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LyricWiki:Album of the Week

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Album of the Week

Album of the Week
Album of the Week
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The Album of the Week is a fun way to get exposed to some new music or maybe learn more about songs and albums you already know.

The way it works is this: anyone can nominate an album on the Album of the Week talk page. Once approved, the nominations are then moved to the queue. One nomination is then pulled each week from the queue and displayed as "Album of the Week" on the LyricWiki Main Page. The user's personal thoughts about the album, their reason for making the nomination, is also added to the album's talk page (together with the nifty green badge on the right!). After the week is over, the nomination is moved from the Main Page to this archive.

So now you know how it works, why not head on over to the talk page and nominate an album today!

Recent Albums of the Week

2009

December

Nick Drake died tragically in 1974 at the age of 26 as a result of drug overdose. His struggles with depression often showed in the lyrics to his music. Although he didn't gain much popularity through his three studio albums, his music has since grown in popularity. Five Leaves Left is Drake's first album, containing the beautiful guitar and orchestral sounds of "Day Is Done", "'Cello Song", and others.
The long-awaited Cream reunion was one of the most anticipated concerts of 2005. And it's got everything to satisfy even the smallest Cream fan, including hits like "I'm So Glad", "Crossroads", "White Room", and naturally, "Sunshine of Your Love". The concert also featured the first time the band had played the numbers "Pressed Rat & Warthog" and "Badge" live. It's hard to believe it's been almost five years since the reunion, but the album is still a classic in my collection.

November

This album is just one of those indie rock gems of the 90s. It seems to resist categorization quite easily, blending dozens of genres together to create a truly mystifying album. At the surface, it's not an easy album to break through: its layers of distortion, out of tune trumpets and even more out of tune vocals can be disconcerting to even the most passionate independent music listener. At its core however lies a beautiful concept: the album paints a picture of all the emotional implications and associations of the life of Anne Frank. It delves deep into a very human subject. It's about Anne Frank, but not really. It took me quite a while to really digest this album, but when I finally did after almost a year of pondering and contemplating its message and musical merits, the experience was indeed deeply rewarding. Though it may divide many indie rock listeners, there is no denying that Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is an album with extraordinary impact and influence.
This is the debut album for one of the next big groups, in my opinion. Using masks like Slipknot and lyrics that sound similar to that of Eminem, they are a promising act. Swan Songs clocks in at about 49 minutes. The lyrics are meaningful, and at times funny, and there are some good riffs in here. The album has 14 tracks and they are all amazing. Among the best are "Undead", "No. 5", "Young", and "City", but don't get me wrong the rest is good too. This album is great for a debut and full of great moments. Hollywood Undead are great, and I am looking forward to the follow-up album.
Frequently hailed as one of the most influential electric blues albums of all time, it was the album that truly introduced Eric Clapton to the music scene. His guitar playing on John Mayall classics like "Little Girl", "Key to Love", and "Have You Heard" is fantastic. And his explosive solos on "Steppin' Out" rival his later recording of "Crossroads" with Cream. And "Ramblin' on My Mind" was the first time Clapton performed lead vocals. All in all, it's a definite requirement for any music collector.
Blackbird is one of my favorite albums of all time. Each track is unique, expresses each band member's talent, and has deep and meaningful lyrics. Songs such as "Blackbird", "Rise Today", and "Watch Over You" show Mark Tremonti's amazing skills in guitar playing and Myles Kennedy's amazing vocal talent.
Year Zero is not just an album, it is an experience. The album has it's own game, it's viral marketing was simply amazing and it's a soundtrack to a movie never made. Being a concept album, each song has a purpose. A meaning. The lyrics are truly thought provoking and the music brilliantly mixed. The album is a must listen for everyone and is Nine Inch Nails best effort since Downward Spiral. I believe this critically acclaimed album truly deserves a mention on the front page!

October

Released in 1988, …And Justice for All is arguably Metallica's greatest album. Having just lost just their bassist, and close friend, Cliff Burton, the band pulled themselves together to produce an album of sheer brilliance. Featuring songs such as "One", "Harvester of Sorrow", "Blackened", "Dyers Eve" and "To Live Is to Die", there was definitely a strong betrayal of dominance at the time of it's release. There is no doubt in my mind that Metallica is one of the greatest bands of all time, if not the greatest. Though you may not be a Metallica fan, or you may not be into that type of music, I would strongly recommend this album to you. Listen to the opening track "Blackened" and enjoy. GoEar Audio on GoEar
Stevie Ray Vaughan's career was short and his ending was tragic, but this compilation album remains to help remind music fans of his influence. Spanning two discs, it includes popular tracks like "Texas Flood" and "Pride and Joy" from Texas Flood, "Cold Shot" and the title track from Couldn't Stand the Weather, and "The House Is Rockin'" and "Crossfire" from In Step. And SRV's live catalogue is represented as well, in the form of favorites like "Willie the Wimp", "Superstition", and an awesome 12-minute jam of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". I think any music fan, whether you know Stevie Ray Vaughan or not, will enjoy this album.
3 Feet High and Rising is a very influential hip hop album in the music industry and was also included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album is a classic and deserves a Album of the Week. 3 Feet High and Rising is famous among the hip hop community and has seven influential singles: "Potholes in My Lawn", "Plug Tunin'", "Me Myself and I", "Buddy", "Eye Know", "Say No Go", and "The Magic Number". These singles have also charted Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Singles, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot Dance Music/Club Play, and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales many times.
After 5 years of waiting after the last album, Homework, the French duo came back in 2001 to present their new material. Mainly, the difference between Homework and Discovery are the various changes in rhythm, tone, notes, drums, guitars, basses, etc. Homework stays the same in a way, while Discovery has a variety of electronic styles in only 14 songs. These songs, for their different tune and rhythm, featured in a movie two years later called "Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem". Living proof that electronic music is still a genre with many possibilities to create good pieces of art.

