Album Runner-Ups

The point of this list is to give you some examples of albums that almost made the cut. They are definitely very impressive but for one reason or another they all fail to meet the standard I've set for my main album lists. I'd give these a very respectable 8/10. Anyways... hopefully this will help you understand my thought process. Enjoy!

Honorable Mentions (6-7/10)

Country:

Dwight Yoakam - "Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc." (1986)

Margo Price - "Midwest Farmer's Daughter" (2016)

Rodney Crowell - "Diamonds & Dirt" (1988)

Rodney Crowell - "The Houston Kid" (2001)

Steve Earle - "Guitar Town" (1986)

Electronic/Ambient:

The Black Dog - "Bytes" (1993)

The Black Dog - "Spanners" (1995)

Four Tet - "Beautiful Rewind" (2013)

Rocketnumbernine - "MeYouWeYou" (2013)

Film/Video Game Score:

Castlevania 64 (1999)

Chrono Cross (1999)

Final Fantasy 6 (1994)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Mega Man X (1993)

Secret of Mana (1993)

Twin Peaks (1990)

Jazz/Fusion:

The Tony Williams Lifetime - "Rejoice!" (1969)

Metal/Hardcore:

Converge - "All We Love We Leave Behind" (2012)

Daughters - "You Won't Get What You Want" (2018)

Deafheaven - "Sunbather" (2013)

Entombed - "Clandestine" (1991)

Entombed - "Wolverine Blues" (1993)

Origin - "Entity" (2011)

Pestilence - "Consuming Impulse" (1989)

Sodom - "Agent Orange" (1989)

Pop/R&B:

Amy Winehouse - "Back to Black" (2006)

Lady Gaga - "The Fame" (2008)

Luther Vandross - "Never Too Much" (1981)

Rap:

Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp A Butterfly" (2015)

Lord Finesse - "Funky Technician" (1990)

Rock/Folk:

Alkaline Trio - "Goddamnit!" (1998)

The Apples in Stereo - "Fun Trick Noisemaker" (1995)

Art Brut - "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" (2005)

Beach Fossils - "Somersault" (2017)

Beat Happening - "You Turn Me On" (1992)

Beck - "Sea Change" (2002)

Belle & Sebastian - “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” (2003)

Big Thief - "U.F.O.F." (2019)

Bill Callahan - "Apocalypse" (2011)

The Black Keys - "Brothers" (2010)

Bryan Adams - "Reckless" (1984)

Cheap Trick - "Cheap Trick" (1977)

Cheap Trick - "Heaven Tonight" (1978)

The Church - "Blurred Crusade" (1982)

Curve - "Doppelganger" (1992)

Darker My Love - "Alive As You Are" (2010)

Death Cab for Cutie - "Narrow Stairs" (2008)

Death Cab for Cutie - "Plans" (2005)

The Decemberists - "Castaways & Cutouts" (2003)

The Decemberists - "Picaresque" (2005)

Deerhunter - "Halcyon Digest" (2010)

Dinosaur Jr. - "Green Mind" (1991)

Ducktails - "The Flower Lane" (2013)

Elliott Smith - "Either/Or" (1997)

Elliott Smith - "Roman Candle" (1994)

Eric Andersen - "Blue River" (1972)

Eternal Summers - "Correct Behavior" (2012)

Eternal Summers - "The Drop Beneath" (2014)

Eternal Summers - "Gold & Stone" (2015)

Flamin' Groovies - "Shake Some Action" (1976)

Fleetwood Mac - "Tusk" (1979)

Germs - "GI" (1979)

The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive" (2008)

Hootie & the Blowfish - "Cracked Rear View" (1994)

The Incredible String Band - "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" (1968)

The Jam - "In the City" (1977)

Jen Cloher - "In Blood Memory" (2013)

Jen Cloher - "Jen Cloher" (2017)

Joe Jackson - "Look Sharp!" (1979)

John Stewart - "Willard" (1970)

Kurt Vile - "Smoke Ring for My Halo" (2011)

Kurt Vile - "Wakin' On a Pretty Daze" (2013)

LCD Soundsystem - "This Is Happening" (2010)

The Left Banke - "Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina" (1967)

The Lemonheads - "It's A Shame About Ray" (1992)

Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - "Rattlesnakes" (1984)

Lucinda Williams - "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" (1998)

Lurkers - "Fulham Fallout" (1978)

Martin Courtney - "Many Moons" (2015)

Matchbox 20 - "Yourself Or Someone Like You" (1996)

MGMT - "Congratulations" (2010)

Michelle Shocked - "Short Sharp Shocked" (1988)

Modest Mouse - "The Moon & Antarctica" (2000)

Muse - "Absolution" (2004)

The National - "Boxer" (2007)

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "The Boatman's Call" (1997)

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "Let Love In" (1994)

Palace Music - "Viva Last Blues" (1995)

Paramore - "Paramore" (2013)

The Police - "Outlandos D'Amour" (1978)

The Postal Service - "Give Up" (2003)

Real Estate - "Days" (2011)

Red House Painters - “Rollercoaster” (1993)

Savages - "Silence Yourself" (2013)

The Shins - "Chutes Too Narrow" (2003)

The Shins - "Oh, Inverted World" (2001)

Shopping - "The Official Body" (2018)

Skin Alley - "To Pagham & Beyond" (1970)

Sloan - "One Chord to Another" (1996)

Speed, Glue, & Shinki - "Eve" (1971)

Spoon - "Gimme Fiction" (2005)

Steely Dan - "Countdown to Ecstasy" (1973)

The Stills - "Logic Will Break Your Heart" (2003)

Sufjan Stevens - "Carrie & Lowell" (2015)

Superchunk - "What A Time to Be Alive" (2018)

T. Rex - "The Slider" (1972)

The Tallest Man On Earth - "There's No Leaving Now" (2012)

Tame Impala - "Currents" (2015)

Third Eye Blind - "Third Eye Blind" (1997)

Todd Rundgren - "Runt: the Ballad of Todd Rundgren" (1971)

Tret Fure - "True Compass" (2007)

Ty Segall - "Deforming Lobes" (2019)

Ty Segall - "Fudge Sandwich" (2018)

Unrest - "Perfect Teeth" (1993)

Urge Overkill - "Saturation" (1993)

Van Morrison - "The Best of Van Morrison" (1990)

Weezer - "Green Album" (2001)

The Who - "Quadrophenia" (1973)

The Who - "Tommy" (1969)

Wilco - "Being There" (1996)

Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky" (2007)