24. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
In the early ‘90s, West Coast hip-hop had become all the rage. N.W.A laid the groundwork in for the G-funk styling that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg would make famous in 1992. It appeared that New York, the birthplace of hip-hop, had become irrelevant. That is until the mighty Wu-Tang Clan bust on the scene with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Wu-Tang was decidedly less friendly to major audiences given its aggressive style and beats that were much harder. While the West Coast artists were focusing on funk-based arrangements, Wu-Tang had songs like “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit’,” and “Bring Da Ruckus” which pummeled the listener with jagged beats and caustic wordplay. Even when the group slowed it down on “C.R.E.A.M.” it was less than accessible. Wu-Tang revitalized East Coast hip-hop with its debut and not a moment too soon. – David Anthony
23. Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)
Boldly released in the midst of Radiohead’s English alternative dominance, Coldplay’s debut Parachutes earned them instant recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. Cleverly sequenced, Parachutes covers everything that a listener wants in an alternative album: ambience, sentiment, and a couple of strong riffs and drum tracks to balance the love songs. This album was particularly successful because it appealed to various tastes and styles, and left listeners wanting more after the powerful finish of the final track, “Everything’s Not Lost,” which showed Coldplay was, and is, a force to be reckoned with. –Krystal Thompson
22. Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Arguably one of the heaviest albums to release in the ‘90s, Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut made waves not only with its socialist lyrics, but its flawless fusion of rap and metal. Lead singer Zack De La Rocha was the driving force behind the 10 powerful smashes on the album and made each song more poignant behind his passionate vocal delivery. “Bullet in the Head’” and “Killing in the Name” are only two of many hard-hitting tracks on the album where if played today are still instantly distinguishable and amazing. –Aaron Pylisnki
21. Nirvana – Bleach (1989)
This album sounds exactly how the album before Nevermind—which defined a generation—would be expected to sound. Though Nirvana was still finding their way, Bleach revealed a band poised to make their mark with unique, explosive potential and songs showing their influences and how they interpreted them. “About a Girl,” easily the most recognizable track in the bunch, has a sweet boy-meets-girl attitude with a post-punk sound—a blend that can be credited to front-man Kurt Cobain’s love of 60s bubblegum pop and British punk. “School” shows a band that’s found their sound while others, like “Swamp Meet,” show a band immersed in metal and hardcore akin to Black Flag. Though Bleach pales in comparison to its successor, it’s often overlooked as a benchmark in late 80s alt-rock. –Ciara Shook
20. The Postal Service – Give Up (2003)
The wistfully delightful debut album from The Postal Service is appropriately named Give Up. The pairing of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel is a smart, quaint, and often unequalled pop duo. They smartly prepared an album between L.A. and Seattle along the west coast and swapping track via the US Postal Service. The method is fitting for the deliberately woeful and slow moving meter of the album. Song after song creates an effervescent and sometimes-transcendent picture studded with synth-pop lines and wrapped in self-aware lyrics. Though Gibbard and Tamborello aren’t strangers, having collaborated on “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan,” they managed a noticeable differential between Gibbard’s sharp voice and Tamborello’s derisive production values. As the years pour on, Give Up will stand the test of time and when the need for flighty love songs dies, so will The Postal Service. –Aaron Pylinski
19. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy (1985)
For an album so dark and brooding, Psychocandy is a surprisingly textured effort that many bands have sought to duplicate since its release in 1985. “Just Like Honey,” the album’s opener and most famous track, is a perfect song: the fuzzy instrumentation created by the band belies a sentimental lyrical quality, with lead singer Jim Reid’s anti-croon admitting “Walking back to you is the hardest thing that I can do.” But any sweetness is instantly erased by the next track, the voracious “The Living End,” which borrows heavily from the punk aesthetic the band often deconstructed. The rest of the album ebbs and flows between these two poles, making for a jangly but exhilarating listen. JAMC excelled in this sort of capriciousness. As loud as the album gets, there’s accessibility at play. At the end of the day, Psychocandy is a pure pop record hiding behind a daunting wall of sound. That a song like “Cut Dead” can exist on the same record as “In a Hole” speaks volumes of the band’s wide palate and unique vision. –Drew Hunt
18. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
