5 More No-Skip Albums You Should Listen to Right Now

Because I couldn’t pick just five for good.

Flaming hot take: music is good. It’s so good, I can’t pick just five albums that are jams all the way through. I tried once a few months ago. So, have some more:

-!- - Dead Poet Society

I thank Spotify every day for introducing me to Dead Poet Society. I would like to send their CEO a gift basket full of chocolate-dipped pretzels, or maybe give him a firm handshake. 

Dead Poet Society is the answer to my old lament about the gap in gritty, true-to-the-core rock music. They (and Spotify) have made me realize that the gap I was whining about never really existed—you just have to know where to look. 

With down-tuned guitars, catchy hooks, and explosive choruses, -!- is a super strong first album for this band. Personal favorites of mine are the grinding, spiteful rhythm of “.SALT.” and the pleading howls and high notes of “.beenherebefore.” The dot and all caps/lowercase thing seems unnecessary, but it’s trendy I spose. 

Source: spinefarm

By the way, I’m sure the title of this album is a marketing nightmare. Do you say exclamation point? Dash exclamation point dash? Maybe you just gasp or scream? I dunno.

In Times New Roman… - Queens of the Stone Age

The last three QOTSA albums have been a slow realization for me. The first listen is always just a “Hm.” Then I listen again, then once more, and soon enough I’m hooked. Every song grows on me sooner or later. Their latest album, In Times New Roman…, is no exception. 

This is their darkest album in tone. If …Like Clockwork was the band at their most reflective, this is them at their most existential—and I love it. It’s raw, bluesy, and layered. Slow, deliberate grooves in some places, thrashing, boiling riffs in others. Sometimes it’s cynical (“Hurrah, the obscenery’s fucking useless”), sometimes it’s zen (Every living thing will die/From the king of the jungle to butterfly”), but it’s always threaded with vulnerability and pain. 

My favorite tracks: “Obscenery,” “Negative Space,” and “Sicily.”

amo - Bring Me The Horizon

I can’t call myself a real Bring Me The Horizon fan. I wasn’t into the screaming and bellowing of their early work. It’s just not my thing. So, when the band expanded from traditional metalcore (or whatever __core you want to call it) into pop, electronic, and even some tinges of nu metal, I was interested. While long-time fans might call this selling out or going soft, I saw it as layering their sound into one satisfying stack. Enter amo. 

You can find it all on this album, from deep EDM-style bass to nu metal-esque hooks to catchy, radio-perfect tracks like “Mantra”. The throughline is loneliness, and as depressing as that sounds, it makes for an incredible record.

Source: imusic

Also, fun fact: a lyric from my favorite amo song “Nihilist Blues” is tattooed on my arm. That song hits me to the core. Even the pulsing bass sounds nihilistic, and those opening lyrics? “I’ve been climbing up the walls to escape the sinking feeling/But I can’t hide from the nihilist at my door.” Shivers.

I chose a different lyric for my tattoo because, in a song about teetering on the edge of hopelessness, it hints at a careful hope, a potential for something more: “Paradise is in my soul.”

Godsmack - Godsmack

Now we go back to my roots. My dad cranked this album all the time when I was a kid. In the basement playing video games, in his truck while I watched the night pass by from the back seat window, in the garage working on his Allis-Chalmers tractor. There’s a warmth and nostalgia here, and I go back to those easier days every time I hear “Voodoo” on the radio, as silly as that may sound.

Childhood aside, this album kicks absolute ass. The drums are incredible and crisp, Sully’s voice is mesmerizing, and almost every track turns into a nasty jam/breakdown where everyone comes together perfectly. None of their later records tops it (especially not their new stuff, but we don’t have to talk about that). You’ve probably heard “Voodoo” before, but check out “Moon Baby,” “Whatever,” and “Immune” in particular.

Godsmack got shoved under that post-grunge umbrella with Nickelback, Seether, and Creed, an area of rock that many think has aged like milk. But this album rises so far above that label—and the eye rolls that often come with it. 

The Perfume of Decay - Tigercub

Tigercub is one of those bands that makes all the discussion about genre and who falls into what category so silly. Melodic vocals, loud guitars, a bit of Royal Blood, a bit of Sonic Youth, maybe a touch of Muse. You can’t quite pin them down—nor should you want to. 

The latest of three records, The Perfume of Decay is to me their most haunting and powerful yet. Softboy and aggression come together beautifully, especially on tracks like “Swoon” and “It Hurts When You’re Around.” If Tigercub toured with Dead Poet Society, it would be a perfect match, and I would give them every last dollar to my name. 

Source: Juno

My favorite song, however, is the title track. It has a very unique, cascading riff that I can only describe as someone falling down the stairs but with style. 

If you like indie, alternative, hard rock, really anything with guitars and drums, check these five albums out. I’d love to hear what you think—and feel free to send recommendations of your own my way!