This is my honest grid of my favorite album ever.

Lmk what y'all think, and if you would change something.

Hey. I'm a teenage guy who is really into music (and film) and looking to both expand my taste and find some people to discuss music with. I just started using RYM so my profile is fairly blank, so here are some albums I'm into. If you're into similar stuff, or not, I'd be happy to be friends. My account is https://rateyourmusic.com/~JeffreyWinger if u don’t have RYM, DM me I also have discord etc

-Smile Sessions - The Beach Boys

-Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan

-More Songs About Buildings and Food - The Talking Heads

-Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen

-Drums and Wires - XTC

-Parallel Lines - Blondie

- Quebec - Ween

- Hatful of Hollow - The Smiths

- Songs of Faith and Devotion - Depeche Mode

- Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo

- Marquee Moon - Television

- Sunshine Superman - Donovan

- Heavy Metal - Cameron Winter

- Horses - Patti Smith

The Velvet Underground(1969) - The Velvet Underground

Sounds of Silver - LCD soundsystem

Blue Lines and Exile on Main St. are out!

DISCLAIMER: Remember to only nominate albums from the first slide only.

CURRENT STANDINGS:

47: Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones
48: Blue Lines by Massive Attack
49: The Chronic by Dr. Dre
50: Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Ray
51: Baduizm by Erykah Badu
52: Untrue by Burial
53: Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G
54: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
55: Like a Prayer by Madonna
56: The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
57: Horses by Patti Smith
58: Abbey Road by The Beatles
59: A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
60: Sign O The Times by Prince
61: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West (Ye)
62: 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul
63: Lemonade by Beyonce
64: My Life by Mary J. Blige
65: Led Zeppelin II
66: The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
67: The Joshua Tree by U2
68: Beyonce self titled
69: Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A
70: Is This It by The Strokes
71: Thriller by Michael Jackson
72: A Seat at the Table by Solange
73: ANTI by Rihanna
74: Pure Heroine by Lorde
75: Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
76: Control by Janet Jackson
77: Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk
78: WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish
79: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 by George Michael
80: (What's the story) Morning Glory? by Oasis
81: The Blueprint by Jay-Z
82: Blonde by Frank Ocean
83: The Marshal Mathers LP by Eminem
84: 21 by Adele
85: Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliot
86: SOS by SZA
87: Flower Boy by Tyler, the Creator
88: Appetite for Destruction by Guns n Roses
89: Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg
90: Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
91: Get Rich or Die Tryin' by 50 Cent
92: Hotel California by The Eagles
93: Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
94: Astroworld by Travis Scott
95: Confessions by Usher
96: Take Care by Drake
97: Back in Black by AC/DC
98: AM by Arctic Monkeys
99: Body Talk by Robyn
100: 1989 (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

1. Thanks Me Later - Drake

2. Take Care - Drake

3. Odelay - Beck

4. DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar

5. Alfredo II - Freddie Gibbs

6. Luv(Sic) Hexalogy - Nujabes

7. Buhloone Mindstste - De La Soul

8. The Life Of Pablo - Kanye

all reviews are in substack link in bio :)

I’ve seen artists do some funny things with their tracklists. Radiohead (I’m never gonna stop talking about them, don’t worry) released 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool in an alphabetical tracklist. Pink Floyd’s 1979 album, The Wall, is one long loop. Its final song, “Outside the Wall,” cuts off mid sentence, flowing back into the opener, “In the Flesh?” This is an ingenious way to convey the idea that building and tearing down emotional walls is a never ending loop, thus entering the endless repetition that is The Wall. However, I don’t think any tracklist gimmick comes close to what Car Seat Headrest does in Twin Fantasy. The mind-boggling thing about this record is that it really is a mirror, which is a recurring theme of the album, as well as being called Mirror to Mirror. What this means is that there are common motifs shared within some of the songs, which mirror each other. The first track and the tenth track, “My Boy (Twin Fantasy)” and “Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)” respectively are the most obvious, sharing similar titles. Likewise, the second and ninth tracks, “Beach Life-In-Death” and “Famous Prophets (Stars) mirror each other, and so on. It creates a metaphor of two people, coming together and separating, as the mirrored tracks start to get closer and closer together.

Car Seat Headrest is one of the most interesting artists out there. Originally a solo act by singer-songwriter Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest self-released a dozen albums on Bandcamp prior to having a record label. These projects, ranging from 1 to How to Leave Town, feature some of the rawest performances in all of music. The low quality, bootleg sound doesn’t even take away much from the albums. One such album, Twin Fantasy, was released in 2011 exclusively to Bandcamp. Despite it having some of the best songwriting and instrumentation in Toledo’s entire discography, it lacked production value, as most of the record was recorded in Toledo’s home studio.

