5.
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (2005) vs. 7. The National - Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
Well, Sleater-Kinney again. But this time with my favourite album by them (and I'm not alone in that, both RYM and BEA got it at the top), a more mature songwriting meets here with ferocious energy and the dirty and raw production by Dave Fridmann. Energy and rawness missed on The National sixth album, a correct album of maturity without highs as "Bloodbuzz Ohio" or "Fake Empire" that however it seems to be more popular than the two previous albums (at least according to Spotify streams).
4. Julia Holter - Ekstasis (2012) vs. 3.
Beach House - Depression Cherry (2015)
This bracket is almost a tie for me, in fact I changed the order after relistening the albums. The mysterious Art Pop of Holter's second album is highly remarkable (even if her next two albums were going to be better) but I can help but feel that the album declines after beginning so high with "Marienbad." Beach House instead offer a less adventurous but homogeneous album filled by magically dreamy sounds, conjuring "a feeling of intimacy surrounded by vastness" (Heather Phares for AMG).
1.
Camel - Mirage (1974) vs. 6. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2000)
I was probably 13 years-old when a friend of mine came home with an
album borrowed from his older brother, a compilation of the second and third albums of Camel. Both albums fascinated me with its Prog multi-part songs, tempo changes and awesome playing while today I mainly enjoy the fluid structures and the melodic flow. Anyway it will surely lose against a forum-beloved Hip Hop concept album, brilliantly designed and masterfully produced but difficult for me to submerge into it.
2.
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia (2008) vs. 8. Sweet Trip - Velocity: Design: Comfort (2003)
I find instead quite easy to surrender and submerge deeply into the music of the late Jóhannsson, a majestic and evocative mixture of Modern Classical and Post Rock. I love the intertwining of electric guitars and orchestra on the title theme, one of the shortest 14 minutes ever. The Sweet Trip album is interesting, sonically adventurous but not forgetting Pop melodic sense (listen to "Dsco") but it get on my nerves after a while, exactly the opposite effect of the Icelandic composer's masterpiece.