Authored by Connor Dolan
Editor’s note: each week, Connor Dolan will be writing about the top ten albums of all time.
7.
Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend
If you’ve ever wanted to live in a brownstone studio apartment in Cambridge with a terrace and a collection of potted plants, this is the album for you, and you probably already know it. Someone once said to me that Vampire Weekend was the musical equivalent of a Wes Anderson movie, and they weren’t wrong. And just like a Wes Anderson movie, there’s just as much substance as there is style. As far as I’m concerned, this is the band’s best take on balancing the two. Most people will tell you that Contra is their best project, the hipsters and the purists will tell you it was the first album. To me this was the project that launched Vampire Weekend’s status to where it is today. You can say that A-Punk got them the airplay years ago, but Modern Vampires was a Grammy winner. The spacey and nostalgic feel of this album makes it so much more interesting to listen to than the somewhat low-textured self titled album. The songwriting itself is much more introspective and laid back than in previous projects. Modern Vampires is an incredibly fun listen, which is why I always go back to it. Tune in next time for a review of a modern masterpiece, To Pimp A Butterfly.
8.
The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
This album puts every rapper alive today to shame. Core members Phife and Q-Tip’s ability to plot out a narrative, with anecdotes, and all in a perfect manipulation of their rhyme scheme and flow is astounding. Possibly the only thing better than Q-Tip on a verse is the beat that they put in behind him. The DJ of the group, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, produces a slick and iconic take on the style of Hip-Hop coming from other New York rappers at the time. A lot of the samples on this album come from jazz, with an entire song based off of a Ron Carter (jazz legend) bassline. You will never feel so cool in your life so much as when you hear the beats on this album. In New York in the early 90’s the biggest names in rap were artists like Notorious B.I.G and Wu Tang Clan. These are also names responsible for some of the most brutal lyrical content of the gangster rap era. I applaud them for that. But Tribe takes a different spin on things. They advocate for nonviolence, stressing that art and creativity is a more important outlet for their energy. Everyone that I’ve recommended this album to has come back to me saying that they love it, you probably will too.
9.
Flower Boy – Tyler, The Creator
This is more than an album. This is a style- a way of life. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t down to listen to this thing front to back. Every time I’ve been shopping since this album came out, I stop and think to myself “What would Tyler wear?” I know for a fact I’m not alone on that one. I can’t think of a better album to represent teenage culture in 2018, and the reason I say that is because everyone I’ve talked to that knows it loves it. Regardless of who you are and who you hang out with, where you come from, or what you identify with, this album has something for you.
10.
Thrill of the Arts -Vulfpeck
Vulfpeck is a weird band. They combine funk, classical, and dance. It sounds criminal, and it would be if they weren’t some of the best musicians I’ve ever heard in my life. Seriously. If you listen to this and think it’s too strange just jump ahead to the instrumental tracks “Rango II” or “Smile Meditation” and hear the best that Vulfpeck has to offer. If you listen to “Game Winner” and don’t feel like a better person afterward I definitely don’t know you. One of the band’s core members, Jack Stratton, often describes the concept of minimalist funk. The idea is to only have a few instruments going at a time playing relatively simple parts. By itself this idea seems bland and not very dynamic, but when Vulfpeck puts it into practice its like something I’ve never heard. There are a lot of reasons for this but primarily their use of compressed recording makes everything sound crisp and their impeccable timing makes every rest as audible as the notes themselves. It’s so well performed because they let their rhythmic playing speak for their ability. This album is a work of art and the perfect entry for the top of the list.
Connor Dolan is a senior and Weekly Columnist for the Daily Olivian