To celebrate our 30th anniversary and all the great music that made the past three decades special, MAGNET contributors past and present chose their 30 favorite albums released between 1993 and 2022. The only rules were that each record has to be a full-length and that no artist could be represented more than once in the same incarnation. We’re posting these lists throughout the rest of the year.
Patrick Rapa, contributing writer
1) Silver Jews American Water (Drag City), 1998
2) Quasi Featuring “Birds” (Up), 1998
3) The Mountain Goats Full Force Galesburg (Emperor Jones), 1997
4) Rilo Kiley More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute), 2004
5) Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-), 2006
6) Pavement Wowee Zowee (Matador), 1995
7) Belle And Sebastian If You’re Feeling Sinister (Jeepster/The Enclave), 1997
8) Lucy Dacus Historian (Matador), 2018
9) Superchunk Majesty Shredding (Merge), 2010
10) The Roots Phrenology (MCA), 2002
11) Mirah You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s Like This (K), 2000
12) Fake You Are Not Dead: A Guide To Modern Living (self-released), 2008
13) Rainer Maria Catastrophe Keeps Us Together (Grunion), 2006
14) Mitski Bury Me At Makeout Creek (Double Double Whammy/Don Giovanni), 2014
15) The Hold Steady Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant), 2006
16) Hop Along Get Disowned (Hot Green), 2012
17) TV On The Radio Return To Cookie Mountain (4AD/Interscope), 2006
18) Tsunami A Brilliant Mistake (Simple Machines), 1997
19) The Be Good Tanyas Blue Horse (Nettwerk), 2000
20) Refrigerator Glitter Jazz (Shrimper), 1999
21) Titus Andronicus The Monitor (XL), 2010
22) Little Red Car Wreck Motor Like A Mother (Yoyo), 1997
23) Hurray For The Riff Raff Small Town Heroes (ATO), 2014
24) The Godrays Songs For T.V. Stars (Vernon Yard), 1996
25) DJ Format Music For The Mature B-Boy (Genuine/PIAS), 2003
26) Black Lips Arabia Mountain (Vice), 2011
27) Tullycraft Disenchanted Hearts Unite (Magic Marker), 2005
28) Allo Darlin’ Allo Darlin’ (Slumberland), 2012
29) Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart (Waterfall/RCA), 2008
30) Jay Reatard Blood Visions (In The Red), 2006