September

Any Sigur Rós album deserves to be Album of the Week. The Icelandic band's music is so mysterious and beautiful, it's hard not to like their music. Takk... in particular contains music that stuns the listener. The album starts with some happier tunes, with the album track, "Takk..." (an instrumental piece) and "Glósóli". The next track, "Hoppípolla", is one of the best and most well-known songs by Sigur Rós. The album also includes "Sæglópur" and "Gong", some of my favorites. The BBC has used various tracks from the album in its programs. "Takk..." peaked at #24 on the UK charts and #27 on the US Charts.
Brutal death metal at it's best. Seen as one of their most controversial albums, Cannibal Corpse (pioneers of brutal death metal) released Tomb of the Mutilated in 1992. Due to the violent and sexual nature of the album, it was later banned in Germany, New Zealand and Australia, receiving little to no commercial recognition. Songs on the album are lyrically violent, gruesome and inhumane, however, brilliant in their creativity and story telling. Songs include "Hammer Smashed Face", "Split Wide Open" and "Beyond the Cemetery". I've deliberately avoided the more brutal titles for everyone's sake. An album of vast influence. An album of unholy brilliance. An album that proves death metal is better, if the lyrics are gore filled. Listen to opening track: "Hammer Smashed Face". Enjoy.
This isn't my favorite U2 album, but it certainly has its moments. Supported by the singles "Vertigo", "All Because of You", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Original of the Species", the album and the singles won all of the Grammy Awards they were nominated for, including Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. "Vertigo", which had won three Grammy awards the previous year, debuted at #1 in the UK singles chart, while reaching the Top 40 in the U.S. The album itself, not surprisingly, also reached #1. It's a great album; I'd recommend it to any U2 fan.
Bad Co. produced some of their best songs in this album, which is frighteningly underrated. One of their best songs "Rock 'N Roll Fantasy" came from this album, as did the anthems "Oh, Atlanta" and "Crazy Circles". Truly, it's one of the best classic rock albums ever recorded.

August

From the depths of the early 90's, this album shone like a dream in the rock community, creating a landmark release that would reform and inspire the entire progressive metal community. The music videos "Pull Me Under", "Take the Time", and "Another Day" dominated MTV, and the whole album garnered massive critical acclaim. "Under a Glass Moon" features one of the world's most epic guitar solos, and "Metropolis Pt 1" is ranked as one of the best and most technically astonishing music pieces ever conceived, including time signatures of 13/8. I would recommend this album to anyone, as this is a classic..
I wasn't alive when Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut album, but after hearing these songs on the radio, I can imagine the album's impact on the music industry. Supported by the nine-minute anthem "Free Bird" (YouTube Music video on YouTube) and the seven and a half minute "Tuesday's Gone" (YouTube Music video on YouTube), Pronounced has everything a Southern rock fan needs. "Gimme Three Steps" (YouTube Music video on YouTube) and "Simple Man" (YouTube Music video on YouTube) remain classics on classic rock radio, and "Free Bird" has been the band's signature song for thirty-five years. I definitely think it deserves to be an album of the week.
Often regarded as Weezer's finest album, Pinkerton was initially released to harsh criticism and poor sales, with Rolling Stone naming it the second worst album of the year. This reaction led to a five year hiatus for the band which saw frontman Rivers Cuomo force himself towards a simpler, more poppy songwriting style. In hindsight, however, Pinkerton was one of the decade's most powerful albums, with songs ranging from the passionate, aggresive "Tired of Sex", to the quirky and sweet "El Scorcho", to the gentle, apologetic finale, "Butterfly", an allusion to the Italian opera Madame Butterfly from which both the album and its final song take their names. Despite the musical disparities, the album's honest, heartfelt lyrics are often cited as having a major influence on modern emo music.
Considered U2's magnum opus, this was one of their most successful albums, hitting #1 on both the Billboard album chart and the UK chart. "With Or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" both quickly reached #1 on the Billboard singles chart, while "Where the Streets Have No Name" reached the Top 20. Other popular hits include "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "One Tree Hill", the latter of which inspired the name of the American television series. It's also U2's highest ranked album on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of all time, at #26.
An album with many messages intertwined with music. This is very original sounding rock, a refreshing version compared to what has come before. It's just a pity this band isn't very well known - I think they'd do well in the mainstream charts if people heard them.