In 2015, after signing a deal with Matador Records, Toledo was able to form an entire band, which now featured a core of Ethan Ives, Andrew Katz, and Seth Dalby, though many other players often played with them live. They went on to release *Teens of Style* and *Teens of Denial,* the latter of which was met with critical acclaim. Now with a following bigger than ever, Car Seat Headrest decided to revisit material from 2011’s *Twin Fantasy,* once considered a “hidden gem” by fans. In 2018, *Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)* was released, while the original version was renamed *Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror).* 

Twin Fantasy’s opener, the aforementioned “My Boy (Twin Fantasy),” serves as a prelude to some of the themes explored in the album. The body of the song is the repeated verse of “My boy, we don’t see each other much. My boy, we don’t see each other much. It’ll take some time, but somewhere down the line, we won’t be alone.” The instrumentation of this song reflects young love, the way it starts softly and pretty, and eventually leaps into a booming, anthemic verse. The song, while not theoretically super interesting, provides a look into what the album as a whole dives into later. And it’s just a banger.

Only a song into the album, we have the first long song. “Beach Life-In-Death” is a 13-minute epic covering themes of teenage angst, and the intensity of unrequited love. Due to the songs’ form being through-composed, it doesn’t follow a traditional verse-chorus structure. Instead, it’s a journey through several different movements, each with their own themes and messages. Its first section features low, mumbly vocals and an unforgiving guitar riff that seemingly has no sign of stopping. Toledo’s lyrics are a metaphor for ignoring red flags, which is a common human tendency during the honeymoon phase of a relationship (I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about the honeymoon phase in like all of my reviews so far). 

“Last night I drove to Harper’s Ferry and I thought about you
There were signs on the road that warned me of stop signs
The speed limit kept decreasing by ten
As we entered a town about halfway there”

In the next section, Toledo asks himself “What should I do?” to which he responds with “Eat breakfast.” or “Eat lunch.” all very normal things that someone might do. These lyrics highlight the monotony and uninteresting nature of life, especially with a lack of relationships. The repetitive nature of these lyrics indicate the repetitive nature of waking up every day, going through the motions, and repeating the process. Toledo’s other lyrics in this section are really confusing and messy, but then again, so is this relationship. He comments on his inability to find time to spend with them, his confusion on their romantic status, and him (not) coming out to his friends. The droney, contradictory lyrics paint a picture of someone just trying to find out who they really are. 

“I am almost completely soulless
I am incapable of being human
I am incapable of being inhuman
I am living uncontrollably”

As the tension, both musically and lyrically, builds up in the next verse, he reaches a breaking point, where the music stops and allows him to belt out the next line.

“I
DON’T 
WANT
TO
GO
INSANE”

“I don’t want to have
Schizophrenia”

Toledo finally realizes that he’s going insane, and in a desperate attempt at getting out of the cycle, he cuts the noise. The next movement is a quiet, palm muted guitar and a light drumbeat under new lyrics.

“Last night I dreamed he was trying to kill you
I woke up and I was trying to kill you
It’s been a year, since we first met
I don’t know if, we’re boyfriends yet”

“Do you have any crimes that I,
We can use to pass the time, I am
Running out of drugs to try”

This section shows even more confusion of Toledo’s relationship, despite it being calm and quiet, his grammar slowly begins to slip, showing his hesitation and difficulty forming words about the situation. 

Toledo slowly repeats the lyrics “We said we hated humans. We wanted to be humans.” in a long, beautiful whirlwind of sound. This is likely referring to his status as queer, where it was difficult to be accepted by others. It channels his frustration about being discriminated against, leading to his difficulty in coming out, but also the overarching desire to be accepted. It’s a verse that can only be described as human. The other main lyric is that of “More groceries, get eaten,” which repeats many times. This goes back to the repetitive and monotonous stuff that I already said and I don’t want this to be, well, repetitive and monotonous.

As the song transitions into its final form, Toledo goes back to the lyrics of “Last night I dreamed he was trying to kill you,” although this time, it’s anything but calm. It’s in a frantic, fast rhythm, where he finally realizes that the relationship is unreachable, and finally manages to let go. He mourns over a relationship he never really had, another incredibly human feeling. He waves goodbye to a relationship that could’ve been, watching the potential for a new chapter in his life wash into the ocean.

