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By Karenna Johnson (a 16 year old music lover with minimal music talent) (photo above: Phoebe Bridgers performing in Minneapolis)

I love music. Easily one of the most engaging art forms, music makes you feel. Music is vital to culture, popular music styles reflect culture that that moment. So because music is so important, I went through my top listened to music and chose my top ten best albums. There are so many that I wish I could have put on this list but not every album can be my favorite. (I understand that this is a highly biased review, but I still think I’m right. I would also like to take this moment to thank my dad for my music taste– thank you dad.) So here is its, the ten best albums of all time:

Never has there been a more beautiful artist. Sufjan Stevens after the death of his mother, whom he had a complex relationship with, wrote this 2015 album. Released under the label Asthmatic Kitty, a label owned by Stevens and his step-father Lowell Brams (whom the album is half named after). After the end of the 50 states project, Carrie & Lowell is a love letter to his mother and an exploration into his childhood–especially this time he spent in Oregon with his mother and step-father Lowell. Throughout the whole album Stevens struggles with the distance  between himself and his mother but also the closeness he felt with her after her death. This album has eleven deeply sorrowful tracks,  and is beautifully written and composed. Nothing I can say will do it justice.

My personal favorite song off this record,”No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross”, combines the religious undertones of much of his work and his response to his mother’s death singing “there’s no shade in the shadow of the cross”. Stevens uses this allusion to Jesus carrying the cross to illustrate how no comfort was found in his suffering. The perfect song.

To preface this choice, I grew up on Bob Dylan because Dylan is a Minnesota native like me.  

Bob Dylan is one of the most influential artists to date, becoming an icon of the music industry. Dylan is known for being on the onset of political messaging in his music. Dylan’s influence is clearly exemplified in his 1963 folk album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. In Dylan’s sophomore album, the music of the 60s was created. This album explores the Civil Rights movements and anti-war sentiments popular in the dynamic political scene of the late 50s and 60s like “Master of War” and “Talkin’ World War III Blues”, but also has some classic folk songs like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. 

My favorite Bob Dylan song is The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country”. This song is perfect, I can’t help but love the homage to the North. 

Sean Penn, the director of Into the Wild, could not have picked a better artist to create the soundtrack. It seems like it couldn’t be done, but Eddie Vedder created perfection in this 2007 album. Vedder puts words to all the emotions felt through the watching of Christopher McCandless’s wandering through America. “Society” is a perfect example of how a soundtrack song can elevate a film, throughout this song Vedder repeatedly sings “society, you’re a crazy breed/I hope you’re not lonely without me” to echo what McCandless feels throughout his journey to Alaska and ultimately his death. “Society” allows for the audience to better relate to McCandless but also reflect on themselves and their relationship with society. But what makes this soundtrack one of the best albums of all time is it functions not just as a soundtrack but also as a standalone record. Vedder created a truly versatile and absolutely beautiful record. 

“Guaranteed” is a Golden Globe winner for best original song in 2008 and my favorite of this masterpiece. “Guaranteed” starts out with a quote by Peter R. de Vries, a dutch true crime reporter, who wrote “on bended knee is no way to be free”. “Guaranteed” explores freedom and the limitations that society sets on humanity in the classic and beautiful voice of Vedder. A truly top tier song. 

I started listening to Elliott Smith when I was twelve, although I could understand nothing Smith wrote or sang about, something about his music was deeply effective sonically. Smith’s 1997, Either/Or is no different, it sounds beautifully heartbreaking– which it is. Either/Or is named after Soren Kierkegaard book by the same name, Smith most likely chose this because of his interest in philosophy (which he studied at Hampshire College.) Either/Or has the most popular Elliott Smith songs like “Between the Bars” and “Angeles”, obviously both these songs are absolutely classic, all tracks off Either/Or present a different facet of Smith’s unparalleled lyrics, vocals or composition. Smith was both created by the Pacific Northwest music scene but Smith was (is) also a musical legend that formed what we now think of as the Pacific Northwest music scene that defined the 90s.  

“2:45 AM”, I think is the most underrated Elliott Smith and also my favorite of Either/Or. “2:45 AM” weaves simple vocals and a pick/strum mix guitar pattern to create an overwhelming feeling of sadness. (Maybe my favorite lyrics of all time: “I’m walking out on sinner’s circle/ the rest of you can just fade to black”.) This song works best at 2:45 AM. 

The Velvet Underground is a staple of 1960s pop art and alternative culture. No band has left an imprint on both the music and visual art scene like The Velvet Underground, and no album has imprinted art-rock quite like The Velvet Underground and Nicos’ 1967 self-titled release. Their debut album recorded with the help of Andy Warhol (who also made the classic vinyl cover art), made a controversial album. Some controversy still continues today with the lead singer Lou Reed and Nico. However, it is undeniable to influence and experimentation that pushed the music industry forward. This album sounds like a portal back to the 60s, shown in the slightly abrasive sound of “Venus in Furs” and even Nico’s vocals commands the whole attention of listeners. The Velvet Underground & Nico brought so many new possibilities to rock as a genre, how can it not be top ten? 

My favorite of this album has to be “Femme fatale”. Nico sings this song perfectly, (to be honest, I did not like her voice to begin with, however after more listening, the uniqueness of her sound is one reason this album is a top ten). This song presents the “femme fatele” character to audiences in a very engaging way. An forgettable classic. 

