Music
I could not live without
| James Blake | James Blake | If I ever make music, I'll wish it sounds like this. |
| Love Is Overtaking Me | Arthur Russell | One of the greatest songwriters. |
| Since I Left You | The Avalanches | I could listen to this album for 16 years. |
| In Rainbows | Radiohead | Always controversial to declare a “best” Radiohead album, but I'll at least call this one my favorite |
| I Love You Jennifer B | Jockstrap | These guys are special. |
If you haven't heard it, you should
| Just Another Diamond Day | Vashti Bunyan | Singular sound. |
| U.F.O. | Jim Sullivan | This album deserves to be on a ranked list of albums released in 1969. |
| Microshift | Hookworms | Put this on somewhere quiet, one notch too loud, and listen without stopping. |
| Erotic Probiotic 2 | Nourished by Time | What a freak. |
| Summer Brings the Sunshine | Jimmy Carter & the Dallas County Green | These are amateur musicians. |
| Kaputt | Destroyer | Try not to listen to the words. Then, try to listen to the words. |
| Selling England by the Pound | Genesis | Perfect prog rock. |
Formative albums
| I Love You, Honeybear | Father John Misty | An underrated masterpiece and an all-time favorite. |
| Channel Orange | Frank Ocean | Hard to understate this album and its impact. |
| Modern Vampires of the City | Vampire Weekend | I won't be embarrassed by this pick. Vampire Weekend just does it right. |
| Veckatimest | Grizzly Bear | I wonder if I'd have been as drawn to move to the east coast if this gem had never been made. |
| This is Happening | LCD Soundsystem | Legends. |
| Flower Boy | Tyler, The Creator | He's perfected this by now, but the first try was incredible. |
| Next Jack Swing | French Horn Rebellion | This is goofy stuff, but I have to say they're a favorite. |
| Passive Me, Aggressive You | The Naked and Famous | Maybe the single best entry in that 2008-2013 indie pop genre. |
Some weird stuff
| Exuma, the Obeah Man | Exuma | Give it a listen to learn whether or not Exuma came down on a lightning bolt, can raise the dead, or has the teeth of a frog and the tail of a goat (hint: yes, because he is the Obeah Man) |
| The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop | Stark Reality | This album is an accident of history. |
| World of Echo | Arthur Russell | There's a house album in this record that he didn't even know was there. |
| 24→24 Music | Dinosaur L | The house record that Arthur Russell knew was there. |
| Who Is William Onyeabor? | William Onyeabor | He has a good name. |
Very good music
| Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | |
| Bright Green Field | Squid | |
| Ágætis byrjun | Sigur Rós | |
| In Colour | Jamie xx | |
| Norman F*****g Rockwell | Lana Del Rey | |
| Body Talk, Pt. 1 | Robyn | |
| African Giant | Burna Boy | |
| 3D Country | Geese | |
| Emotion | Carly Rae Jepsen | |
| El Mal Querer | Rosalía | |
| LP | Discovery | |
| Bryter Layter | Nick Drake | |
| Heaven and Earth | Kamasi Washington | |
| Madres | Sofía Kourtesis | |
| Spirit of Eden | Talk Talk | |
| The Moon & Antarctica | Modest Mouse | |
| DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS | Bad Bunny | |
| Remain In Light | Talking Heads | |
| Forgiveness Rock Record | Broken Social Scene | |
| Ram | Paul and Linda McCartney | |
| Sometimes I Might Be Introvert | Little Simz | |
| Imaginal Disk | Magdalena Bay | |
| Heard It in a Past Life | Maggie Rogers | |
| To Pimp A Butterfly | Kendrick Lamar | |
| Beats and Breaks from the Flower Patch | Kitty Craft | |
| Blackstar | David Bowie | |
| Night Falls Over Kortedala | Jens Lekman | |
| Acidrap | Chance the Rapper | |
| Heavy Metal | Cameron Winter | |
| I Had a Dream That You Were Mine | Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam | |
| Judee Sill | Judee Sill | |
| Ants From Up Here | Black Country, New Road | |
| Fleet Foxes | Fleet Foxes | |
| All Things Must Pass | George Harrison | |
| “Awaken, My Love!” | Childish Gambino | |
| xx | The xx | |
| Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You | Big Thief |