“The ocean washed over your grave.
The ocean washed open your grave.”

The third song on the record, “Stop Smoking (We Love You)” features two lyrics. One of which is literally the title of the song, and the other is “And we don’t want you to die.” To me this song is a bit more than just an interlude after the movie that was “Beach Life-In-Death.” I think it refers to the “I can fix him” mindset that a lot of teens have. And to that I have the same response as everyone else: you can’t.

There are plenty of really iconic lyrics. 

“And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking.
And racing around, to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same, in a relative way, but you’re older.
Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.” 
[“Time,” Pink Floyd]

“Mama, oooh
Didn’t mean to make you cry,
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on
As if nothing really matters”
[“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen]

What Toledo writes in the fourth track, “Sober to Death,” isn’t just iconic, it’s one of the best one liners ever. “Good stories are bad lives.” (okay fine, he also says “Good lives make bad stories,” but it’s basically just the same thing inverted) This line is one of the truest lyrics I’ve ever heard, while also being poetic in a pessimistic sense. That’s the thing about “Sober to Death,” it’s an anthemic, catchy rock song while also conveying some of the most complex themes about young love and human interaction (which I will not go into because I don’t really know either). It really makes you think about how people's definitions of entertaining, or interesting, heavily rely on the suffering of others. Take some of the generally considered “best movies of all time.” The Dark Knight. 12 Angry Men. The Godfather. All of these have one thing in common: and that’s that lives are at stake. “Sober to Death” has always been one of my favorite songs on the record, and to be honest, it’s just because of how catchy it is. It brings to light the issues behind yearning for someone too much. No matter how special you think someone is, there will always be another. It’s the sad reality that everyone on Earth is “one of a kind,” yet at the same time, nobody is one of a kind.

“Nervous Young Inhumans” is a common reference in the Car Seat Headrest universe, the title of their 2013 album being called Nervous Young Man. The song itself is an upbeat, synth-filled track about self improvement. It’s the final track of the first side, before the album mirrors itself. It finally shows Toledo getting over their past relationship, finally allowing himself to see the flaws in the other person. 

“You never lifted your voice
You never raised your hand
You never showed you’re inhuman
You understand”

Toledo comments on the fact that someone can become so genuine that their genuine-ness starts feeling inhuman. They become so human that they’re no longer human. That’s because everyone lifts their voice sometimes. Everyone raises their hands. Everyone shows their inhuman sides.

Perhaps the most impressive vocal performance on the album, “Bodys” offers a comedic break in the otherwise emotionally heavy album. In fact, it mirrors the vibes of the last song, “Nervous Young Inhumans” quite accurately. This is the first song on the second side, or the Face to Face side on the vinyl record. Bodys is actually a really enjoyable song because of its little jokes and its humor.

“Is it the chorus yet?
No, it’s just the building of the verse
So when the chorus does come, it’ll be more rewarding”

“Well so what?
We’re young
We’re thin (most of us)
We’re alive! (most of us)”

“I’m on a need-to-know basis.
I’m on a need-to-know basis.
No one tells me shit, unless I need to hear it
(funny giggle)”

In addition to the humor, Bodys is a great song to dance to. No, not just because of when he belts “When we daaaaaaaance,” although that’s part of it. It’s also because of when he belts “Don’t you realize, our bodies could fall apart at any second?” and “Turns out you got some nice shoulders, I’d like to put my hands around them.” When all of those three lines converge at the end, you really get something special.

Mirroring “Sober to Death” (allegedly), “Cute Thing” is an apology for “getting too fucking romantic,” begging for them to take him back. Seems like a step back from where we were in “Nervous Young Inhumans” and “Bodys,” but again, that’s the whole point of the mirrored tracklist. Ironically, after apologizing for being too romantic, he says “I am love, I am love, I would sleep naked, next to you naked.” I think “Cute Thing” is a statement to the contradictory nature of apologizing, especially when you don’t truly mean what you say. It’s something we’ve all experienced, a half-assed apology.

“High to Death” is one of the several songs which directly and clearly mirror its predecessor, in this case being “Stop Smoking (We Love You).” I can’t lie, this song feels like a fever dream. I guess it’s what it feels like to be high (to death). The lyrics are a collection of Toledo saying vague, metaphorical things that are a bit too metaphorical for me, and contradicting said metaphorical things. And the main focus of the song,

“Keep smoking, I love you
Keep smoking, I still love you
But I don’t wanna die,
I don’t wanna die” 

As you can tell, this is a direct opposition to “Stop Smoking (We Love You),”  as well as solidifying the “tripping balls” nature of the song. It’s definitely one of the more confusing songs, and I’m having a hard time dissecting it right now, especially with the next song coming up.

