AltVibe's Top 10 Alternative albums of all-time
I may only be 17 years old, but that means I've been a music fan for 17 years, and over the course of those short years, here are the albums that have had the most impact on my life as a person, music fan, and songwriter. Please note that EPs are not inlcuded in this list, it is solely LPs.
10. Tigers Jaw – Tigers Jaw (2008)
Ask anyone from Scranton, PA and they might tell you this is THE album, but that's just cause we take intense pride in our local music scene. This fantastic indie-punk record got Tigers Jaw signed to Run For Cover Records and changed the lives of indie music fans and punks all across the world. Who said you can't rule the world with G, C, Am, F?
Listen to first: I Was Never Your Boyfriend or The Sun
9. The Front Bottoms – The Front Bottoms (2011)
The indie-dance-punks from New Jersey teamed up with Bar-None Records to release this self-titled record that took the duo from local band status to national heroes. Brian Sella's odd vocal style, life-changing lyrics, and power chord progressions paired with Matt Uychich's dance groove drum beats come together and create a whole new genre of music that has influenced fans and musicians alike all over the Northeast.
Listen to first: Flashlight or Maps
8. Sleeper Agent - Celabrasion (2011)
The debut album from Kentucky rockers Sleeper Agent was released in mid 2011 via Mom + Pop Records. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes, Celabrasion is a high energy pop rock record that fires on all cylinders with perfectly executed male/female vocal melodies, gritty and grungy, but refined guitar riffs, and upbeat rhythms.
Listen to first: Get Burned or Get It Daddy
7. Metric – Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (2003)
Toronto Ontario's Metric debuted on Enjoy Records in 2003 with this gem of an alternative rock album that sounded far ahead of their time. Taking new wave elements and combining them with indie rock sensibilities wasn't something that was seen until the late 00's, but Metric had it down pat in 2003.
Listen to first: Combat Baby or Dead Disco
6. Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity (2006)
Oh! Gravity was released in the final week of 2006 on Columbia / Sony BMG and is the sixth studio album by Grammy Award winning rock group, Switchfoot. Like all other Switchfoot records, the album contains some of the most emotional lyrics around, but these lyrics, which are exceptionally good, even by Switchfoot's standards are met with true musicianship from the California rockstars. Ranging from pop anthems like “Oh! Gravity” to harder songs like “Circles” to emotionally charged slow songs like “Yesterdays”, this album has it all. If you're feeling down and need a purpose or something to cope with or just wanna rock out to good music, Oh! Gravity is the album for you.
Listen to first: Oh! Gravity or Awakening
5. Vacationer – Gone (2012)
Philadelphia's Ken Vasoli has produced some of the greatest music of all time, whether it was with punk pop group The Starting Line (who almost made this list) or with his chill pop nu-hula endeavor, Vacationer. Vacationer's debut album is absolutely breathtaking. This album has all the right vibes to chill you out, or pump you up, and the sounds heard on this album will never be replicated by any band including Vacationer themselves. This is probably the most appealing album on this list to fans of all genre's because of its wide variety of genres touched. From trip-hop to indie rock to pop, this album is a beautiful conglomerate of the musical arts as a whole.
Listen to first: Everyone Knows or Trip
4. New Politics – New Politics (2010)
Dahnish musicians Soren Hansen and David Boyd had been making music together for years, experimenting with every imaginable genre until they stumbled upon the sound they wanted to feature on their debut album. New Politics is a coherent selection of alternative rock songs that was released in late 2010 on RCA Records. The influence of rap and dance music is very evident throughout many different sections of the group's post grunge songs. If you can find another album like this one, I'll pay you.
Listen to first: Yeah Yeah Yeah, Dignity, or Give Me Hope
3. Third Eye Blind – Out Of The Vein (2003)
Best known for their late 90's pop hits, Third Eye Blind is capable of so much more than many assume they are. Their two most recent releases (this record in 2003 and Ursa Major in 2009) are the band's best releases to date, but also the lesser- known releases by the band. Out Of The Vein was released in May, which also happens to be the ideal listening season for it due to its coherent muggy atmosphere summery feel-good vibes. Big pop hooks, big rock songs, big album. The music is something special in its SoCal self, but if you listen to some of the lyrics on this album too, wow. Don't let the spry pop melodies fool you, there's some heavy content on this one too. If you put the amount of people who know Third Eye Blind in proportion with the number of people who appreciate Out Of The Vein, you will probably find that this is the most underrated album of all time.
Listen to first: Crystal Baller or Blinded
2. fun. - Aim and Ignite (2009)
We all know who fun. is and we all know how they came together, but what a lot of people have missed since their 2012 smash, “Some Nights” garnered them so much attention, was their stellar debut album released on Nettwerk in 2009. Aim & Ignite is one of the most layered albums out there. Orchestrated strings, pop rock guitars, and a strong horn section are just a few of the tasteful pieces of this almost perfect record. While many will still drool over Some Nights, I pity them, because they have no idea what they've been missing.
Listen to first: All The Pretty Girls or Walking the Dog
1. Walk the Moon – i want! i want! (2010)
Recently achieving stardom is Ohio's pop quartet, Walk the Moon, and while the current lineup of members currently is striving to meet the contemporary pop standard, four to five years ago, frontman Nick Petricca had been leading a pack of indie / pop rockers that realized the beauty in simplicity and knew how to execute it through awe-inspiring independent pop anthems that will send chills through your bones for years straight. The most impressive thing about i want! i want! is it was totally independent and self-funded. This collection of songs is the record that got Walk the Moon signed to RCA, hence creating their future in alternative music. After signing to RCA, some of these songs were re-made and put on the band's self-titled album, but they were massacred in the process. i want! i want! is appealing to pop music fans and hipsters alike, and will forever showcase the beauty of incredible pop hooks, fun and energetic lyrics, and most importantly independent music and the ability to create art without feeling the need to meet any expectations. Nicholas Petricca, Adrian Galvin, Nicholas Lerangis, and Adrian Galvin, my hat is off to you. Well done.
Listen to first: Anna Sun or Jenny