It's okay to listen to albums in random order choosing whatever song you want to hear but there's those that are just so fun to get lost in for 40 minutes because of how atmospheric and epic they are. My favourite albums to listen to in full are Mezzanine by Massive Attack, Kid A and In Rainbows by Radiohead and A Thousand Suns. These albums have specific atmospheres and vibes to them that resonates through every track on each album, so when you hear one song, you can tell by how it sounds whst album it belongs on. What the 3 have in common are dark electronic based sounds(except In Rainbows), so I guess I know what style I like.
One of my favorite records as an "experience" is by far, Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears. The album scored huge hits in Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Head Over Heels, but I don't think the band ever really gets the credit they deserve for the record. It has damn good songs that hold up to this day. The part that really takes the cake for me is Side 2. The last three tracks, Broken, Head Over Heels / Broken (Live), and Listen is essentially a 4 song suite that is just incredible. Broken is a straight up Prog Rock track, Head Over Heels is Head Over Heels, and Listen is an ambient soundscapce masterwork. The transitions to each part of the "suite" are fantastic. The band was far more experimental and actually good than they get credit for. Also worth mentioning is the song "The Working Hour." One of their best. A shame there's no video on YouTube that includes Listen as well, but here's Broken and Head Over Heels / Broken (Live).
Thrice: The Alchemy Index Vols I & II These two EPs were such a brilliant concept and were executed incredibly. The first volume is based on the element of fire and is composed of six songs of nothing but aggressive, face-melting guitar riffs and brutal screams while the second volume based on water is a softer, electronic endeavour that beautifully captures the ocean's claustrophobia and freedom in the same sound. Vols III & IV based on air and earth are less engaging in my opinion, though still solid choices. It's very satisfying to pick an element depending on my mood and get lost in the moment.
Yeah, Thrice is a good example. For me Underoath's Define The Great Line, Lost In The Sound Of Separation and Disambiguation are a great listen from front to back. All the songs flow so well. Also Opeth's studio albums work better for me as a whole rather than picking out individual songs. Blackwater Park for instance is an emotional ride all the way through. From brutal outbursts to calm, quiet passages. It feels almost like a musical story being told. (even though Mikael said it's not really a concept album)
Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns Thrice | Vheissu Hoobastank | Every Man for Himself Silversun Pickups | Neck of the Woods Just to name a few, those are my favorites though. I never skip songs on an album, to be honest.
A THOUSAND SUNS (don't need any explanation) Purity Ring - another eternity (the most flawless album I've heard, the atmosphere on this album is so beautiful and chill, aka WELCOME TO THE HEAVEN) Purity Ring - Shrines (I love the dark vibe on Shrines, goosebumps evey time from track 1 to 11) Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (what an album , always fun to listen to it in full until the epic ending of Hospital for Souls)
Death Grips' "ni**as on the moon". Every track segues into the next perfectly and it's an amazing 30 minute experience. From introspective thoughts to alien abductions to sex, everything fits in its place so perfectly.
The Gallows: Orchestra of Wolves The Dillinger Escape Plan: Calculating Infinity Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come Between the Buried and Me: Coma Ecliptic Converge: Jane Doe Rage Against the Machine: Self Titled Drive Like Jehu: Self Titled Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power Mastodon: Blood Mountain Corporate Avenger: Freedom is a State of Mind Incubus: S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and of course: Papa Roach: Crooked Teeth
The Wallflowers: Bringing Down the Horse Backstreet Boys: Millennium The Fray: How to Save a Life Funeral for a Friend: Hours Taking Back Sunday: Louder Now U2: The Joshua Tree 30 Seconds to Mars: A Beautiful Lie Lifehouse: No Name Face Thrice: Vheissu
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll System of a Down - Toxicity Thirty Seconds to Mars - This is War Radiohead - OK Computer Three Days Grace - One X Lady Gaga - Born This Way Green Day - American Idiot
EDEN - End Credits Linkin Park - Living Things Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns LPA - Reliving Things Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto Yoe Maze - Life in Boxes I'm a simple man.
I guess I can do my top 5. Now, some of these albums have shitty lyrics, etc., but I still love them, so I'm not listing them based off of that, these are just albums that I love listening to and have stuck with me in time. It's bizarre how basically every album on my list is about death, I've never really thought about that, but these are definitely my top albums of all time. 01. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight - The only Linkin Park album that I love to listen to from beginning to end, it's truly a masterpiece to me. I love every song almost equally and I love how each song is drastically different from the last. 02. Dead By Sunrise - Out Of Ashes - I'll probably get a lot of shit for saying this one, but I can't help it, I love this album. It's very close behind Minutes To Midnight as my favorite album of all time. I admit that the original Dead By Sunrise music probably sounded better before it was changed and polished up by Howard Benson, but I still love the songs. I love how dark this album is, but at the same time, has really beautiful love songs. The melodies are fantastic here and I think it has some of Chester's best vocal deliveries of his entire career included on this album. You also have Amir Derakh who is an amazing guitar player and a great musician overall, so that helps. 03. William Control - Hate Culture - This album has some cringe worthy moments, but I can't help it, I've always loved this album. It has a pretty dark message, it's sort of a concept album, but the lyrics aren't what I love the most about this album. I love the sounds. It's electro-pop-goth kind of, I don't know how to describe it. I've never heard another album that sounds the way this album does to this day. I also don't like any other William Control albums, or Aiden, so it's weird that I love this album so much and it's stuck with me for many years. 04. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - I'm sure many people here are familiar with this band and album, especially since Linkin Park toured with them in 2007, etc. Anyways, I fucking love this album. It's another concept album, but it's done amazingly here, IMO. It's a very dark album, and I love that about it. Gerard is in top shape on this album and it's super creative. It's an album that I will never forget for the rest of my life, much like all the other albums on this list. It also came out at a time that I was really finding out who I was, and was coming of age. They're also the first band that I ever saw live and the played this entire album in it's entirety. 05. Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead - Another concept album. I love everything about this entire album. Ben's vocals are amazing and the lyrics are just great, IMO. It has such a great concept. I was very depressed when this album came out, despite being only about 15-16 at the time, and I really connected with this album. I would put it on each night and listen to it through my headphones. I had a lot of dark things happen when I was growing up, and I found refuge in this album, it made me feel better, even though lyrically it doesn't have much hope in any of the songs. It's strange how you connect with music sometimes, you just do, and this is a really great album to me. I'm also happy that I got to see them play at Projekt Revolution before they broke up the following year.