“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.”
– Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)
Readers who have enjoyed our interviews from time to time know that we typically ask artists to share their five favorite albums of all time at the end of our conversations with them. No matter who the artist is, it’s always fascinating to discover which long players have impacted their personal and professional lives. A few of our interview subjects have even scoffed at the standard five album limit, rattling off upwards of a dozen or so titles and second-guessing if they’ve made the right choices.
Today, we’re excited to feature our writers’ respective lists of their 10 favorite albums, an exercise that proved agonizing for a few of us, even prompting a few rage-filled messages to be sent to our editor-in-chief who came up with the nutty idea. We all reserve the right to change our minds about these choices in the future, but for now, here are the indispensable albums that we can’t live without.
Check out Rayna Khaitan’s picks below, click the “Next” button at bottom to browse the lists, or click here to return to the main index.
Angelo Badalamenti | Soundtrack from Twin Peaks | 1990 | Buy | This is a newcomer to any all-time favorite music list I’ve ever composed, but after nearly thirty years of unrelenting hunger for the Twin Peaks universe, I’ve realized it’s no fleeting phase. Managing to be jazzy, melodic, dangerous and nostalgic, the music perfectly marries with the film, taking me to secret places in my mind, where I dare to peer before racing back out.
The Cure | Pornography | 1982 | Buy | Yes, so, it may seem off-balanced (and semi-insane) to include two albums by one band in this short of a list, especially when other beloved artists aren’t represented at all. And yet, this is the truth. Often dismissed for being obsessively dark, I wager there’s raw purity here. It hurts sometimes, but it’s so conflicted and beautiful.
The Cure | Disintegration | 1989 | Buy | The thousands of hours we’ve spent together edge eternity. No other album could ever come close. Bathing me in ceaseless exquisite moonlight, it’s my go-to on both hopeless days and snow-smitten nights.
Lights Out Asia | In the Days of Jupiter | 2010 | Buy | At some point in the ‘90s, I discovered a type of music that sent me “cosmically floating,” and I’ve been on the hunt ever since. In this case, the name and artwork immediately drew me in, and really, I have no hope of coming out. Magnificently lush and maybe even a touch terrifying, In the Days of Jupiter is what I play when my mind slips past plane windows, into the vast, delicious world.
Low | I Could Live in Hope | 1994 | Buy | On recommendation from a new friend, I bought Low’s debut one spring afternoon during my freshman year of college. By the time I got to my dorm room, I’d found out that a friend and floormate had committed suicide. I didn’t know what to say or do. I just sat curled up in my chair and let this album wash over me on repeat, feeling the sadness—his, everyone’s, mine. This album speaks with a quiet kind of love.
The National | Alligator | 2005 | Buy | I think that when I grow old, this will be the album that will remind me I was young and fiery once and perhaps even a little wild. Whipping around in my Saturn return, I moved to New York City and coasted its electric currents with Alligator at my side. Erupting with harmless debauchery, this album spins and sparkles in my head.
port-royal | Dying in Time | 2009 | Buy | I don’t recall how I found out about port-royal or when, but I’m so grateful I did. Electronic, dreamy and deserving of so many occasions, this album creates a force field of focus. When I put it on, running, writing, thinking—everything—feels fluid and alive.
Red House Painters | Down Colorful Hill | 1992 | Buy | Sometimes when an artist shares their first complete work, it’s so clear their life brought them to that moment. Between the palpable outpouring of emotion and the naked eloquence of its heart-tearing poetry, Red House Painters’ debut has so much feeling, I admittedly can’t always conjure up the strength to take it.
Sigur Rós | Takk... | 2005 | Buy | I’d liked Sigur Rós since discovering “that blue album with the fetus on the cover” years before. But I fell in love with them through Takk. Evoking the gorgeous grandeur and incomprehensible complexity of nature, this stunning opus makes me feel immense and small all at once.
Underworld | Beaucoup Fish | 1999 | Buy | How many nights started and ended with this album? I could guess, but it’s likely a few of my past neighbors might actually know. This slinky, bewitching outfit serves me well whether I’m hosting friends or hiding out.