Modern Thriller-esque Albums

[Holden]

People often talk about albums being akin to Michael Jackson’s Thriller-every song is a potential single, great in its own right. What modern albums really seem like this to you? One that comes to mind is Born to Die by Lana Del Rey for me... still cannot understand the lukewarm reaction to this album when it was released, only a 2.5 on AllMusic!

[Romain]

For me :
Born To Die (I totally agrre with you) and Oracular Spectacular are the best recent example.

[Nick]

Is This It by The Strokes absolutely fits. The album could’ve been a greatest hits album.

[Romain]

Is This It by The Strokes absolutely fits. The album could’ve been a greatest hits album.

Agree.

[Listyguy]

Depending on how you want to define "modern," I don't think there's an album of the last ten years that was a better successor to Thriller than 21. Much like Thriller, the album produced 4 or 5 legitimate singles and sold more copies than any other album of its decade.

[Pauler]

4 by Beyoncé, which is the first of her terrific album run (followed up by the sensational self-titled and then Lemonade.

Sonic-wise, 4 is not very cohesive but every song is executed in a way that I can see them being promoted as a standalone single for sure.

[Madzong]

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

[Romain]

Ah, and I just thinking about the two first album of Gorillaz.

[Jackson]

Taylor Swift's 1989 is definitely the best recent example. The apex of a pop giant with a very mainstream sound, multiple #1 singles, and massive sales. The mega-success of both albums also proved difficult for both artists to duplicate.

[Live in Phoenix]

I don't think there's an album of the last ten years that was a better successor to Thriller than 21. Much like Thriller, the album produced 4 or 5 legitimate singles and sold more copies than any other album of its decade.

21 compares well in one respect -- 21 is the only album since Thriller to be the best-selling U.S. album of the year two years in a row.

[Madzong]

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
National - High Violet
alt-j - An Awesome Wave
Arctic Monkeys - AM
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Arcade Fire - Reflektor

[bootsy]

There isn't one.