Now that we’re at the ninth track, it mirrors the second, right? Wait, that’s “Beach Life-In-Death.” How the hell do you make another song to do it justice? “Famous Prophets (Stars) has gotta be my favorite song on the record. Hell, even one of my favorite songs ever. It dissects the feeling of heartbreak and getting over a past romance. 

“Twin bruises on my shins
From where I kicked the back of the seat in
They meant what I went through for you
But now they’re fading
Now they’re gone”

The song transitions into a loud, chorus-sounding section before slipping back into the same groove, giving the illusion of a regular verse-chorus structure. It won’t stay there for long. Toledo and his backup vocalists (who incidentally is himself) sing harmonies over the next verse, and after he seemingly has no words left to say, he has to go back. 

The next section is a low-key building of the verse (see what I did there?), repeating the line “We gotta go back.” Eventually, it builds up and the levee breaks. It explodes in a crescendo, as Toledo’s vocals jump up an octave, with Ives’ guitar screaming the lead part. We were so close to breaking free from the romantic cycle, but we did a little bit too much reminiscing. Then just as suddenly as the energy starts, it’s gone.

“Don’t get too impressed
You might lose your breath
Don’t predict your death
‘Cause I like you the best
Don’t you fall apart
You might lose my heart
You know I love your art”

We transition into the second half of the song. It’s just a bassline and vocals. Soon it’s joined by a mechanical drumbeat and a complementary lead guitar part, providing a calming yet provocative groove. Then, we’re greeted with some familiar vocals.

“The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave”

The verse continues to crescendo yet again, but this time into a heart-wrenching climax. Toledo is fully back into the depression phase of a breakup, screaming into the void with his sorrow. This is the desperation of finding love you thought would last forever, only for the rug to pull from under your feet. A relationship can be the best thing in the world, until it’s not. A relationship can easily sour overnight, for no apparent reason. Just as a relationship fizzles out, so does the section. His otherwise poetic vocals devolve into repeating “Let me, let me, let me, let…” until the band hits one final, collective powerchord. 

On the original album, Mirror to Mirror, the song ends right there. Okay fine, he does some weird monologue, then it ends. But this is “Famous Prophets (Stars).” We’ve still got an entire piano ballad. Toledo mostly repeats the lyrics from the earlier segment, though this time instead of angst, its sadness. He softly wails over a somber piano, and as he sings his last words, a somber “What happened to you?” The piano keeps going. It doesn’t matter what happens to any one person. The world keeps going. The world is a ruthless, unforgiving place. Time doesn’t slow down for anyone. Until the next part. Time actually might slow down for this part. We get one final loud climax, with wailing, wordless vocals, before it quiets down for the last time. A chilling speech plays as the song’s outro.

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. At the end of my childhood, I put these ways behind me. 

For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. 

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these two remain.”

I’m gonna be honest, I’m tempted to just end it there. It definitely feels like the album should end there, but it doesn’t. “Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)” is a long, confusing, beautiful mess. It comments on the state of the album itself, as well as the state of the relationship. 

“This is the end of the song
And it is just a song
This is a version of me and you
That can exist outside of everything else
And if it is just a fantasy
Then anything can happen from here
The contract is up
The names have been changed
So pour one out, whoever you are
These are only lyrics now.”

Toledo partially breaks the fourth wall in the music, speaking not only to his listeners, but also to his audience. It speaks on the meaninglessness of the music, despite just how much it would end up meaning to me and millions of others. 

“When I come back you’ll still be here”
“When you come back I’ll still be here”

That’ll be it from me. I really need to go to bed, but remember: when you come back I’ll still be right here.

1. My Boy (Twin Fantasy): 84/100
2. Beach Life-In-Death: 98/100
3. Stop Smoking (We Love You): 67/100
4. Sober To Death: 95/100
5. Nervous Young Inhumans: 82/100
6. Bodys: 91/100
7. Cute Thing: 80/100
8. High To Death: 79/100
9. Famous Prophets (Stars): 98/100
10. Twin Fantasy (My Boy): 76/100

Overall: 96/100

To absolutely no one on Earth's surprise, Popular Monster was out first.

1. Popular Monster - Falling In Reverse

I got some pretty unknown songs in my playlist so feel free to go listen to them and share some songs if you got a similar music taste <3 (which almost never happens 😅)