As my Dad would say, “Jeff Tweedy is a poet”, and throughout this record Tweedy puts his lyrical genius on full display. Tweedy says that while on tour he read novels by Henry Miller, John Fante and Willam H. Gass which highly influenced his writing on 1999 Summerteeth. Some themes of the album were controversial while recording and one specific lyric choice in “She’s a Jar ” shows it perfectly: throughout the chorus Tweedy sings “with old feelings hit/she begs me not to miss her” but the ending of the songs Tweedy concludes “with old feelings his/she begs me not to hit her”. This conclusion to the song concerned some of the bandmates however the impact on the audience of this album are undoubtedly affected by the stronger lyric choices. Jeff Tweedy truly is a poet and this album truly rocks (both in the musical sense that it is a rock album and that it is a classic and should not be missed). 

My favorite of this album is “How to Fight Loneliness”. This song entirely puts words to the feeling of loneliness that isn’t the sitting-in-your-room-alone type of loneliness, rather just the ache of sadness while continuing to do live “normally”. Tweedy writes, “how to fight loneliness/you smile all the time/shine your teeth till meaningless/sharpen them with lies”. Here Tweedy puts to words the feeling of inward loneliness and juxtaposing it with an outward happiness. Tweedy shows us that we don’t have to be alone to feel lonely but rather we can feel lonely while we laugh and smile with other people. 

Phoebe Bridgers is the breakout star from the Gen Z indie crowd. Her incredible voice mixed with relatable lyrics for teenagers has made her an undeniable staple of the indie music culture. Stranger in the Alps is Bridger’s first solo album release from 2017 (she is also known for her group work in Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center). Bridgers is an incredible artist, and this album is clearly an incredible one. Bridgers writes about unspoken but deeply felt sadness throughout Stranger in the Alps, which is felt in today’s younger generation. Connor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) is also featured in “Would You Rather” creating a very dynamic back and forth throughout the song. (Oberst and Bridgers later started Better Oblivion Community Center together. Which I also highly recommend.) 

My favorite of this album is “Funeral”. ‘Funeral” was the first Phoebe Bridgers song that I heard and was the gateway into her discography. “Funeral” tells the story of Bridgers singing at a funeral of a kid about her age, throughout which Bridgers examines her own life in the light of death. “Funeral” exemplifies Bridgers’s music style, so a perfect place to start. 

This album (might technically be an EP but…)is definitely the least known of my top ten. Pedro the Lion, David Bazan, has released music in many different bands like Headphones, Unwed Sailor, The Undertow Orchestra. Pedro the Lion writes a lamenting record that slowly builds up to an overwhelming feeling of rejection. Bazan’s 2001 release is full of Banzan’s Christian childhood. In the fourth track “Letter From a Concerned Follower”, Bazan writes to God himself saying, 

“I hear that you don’t change
How do you expect to keep up with the trends? 
You won’t survive the information age
Unless you plan to change the truth 
To accommodate the brilliance of men”

Listeners have to struggle alongside Bazan in his questioning of God and humanity. Bazan offers a beautiful perspective making this album so important. 

Choosing a favorite song from this record is extremely difficult. “I Am Always the One Who Calls” is fantastic, the cover of “Be Thou My Vision” fits this album like a glove. But “Diamond Ring” has to be my favorite. This song feels like a shift in the whole record beginning with a more “upbeat” guitar riff. Bazan in “Diamond Ring” compares a man trying to get a girl to marry him and humanity’s rejection of Christ. Writing about a failed relationship, Bazan sings, “But I hoped that you would change your mind by autumn/especially when I bought that diamond ring/but you still said no”. Then when writing about God and people he sings, “to save you from the mess that you’ve created/ And even when I gave my only son/ but you still said no”.

Belle and Sebastian, named after the French storybook for children by the same name, led by Stuart Murdoch made such a fun and fresh indie pop album in 1996 with  If You’re Feeling Sinister. I was lucky to see Belle and Sebastian perform in Minneapolis in 2022 which really led to me being obsessed with this album. I don’t know what it is that makes their music so fun to listen to (maybe it’s the Scottish accents!), but this record is just a joy to listen to. Murdoch has a talent for storytelling. Each story presents its own narrative that weaves together to form a unified story. The unbelievable talent of the lyricism ties together the rest of the arrangements and vocals. Everyone in Belle and Sebastian is so talented. And I love Stuart Murdoch! 

This album’s stand out track is “If You’re Feeling Sinister”. This song feels like driving with the windows down on a summer day. “If You’re Feeling Sinister” begins with a long intro leading to the story of Anthony and Hillary. In this track, Murdoch’s storytelling is on full display. The sound of this song juxtaposes the contemplative lyrics that contemplate hopelessness and religion. 

If you love songs that go on forever, you will love Car Seat Headrest’s 2018 recording of Twin Fantasy. Will Toledo, writer and leading singer of CSH, wrote and recorded the first Twin Fantasy record in 2011 called Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror). He and the band, because of the lack of resources during the first recording, decided to remake the entire album and named it Twin Fantasy (Face to Face). Toledo, inspired by James Joyce (his favorite author), writes monologue, stream of consciousness styled lyrics. Twin Fantasy and CSH both have a cult following in the Gen Z audiences. Car Seat Headrest slowly builds a feeling of existential tread that reaches its pinnacle in the second to last track of the album a16 minute banger “Famous Prophets (stars)”. 

My favorite song on this album is “Bodys”. Toledo sings to build feelings of eagerness and tread by singing ‘”Is it the Chorus yet?’/’No, it’s just the building of the verse/ So when the chorus does come, it’ll be more rewarding.”’ Here Toledo is building the pressure up to the chorus that lasts the rest of the song, ending in the final confession “Don’t you realize our bodies could fall apart any second?/I am terrified your body call fall apart at any second”. Toledo uses humor and increasing the pressure of the song to show the fragility of human life. Very Will Toledo and very classic.