So…here we are again.  Me making a list in a feverish attempt to order my music tastes to better understand what I like and why I like it.  I’ve tried my best to be objective about this list.  I typically like something if it’s transcendent or it’s mastering an already existent art form.  Like a great blues musician should be judged on how well he plays blues, instead of finding fault with his unoriginal choice in music.  I truly try to go into every music looking for its positive attributes, and not get bogged down in this idea that I only like certain kinds of music.  Any type of music can be beautiful or transcendent or masterful or just damn good, so that’s why you’re not going to see a list of 20 albums from one genre(and I did try to tone down my preoccupation with hip hop). It’s hard to deny that this looks like a hipster list, but what’s good is good.  Some albums that most people love aren’t on here, because they just didn’t click with me for some reason.  I can only take so much of Drake’s moaning over fuzzed out tones and drum machines.  I listened to the new Fleet Foxes album about 100 times waiting for it to click and it never did.  Destroyer, Lykke Li, Danny Brown, and Tyler the Creator are not on this list, because my affinity for these albums simply weren’t strong enough.  All of this might be damaging to my hipster cred, but it’s a good thing I’m not keeping track.

Once again, this is just my opinion.  No matter how objective I claim to be preferences will always differ. 

1) James Blake - James Blake

2) Bad as Me - Tom Waits

3) The King of Limbs - Radiohead

4) Th Horrors - Skying

5) Space Is Only Noise - Nicolas Jaar

6) Ex Military - Death Grips

7) Black Up - Shabazz Palaces

8) Bon Iver - Bon Iver

9) W/H/O/K/I/L/L - Tune-Yards

10) Organ Music Not a Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped - Moonface

11) The Rip Tide - Beirut

12) The Whole Love - Wilco

13) El Camino - The Black Keys

14) Strange Mercy - St. Vincent

15) 50 Words for Snow - Kate Bush

16) House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence - The Weeknd

17) Glimmer - Jacaszek

18) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

19) Suck It And See - Arctic Monkeys

20) Demolished Thoughts - Thurston Moore

Honorable Mentions(also known as I feel bad for not mentioning them):

Bright Lights - Gary Clark Jr.

Circuital - My Morning Jacket

Nine Types of Light - TV on the Radio

Life Fantastic - Man Man