A Sun Came
Amidst the crowded sea of influences and potential, the core of the future Sufjan is visible.
Folk
Roman Candle
A thoroughly haunting album, Roman Candle announced to the world—or at least the indie music world—that Elliott Smith was a musical force worthy of attention.
Third/Sister Lovers
Third/Sister Lovers slots in as a cult classic, an unpalatable album that has nevertheless found a home amongst misfits and outsiders.
Radio City
Bell seemed to be a catalyst for Chilton that allowed Big Star’s songs to jell into fully realized miniature masterpieces.
Meeting of the Waters
‘Man of Oil’ ascends to its sublime melancholy heights from an obscure angle, an approach reminiscent of some of the best tracks on Feels.
Feels
This is the band at its peak; not at its most accessible or at its freakiest, but at its best.
Sung Tongs
Sung Tongs doesn’t connect with all of its experiments, but for the first time Animal Collective is actually fun to listen to.
Here Comes the Indian
It veers between eerie, nonmusical tension and otherworldly sublimity without breaking a sweat. It’s the kind of thing that I don’t think is really possible to come up with in your head and then go out and create. It has to come about via experimentation and iteration.
Campfire Songs
Sometimes musically reminiscent of early T. Rex, it comes in a few notches ahead of its predecessor.