Admiral Fell Promises (Sun Kil Moon)

Admiral Fell Promises
Sun Kil Moon (2010)

Top Tracks: “Ålesund”, “Half Moon Bay”, “Third and Seneca”

I have mixed feelings about how I perceive Mark Kozelek as a person, and in more recent years he’s taken a direction with his songwriting and performance that would not have been my preference. But I doubt he gives a shit, so back on topic, Admiral Fell Promises is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard in every way. Incredible lyrically but even more impressive musically, it’s just Mark and his nylon-string guitar and that’s all it needs to be. If I could do an album like this, as in, if I had that ability, I promise I would use it (May 2020).

Blue (Joni Mitchell)

Blue
Joni Mitchell (1971)

Top Tracks: “A Case of You”, “All I Want”, “Blue”

This is one of the best albums of all time, says the guy who thinks Joni Mitchell may be the greatest songwriter of all time. Three of her albums — this one, Court and Spark, and Hejira — could possibly be in my Top 10 list of all time, if such a thing existed. Blue’s beauty is in its sparseness. It’s basically Joni alone in a room with her instrument of choice — usually a piano or Appalachian dulcimer — and just the songs, the songs, the songs. Side note: Blue is the highest-ranked album by a woman on Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Album” list, and as recently as 2017 was ranked by NPR as the #1 greatest album made by a woman ever (May 2020).