What are your NO SKIPS albums? Top to bottom perfection.

Question

njeri · Answer

The Switch - Emily King: The one artist I’ve seen 3 times in concert.

Aside from this:

Atlantis: Hymns for Disco by K-Os

A Seat at the Table - Solange

Most albums from women of R&B in the 90s (what a golden age)

Hank · Answer

Gracie Abrams—Good Riddance: literally her most perfect album

Eric · Answer

Rüfüs du Sol’s - “Solace”: I realize I’m being redundant on other posts, but it bears repeating!

Eric F · Answer

In Search Of... - N.E.R.D. 🧠: This classic album just turned 25 years old (jfc). I saw them perform these songs at the 2002 Sprite Liquid Mix tour featuring 311 and Jay-Z, it was tight.

Elena · Answer

ict by Oklou (& the whole Choke Enough album): Summer in a song, ict captures the exhilaration of chasing the ice cream truck —heart and feet pumping, just praying the truck will hit a stop sign so you can catch up— and feels like it stretches to resonate with every dream-chasing feeling in life. Blade bird is another standout but album is perfect to me!

Elena · Answer

Reliquia by Rosalía (and the whole LUX album): Not to be dramatic but this album is transcendent. I cried listening to it the first time, and seeing her perform it live was genuinely a spiritual experience which also brought tears 🥲. Every time I listen I cannot help but dance like I’m possessed. She sings in THIRTEEN languages on this album! The music is deeply stirring and the lyrics are profound. Rosalía wants us to never forget that the sacred and the profane are the same.

Coofandy · Answer

XTC Skylarking: Skylarking is a record that comes back around on my life spiral every few years as a brief passionate obsessive affair. Sex, love, growth, decay, change, muck, and beauty.

Dylan · Answer

Dave - PSYCHODRAMA: A brilliant concept album told in a captivating storytelling style through the lens of a therapy session. Explores themes of mental health, relationships, incarceration, race, poverty + the impact of systemic inequalities.

Also, this is so spooky, I started re-listening to this album again today after not listening to it in a few years. Then I was  wondering if he was coming to my city any time soon, so I looked it up & I saw he is on tour at the moment & THEN I saw he is playing here LITERALLY TONIGHT!

Dylan · Answer

Princess Nokia - GIRLS: a journey through the femme experience: from rage (Blue Velvet, Medusa) to romance (Matcha Cherry). The writing is genius and articulates ~girlhood is a spectrum~ so gorgeously. The pop culture nerd in me is also obsessed with all the references.

ALI D. · Answer

'Oncle Jazz' by Men I Trust: I've listened to this album all the way through at least 100 times. Soothing, bit funky at times, perfect headphone album whilst walking

Z · Answer

Clueless Soundtrack, Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Beck Morning Phase

Nat · Answer

Morning Phase (Beck): For some reason, this album came into my life in March 2020 and never left. The length of the album = pandemic bathtime routines with a 2 year old.

Wynne · Answer

Heaux Tales - Jazmine Sullivan: A really excellent album

Tori · Answer

The Black Parade: Love the variety and the lyrics are so emotional.

Erika · Answer

D'Angelo - Brown sugar (1995): I found D'Angelo quite late, but got a chance to see him live 5 years ago. So happy I did, it was almost hypnotic and never ending (in the best of ways). The songs from this album were the best live and the best recorded. What an artist.

helen · Answer

Steely Dan - Aja : Reminds me of my dad and now my kid loves it.

Gabriela Riccardi · Answer

fiona apple's when the pawn...: all the way down, up, backwards, forwards, this one has no misses!

Kt · Answer

Blackstar (David Bowie): a gift of a final album.

Casey Callahan · Answer

Garden State: Music From The Motion Picture (Various Artists): This soundtrack, top to bottom, always hits.

Sam · Answer

The Cure Disintegration: It's always a whole album, in order, experience. Then and now!

Amy · Answer

Blue (Joni Mitchell): One of my forever favorites

Ashleigh · Answer

Morning Phase, Beck: Summer road trip vibes.

Minna Kelly · Answer

Last Splash (30th Anniversary Edition) by The Breeders: I’ll be your whatever you want

Chiara · Answer

dirty computer: stunning from start to finish

Whitney · Answer

Grace (Jeff Buckley): 🥹

DaniS · Answer

radiohead ok computer: Masterpiece through and through

Vivian De La Torre · Answer

Led Zeppelin III: This question is my Sophie’s choice but I have to go with LZ3. All Zeppelin albums are no skips for me but III has Since I’ve Been Loving You AND Tangerine so how could anyone not. Growing up my music revolved around my Spanish-language home life, english-language outside-of-home life (mostly early 00s radio hits), and the musical education of VH1 (thank God for their Behind The Music series). But from the moment I first listened to Led Zeppelin, they were me and just me. Ahead of their time, their music had everything I like most: raw instrumentals, edge, and most importantly, soul.

Honorable mentions:

Louder Now by Taking Back Sunday

Mesk Elil by Souad Massi

Save The Last Dance soundtrack (is this cheating?)

Greatest Hits by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (most definitely cheating 😅)

Belkis · Answer

stick season—noah kahan: start to finish a classic. town hall, the covers version is perfect too.

Steve M · Answer

Songs About Jane (Maroon 5): One of the best debut albums of the 21st century. Before they became a symbol of modern Muzak, Maroon 5 had, for a moment, a unique sound and feel. It came out in a seminal period for millennials post-9/11 but before the rise of the countercultural and patriotic responses; Certainly before the excess and lavishness of pre-2008 financial crash culture.

Bossa nova. Jazz. Soul. Pop. Rock. It has it all. "Harder to Breath", "She Will Be Loved", "The Sun", "Sunday Morning", "Sweetest Goodbye". There's more variety in those songs than some artists have in multiple albums.

Myles M · Answer

choke enough - Oklou: absolutely transcendent fairy club music

Zoe B · Answer

Strange Trails (Lord Huron): I know the lyrics end to end on this one, which should really tell you something

Erica Allen · Answer

Raising Sand - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

jmd · Answer

Built To Spill, Perfect from Now On: And the closer on this is practically a religious experience.

jmd · Answer

Belle and Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister: Indie pop perfection.

E Noll · Answer

Lifes Rich Pageant (R.E.M.): I wore this cassette tape OUT

Emily · Answer

Talking Heads “Stop Making Sense”: Preferably while driving at night.