One of mine is Commit This to Memory by Motion City Soundtrack. I basically took the title verbatim and know the album word for word. And while I would love if it did, the rest of MCS’s stuff just doesn’t hit the same way.
And if you’re not an album person, maybe a period of time in the artist’s work? Whatever works for you.
*Lots of mentions of hit debut albums that subsequently petered out, which follows with the dreaded sophomore slump that hits many artists. Anyone with mid or even later career albums that stand alone? Those always intrigue me.
I’m not usually a full album guy, but the bands I do like every track on an album tend to only be from one album.
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica. Outside of that entire thing, I really only like Shit Luck and Float On.
I love the first Kings of Leon’s album I ever heard, Aha Shake Heartbreak, but have disliked everything else they’ve ever done.
Same with Head Automatica; I’m not really big on metal so I could even count Pantera’s stuff (I like Walk and that’s about it) with it and still only like Decadence.
I can’t say just one modest mouse album does it for me, but Lonesome Crowded West and Good News For People Who Love Bad News are, for me, such better albums than the rest of their work.
Lonesome Crowded West rules above them all for me. They’re my favorite band and I’ve barely listened to anything that came out after Moon and Antarctica.
Their first album, Youth and young manhood is fucking great. Better than aha shake heartbreak IMO. It’s such a fucking nose dive after that second album though.