July

American Idol is one of the most powerful TV shows in the world, that's true, but in no other season of the show had a winner with so much potential won the competition until the cute David Cook won in 2008. With the platinum single, "The Time of My Life", David started to record his first album, and in November 2008 released his first single, "Light On". With a great voice, great melody and composition by Chris Cornell, "Light On" reached #17 in the Billboard Charts. But "Light On" is not the only amazing song from the album, songs like "Declaration", "Come Back to Me", "Bar-ba-sol", "Permanent" and "A Daily AntheM" all show us why he was chosen as the American Idol.
Chris Tomlin wasn't heard of much in the Christian music world here in the UK for a while. His third album, Arriving was the first we got. That was followed by See The Morning. Then came Hello Love. It begins with "Sing, Sing, Sing", a very upbeat song, and proceeds to go between fast and slow songs at an incredible pace. And you know what? It works - brilliantly. This is one of the most highly recommended Christian albums. Listen to it and you'll see why.
With this week's Album of the Week, you get a special bonus album! Well, kind of. This one has made it to our front page before, but in light of the fortieth anniversary of the First Moon Landing and because of my unhealthy obsession with Pink Floyd, I am putting this one back up. Widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time, with its breakthroughs in genre and technical production, The Dark Side of the Moon blew everyone away. Even the Floyd members admit to their surprise of the magnificent outcome and reception toward the album. Every song is a masterpiece of prog rock, with highlights in songs such as "Time", "Money", and the great finale: "Eclipse". Sales of the album have reached in excess of forty million worldwide since its release and it occupied a spot on the Billboard 200 for a consecutive 741 weeks (over fourteen years) after its initial release. It even cracked the top 200 again in 2002, nearly thirty years after the initial release. It earned the #43 spot on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The rest of the list of accomplishments is endless.
Even though, Neil and Buzz didn't visit the dark side, I'll be listening to this and thinking of them.
U2's third album was their first commercially successful effort, knocking Michael Jackson's Thriller out of the #1 spot on the UK album chart, and hitting #12 in the United States. Opening with the militaristic drumbeat of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and segueing into other album-oriented hits like "New Year's Day", "Two Hearts Beat as One", and "Seconds", this is becoming one of my favorite albums. It also, deservedly, earned a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Delirious? has been going solidly for around 16 years now, and that is ending at the end of 2009. This is their last studio album, and as with previous efforts, it has been better than the preceding album. The aim of this album was to make us feel more "uncomfortable", but it mixes some really rocky songs with slow moving worship songs. A fantastically well-made album.

June

To honour his recent passing, I have decided to dedicate this week's album to Michael Jackson's best-selling album Thriller. Not only was it his best-selling record, it is the world's best-selling record of all time with estimates of over 100 million units shipped. This cemented Jackson's title as the "King of Pop" with its amazing songs like "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "The Girl Is Mine," and of course "Thriller" which not only set the pop industry ablaze, but its iconic music video is one of the most recognizable ever (YouTube Music video on YouTube). His songs are irreplaceable and unmatched, despite over 25 years passing since their release. Thriller won eight Grammys at the 1984 Grammy Awards and is #20 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". To list all of the album's achievements would be an unending task. It is these contributions to music that we should remember Michael and not his recent antics and struggles.
This is prog metal at its finest. Tool, known for producing epics, have done themselves in. The album itself comes in just a few seconds under maximum storage capacity, and they use every second. Though only 13 songs long, each averages about six minutes in length. Each song produces a sonic soundscape that is completely absorbing. Each song builds of the previous (Tool albums are meant to be listened to whole, not broken up) and should, time permitting, be listened to in one marathon listen. Truly glorious.
Widely regarded by fans and critics alike as Dream Theater's magnum opus, Scenes from a Memory is a concept album telling the story of a man named Nicholas who experiences dreams that connect him to a past life in which he was a girl who was murdered. As the story unfolds and more details about the murder fall into place, the story leads the listener to a shocking conclusion. With hard-hitting, technically masterful tracks like "Fatal Tragedy," ethereal ballads such as "Through Her Eyes" that question the deepest parts of our psyche, and the prog metal masterpiece of the album, "Home," this album has everything a prog aficionado could ask for.
Def Leppard's best selling album, and on the list of 20 greatest selling albums in the United States. Def Leppard threw a twist to America with their 1983 album Pyromania. But after four years, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and an arm, Def Leppard released their masterpiece. With the hits, "Rocket," "Animal," "Love Bites," "Armageddon It," and probably the greatest song of the eighties "Pour Some Sugar on Me", with its power chords and lyrics, this is an incredible piece of history.
Mötley Crüe's best album. With songs like "Some Ol' Situation," "Without You," "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," "Kickstart My Heart," and the legendary track "Dr. Feelgood," it's easy to see why this is one of the best selling heavy metal albums of all time. With Vince Neil's vocals flawless, Mick Mars laying down the riffs, Tommy Lee keeping the beats, and the brilliant writing skill of Nikki Sixx and all band members off drugs at the time of recording, this is a legendary album. Mötley Crüe is a seriously under-rated band. People don't seem to realize that they are the "Idol" glam metal band and being around for almost 30 YEARS shows that these guys are metal gods.
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