Hey look, it’s another music post! Yeah, as I said last time this seems to be the only type of blog posts that I am able to finish successfully so I hope you are enjoying it. Since I have been getting the question “which are your favorite albums of all time?” so often (literally nobody has asked me this question) and I actually wanted to talk about this for a long time I decided to finally write a blog dedicated to my current top five albums. I hope you enjoy it!

Since I don’t have my CD collection with me I am putting a random image from the Internet. So professional, I know!

First of all, I want to say that the albums I will be talking about are not ordered in any way, I couldn’t decide which one I like more than the other (except the first one, which is my all-time favorite). Second, this turned out to be way harder than I thought originally and I almost gave up at some point since there are way more records which I think deserve attention and being on this list (I should have made a top 20 instead). However, I decided not to overthink it and make my choice based on which records made a very strong impression on me when I first heard them and which I am still listening to frequently without getting bored or losing the passion for. Maybe it will be a good idea to clarify what makes an album great for me as well. Before that – I think it goes without saying, but I feel like clarifying anyway – that’s just my personal opinion and criteria, not trying to push my taste to anyone.

What I enjoy most are the emotions put into the songs, the lyrics which make me think combined with a good sound, instrumentals, or beats – this is essential. It is very important for me that the album has integrity – the songs flow from one another smoothly, they are ordered well, and there is an idea behind everything that has been done to create the final result. This is what makes an album stand out in my eyes (I am obsessed with concept albums so that probably makes sense). A message worth looking into (or a general idea which the artist wants to express with a collection of songs) is also something I am usually looking for as well as the overall sound. If I don’t like how it sounds and I don’t enjoy listening to it everything else is pointless I guess.

But yes, when I listen to a full album I pay attention to the integrity and how well it all works together, what was the idea behind it and how to songs represent this idea. Of course, this doesn’t meant that I won’t listen to any other type of album or something which is not what I described above – I like exploring all types of music and albums, but when it comes to picking my favorites this is how I made my choice.

With this being said, let’s get to my favorite albums, shall we?

Trench – Twenty-One Pilots

This one definitely stays on top of everything else in my charts

Honestly, I don’t even know what to say about Trench. I expected a lot from Twenty One Pilots after their “silence” but the new album went beyond everything I ever imagined. I’m not trying to overhype it, but for me personally, this is the best album I have heard. It has absolutely everything with amazing attention to detail and the execution is flawless. As mentioned, concept albums are my sweet spot and the way Twenty One Pilots elaborated on Blurryface and made the concept even more immersive and understandable is amazing. They created an entire world which is a huge metaphor for something very important and their storytelling reached new levels when it comes to the music industry. Needless to say the flow in each song, the beats, instrumentals, lyrics, and sound are amazing and contribute to the immersive experience you get when you listen to the full album. It’s definitely a step ahead for the music world and for the band itself. But when it comes to Twenty One Pilots there is nothing accidental and what I like most is that Trench is not only a great album but part of an even bigger idea and story. I definitely recommend it in case you missed out.

Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns

This album has grown on me a lot with the years. When it came out in 2010 I didn’t appreciate it at all since it was a drastic change from what I was used to hearing from my favorite band. However, getting more mature and realizing what the album is about, the depth of the lyrics, and how bold of a move it was in terms of experimentation with new sounds I started falling in love with it. And it is now one of my all-time favorite albums. The topics touched are extremely important and still relevant 9 years after it’s release. The way they were presented is also something that I really love and experimentation with the sound – the infusion of electronic elements to the rock instrumentals and the balanced vocals of aggressive and heartfelt tones are just amazing and simply enjoyable for the ear. I do believe this is one of the best works of Linkin Park and this album has a special place in my heart. It made me look beyond my small little world and pay attention to what is happening in the bigger picture.

Bliss N Eso – Circus In The Sky

Circus in the sky is an incredible album which I believe best captures the potential and diversity of the Australian hip-hop legends Bliss N Eso. This was the first full album I heard by the artists and I was impressed with the amazing energy, vibe, and important messages presented in such a powerful way. The songs ranged from thought-provoking to easy-going and relaxing to pure badass. But the best things is that despite having so diverse songs the album works perfectly well all together and has a great consistency and overall the same vibe. Needless to say, the hip-hop is on top level and the lyrics are a killer.

Jay Z and Linkin Park – Collision Course

After going through a rock album and a hip-hop album separately here is one which is basically the best of both worlds. A collaboration by one of the best rock bands and one of the best hip-hop artists – Collision Course is a hyper energizing and passionate mash-up of some of the best songs of both artists. The energy is incredible and the album is filled with heavy, aggressive, and passionate rock riffs and verses as well as fast, sharp, and badass hip-hop tunes and lyrics. I truly admire this collaboration as, in my opinion, it shows very well how two completely different styles of music can be combined to create something even better.

Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal

I came to the conclusion that despite this one being very dark and dealing with an extremely hard topic and theme it is indeed one of my favorite albums which I often come back to for several reasons. First of all, this is a great example of music evolution – the fourth album by the British (former) metalcore band which marked the start of their musical evolution and experimentation. The album is very dark, but the lyrics are extremely on point and thought-provoking with important messages. It is also a very good metaphorical transition of the previous albums of the band which dealt with depression and unhealthy mental states towards coming face-to-face with yourself and others and progressing towards a healthier lifestyle. Not to mention the incredible emotion and passion put into the songs both in terms of lyrics and sound which, by the way, work more than well together and create the “melancholic” vibe and feel which I always associate with Bring Me The Horizon. Some of the songs are slow ballads while others are energetic and (often) aggressive. The entire album is a journey in itself and is extremely personal and emotional and I think this is one of the main reason I keep coming back to it (I still see it as the best work of the band as well). It also resonated very well with me the first time I heard it and I think this also contributes to my appreciation towards the record.

The songs from Sempiternal are even more enjoyable live!

So here are my five favorite albums in case you were wondering. Of course, this is just a tiny bit of my favorite music and the list can go on and on, but I thought it would be fun to make a “top five” type of post. Should I do it with other things apart from music? Which are your favorite albums? Let me know and thanks for reading.

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