Of Sound Mind | Lucas’s favorite albums

For the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of regular Of Sound Mind readers, I figured that putting my biases on the table was long past due. That’s why I present to you my favorite albums from my favorite artists, just to put my cards on the table. I decided not to double up on any artists, because otherwise the whole list would be Bon Iver and Tame Impala. Feel free to disagree strongly with me, as this is supposed to be the most subjective of lists. On to No. 5!

5. “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” — The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Yes, this is the one with “Under the Bridge” on it, but the rest of the songs are equally good and way more noisy. There’s something insanely visceral about “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” and there’s no one person or thing to pin it on. Recorded in about 30 days inside Harry Houdini’s old mansion, every single member of the band was at the top of their game, as was legendary producer Rick Rubin. Anthony Kiedis, lead vocalist, put his manic, melodic lyrics over the top of John Frusciante’s immaculate guitar playing and one of the best rhythm sections ever. Flea, the bassist, and Chad Smith, the drummer, combine to create the incredibly in-sync, funky, loud core of the band. It’s impossible to overstate how good the instrumentals are on this album. I’m a drummer at heart, and I know that Smith is one of the greatest since John Bonham, but in my journey learning other instruments I’ve found that Flea and Frusciante are equally revered, if not more.

Tracks to try: “Breaking the Girl,” “Mellowship Slinky in B Major”

4. “Landmark” — Hippo Campus

Hippo Campus was the quirky, local indie band I loved following while growing up in the Twin Cities, and words cannot describe how happy I was at the success of its debut album, “Landmark.” The music feels like home to me, but I also think it’s truly great indie rock. It’s rhythmically interesting, poetic and fun. The album is a journey through the band’s surprisingly mature songwriting, beginning with the poppy “Way it Goes,” moving through the heartfelt “Monsoon” and finishing with the crowd-pleasing “Buttercup.” “Landmark” also features the second-best interludes on this list. I’d also highly recommend Hippo Campus’ amazing live show whenever or however you can experience it.

Tracks to try: “Western Kids,” “Monsoon”

3. “An Awesome Wave” — alt-J

I like a lot of music that is unabashedly weird. Alt-J, named for the keys used to type a delta symbol on an Apple computer (I just tried it, it works), is an indie band with a penchant for unorthodox song structures. “An Awesome Wave” weaves cowbell-based beats with melodic synthesizer and guitar in a reverb-drenched, dark tour de force. Lead singer Joe Newman has one of the most interesting voices I’ve ever heard — it slides and slips between pitches in satisfyingly non-Western ways, but usually ends up sounding melodic anyway. One way or another, it’s highly expressive. Hailing from a time when great indie rock got mainstream radio play, “Breezeblocks” is the big hit from the album, featuring a fantastic chorale-style outro. Speaking of chorales, the first interlude is an a capella duet, the second is a classical guitar piece and the third is a short piano riff. “An Awesome Wave” wins the award for best interludes on this list, as well as being the best album for a dark winter’s day.

Tracks to try: “Intro,” “Taro”

2. “Lonerism” — Tame Impala

Compared to Tame Impala’s huge hit album “Currents,” this album is noisier and harder to grasp on first listen, but it’s grown on me so much as to eclipse its poppier third album. It’s the renaissance of psychedelic rock that I didn’t know I needed. “Lonerism” is like smashing up Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cream and the Beatles and putting them all on acid (or … more acid). The songs are massive in their depth and breadth, in their fuzzy, cutting guitar tones and sharp synths, in their saturated production and in their reverb-drenched vocals. “Lonerism” is the brainchild mainly of one person, Kevin Parker, and repeated listens will reveal the care and specificity that went into every part of the production. When you feel like a loner, something all of us can relate to more after the past year, turn this album up on your best speakers.

Tracks to try: “Music To Walk Home By,” “Why Won’t They Talk to Me”

1. “22, A Million” — Bon Iver

“22, A Million” is a long way from Bon Iver’s beginnings as a heartbroken acoustic-guitar strummer on “For Emma, Forever Ago,” or the wider indie-folk self-titled album. It’s experimental art-rock, it’s noise-folk, it’s mountain songs and it’s my favorite album. Bon Iver created an instrument, the messina, that harmonizes vocals in real time using a keyboard, and Bon Iver uses it to give huge depth to lead singer Justin Vernon’s already emotive voice. The songs run from bass-heavy nightmares to brass-heavy breaths of hope the morning after. “22, A Million” takes the listener on a journey through the mind of a thoughtful, pained man with lyrics that only pass through specificity on their way toward an abstract painting. It’s a wild ride of emotion — a bit hard to get into at first and well worth your time.

Tracks to try: “33 ‘God,’” “666(upside- down cross)”

Honorable Mentions:

Hozier’s self-titled album is a fantastic introduction to one of the best voices alive today. St. Vincent’s self-titled album is modern rock with the amount of fuzz that you need in your ears more than you know. “Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix” is a compilation that proves once again that Hendrix is the greatest guitarist to ever live. Also of note is every single other album by every band mentioned here (yes, really). Go forth and listen to some music!

Lucas DiBlasi is a music composition and digital narrative and interactive design double major. Suggest the next album to review, critique this review or send anything else to LND28@pitt.edu.