ExplosiveOranges
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02.25.15 Oranges' Nine Albums of Power ♦12.20.14 I'm Not Really Into Pop Music....
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Oranges' Nine Albums of Power

It’s been exactly 10 months since I joined Sputnikmusic, and there’s been so much that’s happened since then. I’ve gotten to know so many great people, become acquainted with so many different types of music, and improved my writing drastically in such a short span of time. Big thanks to Jom, Dev, Willie, Chan, and the rest of the staff for keeping this site up and running, and congrats to ComeToDaddy, JohnnyOnTheSpot, thelastsignal, VheissuCrisis, and StrangerOfSorts. Without further ado, here are nine of my favorite albums (because I was too lazy to do ten).
1Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago

For Emma, Forever Ago is a very lonely album. And that’s no coincidence, as Justin Vernon spent nearly three months in isolation during the making of it. But it’s not a gloomy experience. Sure, Vernon’s layered vocals slowly building up to a climax on “The Wolves (Acts I and II)” and his reserved falsetto singing in “Skinny Love” and “Flume” are far from upbeat, but bring about a feeling of catharsis as well. It’s not that crushing, inescapable loneliness created by other bands within the genre. Rather, it’s a mellow, thoughtful pouring of emotions into just nine short songs. It makes you reminisce and remember times that have passed by, but also gives you hope for the future. And even though Justin Vernon’s various other projects and additional albums under the Bon Iver moniker are also solid in their own right, nothing will ever beat For Emma in my mind.
2Bruce Springsteen
Born to Run

Around autumn 2014, I started listening to more of The Boss’s discography. Sure, I’d heard plenty of songs off of Born in the U.S.A., but I’d never gotten a chance to dive into his other stuff. Boy, was I in for a hell of a good time. Sure, some will argue that Darkness on the Edge of Town is his masterpiece, and I can certainly see the argument behind that. But in my mind, few things can even come close to the grandiose, almost epic sound of Born To Run. Whether it’s the sorrowful piano intro of “Backstreets”, the uplifting chorus on the title track, or the entirety of the nearly ten-minute long epic of “Jungleland”, Springsteen was at the top of his game here. But most of all, Bruce’s lyrics are what really sell the music. The various tales of young adults and teenagers growing up in NYC and Jersey are remarkably relatable, and prove that Springsteen’s skills as a storyteller are second only to Bob Dylan. This is the album that made Bruce Springsteen famous, and it’s easy to tell why
3Iron Maiden
Somewhere in Time

Iron Maiden are, without a doubt, one of the most consistently excellent bands within the heavy metal genre. So, picking their best album is kind of a freebie. And honestly, I’d have to go with Somewhere In Time. Right off the bat, the guitar synthesizers on “Caught Somewhere In Time” give the impression that this is going to be a very different Maiden album. The best way I could describe it would be as the most 80’s of the 80’s Iron Maiden albums. The use of guitar synthesizers on tracks like the aforementioned “Caught Somewhere In Time” and “Stranger in a Strange Land” works to great effect, and both the instrumentation and Bruce Dickinson’s vocals are top-notch. Sure, the album does have a few more disappointing moments, like the lackluster chorus of “Deja Vu”, but there was one major deciding factor here. Unlike some of their compatriots Maiden had been able to adapt elements of the glam metal trend without sacrificing their unique sound or losing their fanbase in the process.
4Death
Human

It goes without saying that a band whose vocalist and primary songwriter is renowned as the “Father of Death Metal” probably has a pretty damn good discography behind it. But in the end, Human stands out to me as their masterwork. It’s short, clocking in at just over half an hour long, and is the first Death album to incorporate prog elements. Yet, it manages to stick out as one of the greatest death metal albums of all time. This is primarily due to the stunningly good guitarwork by Schuldiner and Masvidal, especially on tracks like “Suicide Machine” and “Lack of Comprehension”. Reinert also performs well, particularly on opener “Flattening of Emotions” and “Together As One”. Lastly, DiGiorgio provides some damn good bass parts throughout the album, and the production is stellar. Human is a fantastic album, and represents the best side of death metal.
5Godspeed You! Black Emperor
F#A# (Infinity)

Few albums have ever affected me quite the way F#A#(Infinity) has. Remember what I said about Bon Iver being lonely but cathartic at the same time? F#A#(Infinity) is the exact opposite of that. It’s a dark, dismal, and frighteningly realistic venture into the heart of the apocalypse. It’s pretty damn difficult to really describe it, as most of its hour-long runtime is filled with little more than ambient noise. But the psychological effect it creates, and the claustrophobic atmosphere it gives off become apparent early on, and only grows in strength as the album goes on. As cliched as it may sound, the only real way to get an idea of F#A#(Infinity) is to experience it yourself. And once you’ve listened to it, few things will remain the same.
6Burial
Untrue

After I’d spent a number of months on Sputnik, I wanted to start getting more acquainted with electronic music, particularly dubstep. One of the most popular and critically acclaimed dubstep albums I stumbled upon was Burial’s sophomore album, Untrue. And sure enough, it was love at first sight (or, in this case, listen?). I was blown away at how different Untrue sounded from all the American brostep artists I’d listened to in the past. It was nothing like the loud, bombastic party music produced by Skrillex or Kill The Noise. Rather, it was a soundscape of distant vocal samples, strong basslines, and glitchy beats. It was calm and reserved, but unpolished and grimy at the same time. Whether it was the shorter, mellower tracks such as “Endorphin” and “In McDonalds” or the more DnB and garage-influenced songs such as “Raver” and “Archangel”, Untrue never failed to impress, and served as a gateway album for me into various other types of electronic music.
7Kanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that Kanye West is a damn good producer. His production skills served him best on MBDTF, where he works wonders with sampling on tracks such as “Hell of a Life”, “Power”, and “Lost in the World”. In addition to that, the massive selection of guest artists makes the album feel almost like a soundtrack, from Nicki Minaj coming in to drop a verse on “Monster” to Elton John and Alicia Keys showing up at the very end of “All of the Lights” to sing the outro. But most of all, MBDTF is an emotionally engaging album. Whether it’s Kanye lamenting over his poor romantic endeavors on “Runaway” and “Blame Game” or rapping about fame and corruption on “Gorgeous” and “Monster”, it always feels like Kanye is bringing you along on a strange and disorienting journey through his thoughts and ideas. Truth be told, MBDTF’s inconsistency is really the best part of the whole experience.
8Nas
Illmatic

Out of all the classic 90’s hip hop albums, Illmatic was the one that managed to appeal to me the most. Sure, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and the myriad of other East Coast classics certainly live up to their reputations, but Illmatic always seemed to stand out against the others. Putting aside the gritty production and dope beats, Nas succeeded the most in his abilities as a lyricist and storyteller. His delivery of brutally honest lines such as, “So analyze me, surprise me, but can't magmatize me/Scannin' while you're plannin' ways to sabotage me” is ultimately what makes him as unique as he is, and is the biggest strength of Illmatic as a whole.
9Aphex Twin
Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Easily up there as one of the greatest electronic albums of all time, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 was also one of the first albums I got the chance to listen to within the realm of electronic music. The distant, futuristic sounds that Richard D. James incorporates into his music help create a very spacey kind of feeling throughout the album, especially on tracks such as “Xtal”, “Hedphelym”, and “Pulsewidth”. The production is very thin and tinny, and that only helps to build that far-off, almost cosmic atmosphere. Whether it’s the ethereal synthesizers, the groovy basslines, or the click of the drums, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 exemplifies some of the best elements within ambient and IDM music, and remains unmatched even by the rest of Aphex Twin’s excellent discography.
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