For Emma, Forever Ago‘s songs are beautiful. It’s music for overnight train rides where the only thing outside your window is darkness and corn fields. It captures that feeling of isolation perfectly but manages to match it with equal human warmth to create a fantastic album. The soul of the album is Justin Vernon’s versatile voice whose warm and weary vocals give the songs their ache. His skills as a composer also shine through. His songs move organically with frequently changes in tempo, a touch of auto tune, layered vocals, and dynamic shifts. While some additional parts were later added after Vernon spent four months recording on his own, the production is slight and doesn’t detract from the feeling that you’re in the room hearing a live performance. For Emma, Forever Ago is the album one would want to be trapped with during a brutal winter in the wilds of Wisconsin. –Cody Prentiss
17. The Smiths – The Smiths (1984)
The partnership of lead singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr has proved to be one of the most fruitful in rock history. But, like so many prolific duos, it ended in acrimony. Thankfully, the body of work they created has been nothing short of enduring. Right out the gate, their self-titled debut sets up what would become staples of The Smith’s aesthetic: Morrissey’s infectious egotism (“This Charming Man”), Marr’s sonic ear for hard-rock melodies (“Hand in Glove,” “Still Ill”) and an overall melancholic tone that has tugged at heart strings for decades (“Pretty Girls Make Graves”). The album also marks the arrival of Morrissey’s unyielding antipathy, which would go on to rub a good number of people the wrong way. As acerbic as his lyrics may be, there’s vulnerability present in each track that transcends any inherent insidiousness any would-be falsehoods. The Smiths is an eye-opening introduction to one of best bands of the last thirty years. –Drew Hunt
16. Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
Originally named Mookie Blaylock after the famous NBA player, Pearl Jam released Ten (named after Blaylock’s jersey number) to little fanfare in 1991. It wasn’t until after Nevermind blew the door wideopen that Ten really took off. Even to this day, it stands as the band’s most successful album. Pearl Jam became known for their frequent guitar solos and large arena rock sound, produced by the dual guitars from Stone Gossard and Mike McCready and the appropriately bouncy bass lines of Jeff Ament. However, the most recognizable aspect of Ten was Eddie Vedder’s signature baritone and (mostly) angst-filled lyrics. There is rarely a happy or uplifting moment in Ten, but Vedder’s delivery made even the most depressing lines sound reaffirming. The highlights of the album are many, but the emotional turmoil of “Black,” the extended guitar solo at the end of “Alive,” and the prolonged jam in the middle of “Porch” are particularly outstanding. The band couldn’t handle their sudden success and seemed to spend the following years deliberately straying from the mainstream. Despite this, they are one of the few bands from the grunge era that has endured past the mid ‘90s. –Ralf Navarro
15. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
Leave it to a bunch of Columbia University grads to educate college radio DJs on the latest in baroque pop and to pick up where Paul Simon left off. Released in early 2008, Vampire Weekend lit up Billboard charts and illuminated the iPod screen of almost every college kid, with catchy lyrics and catchier hooks, releasing such infectious hits as “A-Punk” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” In three short years the band and their debut have become a mainstay in indie rock and indie rockers’ music collections, with ubiquitous synth and string parts matched with light-hearted songs about campus courting and tales of college kid invincibility. Though their lyrical content matured beyond university antics with 2010’s Contra, Vampire Weekend made a strong debut by bringing African beats together with Western influence. –Ciara Shook
14. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks… Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
Like a day-glo ransom note, Never Mind the Bollocks popped up in the post in ‘77 and the world was changed forever, for better or worse. The Sex Pistols first and only proper album, it was the first full-length punk rock record for most, although the “true” origins of punk continue to be debated. Although in retrospect it sounds like a Black Sabbath 33 1/3 album played at 45 speed, at the time, the marching boots, blazing, double-time guitar riffs and the miserable screeching whine of Johnny Rotten were revolutionary. Framed amidst the boring, hopeless life on the dole and crafted for shock value by Sex shop svengali Malcolm McLaren, Rotten and his bandmates made punk rock a household name/bogeyman with their roaring attack and sneering, spitting, bleeding in-your-face “lyrics” and “songs.” Come to think of it, put the whole experience in quotes, as Greil Marcus might recommend after a reading of his seminal book Lipstick Traces. While today it seems quaint after hardcore punk and gangsta rap raised the bar on offensiveness, if you’re looking for a dividing line between pre-punk and post-punk, this is it. Original or not, it rocks, and that’s all that matters. – Craig Bechtel
13. Television – Marquee Moon (1977)
What would the music world be like if Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd never conspired to mingle their guitars? We wouldn’t have bands like The Strokes and Sonic Youth’s well of inspiration would be a lot dryer. Marquee Moon shook New York’s underground scene in 1977 with its songwriting prowess and the incredible wealth of the aforementioned duo’s simultaneous guitar dialogue. The album sounds simple enough the first time; however, each ensuing spin reveals something buried within the collage—as if the two guitars were constantly unscrambling a hidden message that will never be fully apprehended. –Devin Costello
