovered" by spotify listeners. In reality, I would say a fraction of people who have streamed these obscure Galaxie500 and Damien Jurado tracks would be able to say they intentionally sought out the songs. It was on a curated playlist that they had Spotify make for them and maybe they didn't even register the song in their minds as it played in the background of whatever they were working on.

It's a bit sad to think about, really, but everyone is entitled to use music how they see fit. There are real issues to explore and tackle when looking at the effect of Spotify on the music industry, but I also appreciate that people are getting to randomly listen to some obscure track that would have been otherwise lost or almost unlistened to. I just hope that this consumption revolution doesn't completely destroy the production of great music. It will take artists remaining dedicated to their art over the almighty dollar, and I have hope yet that true art can find a way.

Album of the day (#7266): Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney

DommeDamian — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:00:58 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 06/30/2026 21:00

cool.

Psychedelic Basement

Johnnyo — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:08:20 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 06/30/2026 11:08

Link

Not the best but certainly not the worst version of the classic Bo Diddley track

Some great, raw guitar here. Overall, a very decent track