“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.”
– Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)
Readers who have enjoyed our interviews from time to time know that we typically ask artists to share their five favorite albums of all time at the end of our conversations with them. No matter who the artist is, it’s always fascinating to discover which long players have impacted their personal and professional lives. A few of our interview subjects have even scoffed at the standard five album limit, rattling off upwards of a dozen or so titles and second-guessing if they’ve made the right choices.
Today, we’re excited to feature our writers’ respective lists of their 10 favorite albums, an exercise that proved agonizing for a few of us, even prompting a few rage-filled messages to be sent to our editor-in-chief who came up with the nutty idea. We all reserve the right to change our minds about these choices in the future, but for now, here are the indispensable albums that we can’t live without.
Check out Liz Itkowsky’s picks below, click the “Next” button at bottom to browse the lists, or click here to return to the main index.
Air | Moon Safari | 1998 | Buy | Moon Safari is so dreamy and unique. Each song is special. It's great as laid-back ambient noise or concentrated French pop listening.
Broken Social Scene | Broken Social Scene | 2005 | Buy | The messy, expressive, orchestral elements of this album blow me away every time I listen to it. It's clear this is the work of several accomplished musicians hanging out and having a great time.
Bob Dylan | The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan | 1963 | Buy | Dylan is such a prolific songwriter. This album has an indelible mark on American music. I'm always touched by the collective nostalgia it evokes.
New Order | Power, Corruption & Lies | 1983 | Buy | Power, Corruption & Lies is synth-pop executed perfectly. It's a balance of heavy and light. It's punk you can dance to!
Pavement | Brighten the Corners | 1997 | Buy | Pavement is so funny and weird on this album. I love how accessible they made their music here.
Rilo Kiley | Take Offs and Landings | 2001 | Buy | Rilo Kiley were the epitome of cool for me. They cut a feminine, intelligent figure amongst the whining emo dudes. A sexy chick (Jenny Lewis) singing about bipolar disorder is always going to get my attention.
Sleater-Kinney | Dig Me Out | 1997 | Buy | Dig Me Out was my introduction to Sleater-Kinney. Three chicks totally annihilating their instruments and singing about toppling the patriarchy—it's riot grrrl at its best.
The Smiths | The Queen Is Dead | 1986 | Buy | Morrissey is so capital "R" Romantic on The Queen is Dead. I love the jangle pop guitar with hyper-literate lyrics.
The Velvet Underground | Loaded | 1970 | Buy | Lou Reed was always a little too cool, but he's still interesting when he's playing to less-experimental crowds. Even though Loaded is more pop than the rest of VU’s discography, they still incorporate all the killer proto-punk elements.
Wilco | Yankee Hotel Foxtrot | 2002 | Buy | This album is a masterpiece of American music. Jeff Tweedy breaks out of his country chains, tries a little bit of everything, and lands it all.