It's going to be a slow work week up until Christmas, so I figured it would be a good time for a blog post. No OC though, I'm going to tweak one of my older lists. It's my top 10 favorite albums list! Maybe they'd make a good gift this holiday season? Hohoho.
The way I rated these albums was on 2 separate 10 point scales, and one 5 point scale.I would then add those scores together to reach a total score out of 25. The categories I graded were:
- Consistency (out of 10) - Do the songs follow the same patterns throughout the album? Or is it a mash-up of different styles the don't necessarily work together? The more consistent the album is the higher the score.
- The studs to duds ratio (out of 10) - How many songs on the album are of the utmost quality? Home many are on the low end of quality? As the ratio moves in favor of the standouts, the score goes up.
- Album Art (out of 5) - Though it doesn't necessarily play in to the quality of the music, it shows the effort that the artist put into making the album good throughout. Also I didn't really have a good third category.
I had previously listed and ranked my favorite albums, but I'll go ahead and re-rank them according to this system. My list previously was:
- Plastic Beach - Gorillaz
- Camp - Childish Gambino
- Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? - The Unicorns
- Man on the Moon - Kid Cudi
- All Day - Girl Talk
- Astro Lounge - Smashmouth
- Invaders Must Die - The Prodigy
- Enema of the State - Blink 182
- Riot! - Paramore
- Pinkerton - Weezer
Let's Re-rank them!
Pinkerton - 16/25
Consistency Score - 7/10
Most of this album is upbeat, fun to sing with songs that capture Weezer's style pretty well. A few slower paced songs are nice to break it up, but man Rivers sounds real sad at the end of this album. If the whole album were like "El Scorcho" I might have a heart attack, but it would at least make me feel better about myself than if I listened to "Butterfly" a few times. Still rocking consistently enough for a 7.
Studs:Duds - 6/10
Studs - The Good Life, El Scorcho, Pink Triangle, Tired of Sex, Why Bother
Duds - No Other One
Album Art - 3/5
While the art for this album is cool and has an interesting history behind it, it really doesn't have much to do with the music. It's print 16/53 in the series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokkaido" which depicts the journey on the Tokkaido road from Edo to Kyoto, Japan. Not very relevant to a 90's grunge band. But it sill looks pretty cool, and you could have fooled me into saying the scene depicted was a far off land named Pinkerton.
Riot! - 18/25
Consistency Score - 8/10
This album screams Paramore. If you wanted to know what kind of music they, played this album is all you need. They have a couple of slower, vocalist centered songs to show off Haley Williams' talent but otherwise kind of ruin the vibe. Other than that it's really good throughout and makes for a great album.
Studs:Duds - 5/10
Studs - That's What You Get, Misery Business, Crushcrushcrush, Fences, Born for This
Duds - When it Rains, We Are Broken
Album Art - 5/5
This art really captures Paramore's essence, emo/punk rock with a little bit of flair. It's simple, but still says a whole lot about the band's style. Sometimes simple is better, remember to KISS it!
Enema of the State - 20/25
Consistency Score - 9/10
This album is chock full of consistently up-tempo beats. It's a model of consistency for other albums, mainly because DeLonge has such a distinct voice that resonates through the whole thing. There are no songs that I actively dislike on the album, they all work.
Studs:Duds - 5/10
Studs- Adam's Song, What's My Age Again?, All the Small Things,
Duds - None
Album Art - 6/5
I'm not even joking, this is the best album cover ever. What screams "Enema of the State" more than a nurse fitting into her glove nice and tight? Also, apparently Blink didn't know that the model for the cover was a porn star. They just "happened to pick her." Alright guys...
Invaders Must Die - 18/25
Consistency Score - 10/10
This album is so consistent throughout it actually became a criticism. "They just do the same old shit." Well guess what, I happen to like this shit a lot, and they do it really well. The only song I don't really want to listen to is Warrior's Dance, and even that follows the same model as the rest of the tracks.
Studs:Duds - 5/10
Studs - Invaders Must Die, Take Me To The Hospital, Stand Up, Run With the Wolves
Duds - Warrior's Dance
Album Art - 3/5
It captures the group's hardcore mentality, but it's not really too flashy. Sometimes simple is better, and this cover has a good balance to it. Plus, orange is my favorite color.
Astro Lounge - 22/25
Consistency Score - 8/10
There is honestly not a single song on this album I don't like. That being said, songs like "Home" and "Fallen Horses" aren't really in the same category as most of the others on the album. A few songs have a different feel than the other California surfer based ska rock that's so prevalent throughout, but it's not a very drastic shift. Definitely workable.
