My good list
I always enjoy a good list - top 10, top 20, top 100, whatever - but they definitely start to feel the same after a while. We get it - Revolver is the best album of all time, Loveless and OK Computer battle it out for the 90's, and oh don't forget about London Calling. And that's fine - certain albums inevitably rise to the top when you survey a bunch of people, and at the end of the day they deserve to be there. (Though I don't agree with the Beatles fascination, which we'll save for another time...)
But the quirkier lists always make for better reading, and this one from Magnet is a good example - the top 60 albums from 1993-2003. They allowed only one release per artist, which mixes it up a bit, and coming from Magnet there's an indie slant and not much electronic. Some things of note:
- Mutations was their Beck album of choice. This has always been my favorite Beck album, though it seems to often get overlooked.
- Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs beat out the Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin. I love both and go back and forth between them, but the Lips generally get all the love in these lists.
- R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi at #20. Underappreciated? Absolutely. #20? Not so sure.