Studs:Duds - 10/10
Studs - Diggin' Your Scene, I Just Wanna See, All Star, Then The Morning Comes, Come On Come On, Can't Get Enough Of You Baby
Duds - None
Album Art - 4/5
It actually makes sense, has the right amount of pizzazz and still comes across as simple. Plus, that's a place I would like to party.
All Day - 20/25
Consistency Score - 10/10
It's pretty tough to rate this for consistency when it's really all one song. If they are broken up however, it's still pretty masterful. The mash-ups that comprise each track are very artfully done, and each one fits the mold for the album. When you combine them all together it's an hour of well put together music that flows from track to track.
It's pretty hard to come up with a ratio for this album, seeing as there aren't really any bad songs. I will however say that, without a doubt, "Triple Double" is the best track that Girl Talk has ever put out.
Studs:Duds: 8/10
Studs - Triple Double
Duds - None really
Album Art - 2/5
It's a fairly cool image, but the art doesn't have much to do with the overall theme. Is there a theme?
Man on the Moon - 19/25
Consistency Score - 8/10
This album is pretty consistent throughout, telling the story of a struggling Kid Cudi and his pretty sad life. Although the album is fairly depressing overall, it mixes in some up-tempo beats that make it more bearable. Even though it detracts from the overall consistency, it follows the story that Cudi creates. The five acts progress through his life smoothly, with each song taking the next step towards the end.
Stud:Duds - 7/10
Studs - Soundtrack 2 My Life, Day N' Nite, Enter Galactic, Pursuit of Happiness, Up Up and Away, Sky Might Fall, Make her Say
Duds - Hyyerr
Album Art - 4/5
This is some pretty sweet art, it definitely follows the name of the album and has a smooth gradient from face to moon. The colors also blend really well to give a solid contrast between man and moon.
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? - 21/25
Consistency Score - 9/10
WWCOHWWG is full of similar tempos and beats, and it makes for one heck of an album. It has that screechy indie rock feel in each song, and even though a few slower tempos are put in, the feel of the songs are consistent.
Studs:Duds - 8/10
Studs - Jellybones, I Was Born a Unicorn, Les Os, Inoculate the Innocuous, Sea Ghost
Duds - None
Album Art - 4/5
I'm a big fan of this artwork. It speaks to the absolute insanity that is this group. They're unpredictable Canadian hipsters. Also unicorns and rainbows go hand in hand.
Camp - 19/25
Consistency Score - 9/10
Glover really weaves his style into each one of the songs on this album, which creates an atmosphere of consistency. His signature comedic lyrics shows through in each track, making a complete work of music.
Studs:Duds - 7/10
Studs -Bonfire, Heartbeat, Fire Fly, Outside, Sunrise, Backpackers, L.E.S.
Duds - Letter Home
Album Art - 3/5
The cover makes sense, but it's not really anything special. It's about as mediocre as it gets, but it doesn't distract the listener or take away from the music. It's simple, but a little too simple.
Plastic Beach - 22/25Consistency Score - 10/10
One of the reasons that this album is on this list in the first place is due to its amazing consistency. I absolutely love the feel that you get throughout, whether it's the crazy synth pop beats or the heavy rap, it speaks the same language. The style of music is consistent throughout, and even though "Sweepstakes" basically ruins this album entirely it still has the same islandy feel that you get from the rest of the tracks. As much as it pains me to say that.
Studs:Duds - 8/10
Studs - Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach, White Flag, Stylo, Superfast Jellyfish, Empire Ants, On Melancholy Hill, Broken, To Binge, Glitter Freeze, Rhinestone Eyes
Duds - Sweepstakes, Cloud of Unknowing
Album Art - 4/5
I really like the art for this album. It's incredibly Gorillaz-esque, and relates to the whole concept in a simple way. It's very detailed, but at the same time simplistic in it's idea. There are also 3 other covers for the album, depicting the same scene at different times of the day. Cool.
So there you have it, all of the albums re-ranked based on the new criteria I've set. Here's the list re-ranked.
1. Plastic Beach - 22/25
2. Astro Lounge - 22/25
3. Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? - 21/25
4. All Day - 20/25
5. Enema of the State - 20/25
6. Camp - 19/25
7. Man on the Moon - 19/25
8. Invaders Must Die - 18/25
9. Riot! - 18/25
10. Pinkerton - 16/25
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