Acts whose entire album output has always been on the incline, with no exception

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As a sister thread to:

Acts whose entire album output has always been on the decline, with no exception

This must be trickier for any artist: it's easy to start off on a high and decline, but to start off on a low and be given the space to gradually improve is surely rarer.

In which case, Talk Talk must own this thread.

― Huey (Huey), Friday, 20 May 2005 09:33 (twenty-one years ago)

some people might say Basement Jaxx.

― $V£N! (blueski), Friday, 20 May 2005 09:35 (twenty-one years ago)

There is a thread like this done before, wait 'til I search for it...

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 20 May 2005 09:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, here! Everything Better Than Everything Else.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 20 May 2005 09:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Basement Jaxx
Aaliyah
Britney Spears

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Japan, definitely.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:21 (twenty-one years ago)

cant think of any except for the ones mentioned here. the other way round though, plenty

― rizzx (rizzx), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Belle and Sebastian

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the White Stripes just about managed it so far.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

(though I haven't heard the leaked copy of the new one yet)

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

There is a strong case for the Flaming Lips here, depending on where you stand, and perhaps not without exception. But I'd say until Yoshimi this were true: that's a run of 10 albums, each one better than the last. That's the most consistent and unbroken incline of any artist I can think of.

― Huey (Huey), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd say the opposite for Belle and Sebatian though I stopped listening after a while. No way albums 2-4 are better then If You're Feeling Sinister, though.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 20 May 2005 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd disagree with Talk Talk - I like them best in the process of becoming what they turned into, the Colour of Spring bit.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't they also turn into the Spririt Of Eden / Laughing Stock bit?

― Huey (Huey), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

And wasn't therefore Colour of Spring part of that process?

― Huey (Huey), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I think what Tom is saying is that he preferred Colour of Spring to Spirit of Eden/ Laughing Stock. FWIW, I think Spirit of Eden is better than Laughing Stock anyway.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes sorry, Dadaismus have it right. Though I like LS more than SoE.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh you old contrarian you!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

this is pretty tough. Most of the artists I used to think this about (OutKast, Wilco) broke the streak with their new albums.

I guess Nick Drake works, though.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:51 (twenty-one years ago)

... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick Drake, nope, Pink Moon is underdeveloped compared to Bryter Layter, and the songs overall are weaker. But I know this is a massive bone of contention. I'd prob'ly take Five Leaves over PM too.

Belle and Sebastian sounds fair enough to me.

My Bloody Valentine seems fairly obvious.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Friday, 20 May 2005 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The Wrens: Sliver < Secaucus < Meadowlands

Spoon (although there may be a debate between Gimme Fiction & Kill The Moonlight)

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 20 May 2005 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Lghtning Bolt

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, 20 May 2005 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Some might say Nirvana.
The White Stripes is correct. Their new album is good. Doesnt seem to have as many hits, however the songs are very great compositions.

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Friday, 20 May 2005 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

My Bloody Valentine seems fairly obvious.

unless of course you think they peaked with "sunny sundae smile," which they damn well might have.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 20 May 2005 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

This is pretty easy with bands who only made two albums. Arguments could be made for Antony @ the Johnsons, Joy Division and Slint.

More impressive, Stars of the Lid have got better with each of their six albums.

Devendra Banhart? Oh me oh my... < Black Babies < Rejoicing in the hands < Nino Rojo

The National? Sad songs for dirty lovers < Cherry Tree < Alligator

― dmun drive-in (dmun), Friday, 20 May 2005 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I could make a pretty strong argument for the Ex, although Starters Alternators is probably a bit better than Dizzy Spells...

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 20 May 2005 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Yo La Tengo up to I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One - then the downhill slide began.

― mike a, Friday, 20 May 2005 15:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Some might say Flaming Lips up thru Soft Bulletin.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 20 May 2005 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

& not @, obviously

― dmun drive-in (dmun), Friday, 20 May 2005 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

ha ha, i nomintated both flaming lips and basement jaxx on that other thread (which is a lot longer than this one, i noticed. i can't think of anybody who fits here, at least not yet.)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 May 2005 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

(i mean, fannypack and hold steady, i suppose, but they only have two albums so far.)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 May 2005 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd say OutKast, but Aquemini bored the shit out of me.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 20 May 2005 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, for people with two albums it's easy. I second:

Antony and the Johnsons
Devendra Banhart

And add:

Avil Lavigne!
Grandaddy
The Unicorns

This is a tough thread for career artists to 'make'.

― Sean M (Sean M), Friday, 20 May 2005 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

How about bands that at least made a good run of it? I'd say Royal Trux for five albums, anyway.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 20 May 2005 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

No one agrees with me but I say the Pixies

― mitch dub (ano ano), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I nominated the Pixies for the straight decline thread.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

well then we can never be friends

― mitch dub (ano ano), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

POSSIBLY Camper Van Beethoven if you discount extra things like their version of Tusk (which I have not heard). Definitely include their grebt reunion album from last year, tho.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

gee mitch *sniff* it's hardly worth breaking up over the Pixies

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

For a long time I would have said XTC. I liked each successive album better and better from "White Music" through "English Settlement," and the next three only dropped off a bit for me. That's a pretty damn good arc for eight records.

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Friday, 20 May 2005 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Bersuit Vergabarat
El Gran Silencio (3 albums, kinda cheating) (plus i hope they didn't break up)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 20 May 2005 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with the Pixies.

― dan. (dan.), Friday, 20 May 2005 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Teenage Fanclub? (if you ignore The King)

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 20 May 2005 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree on the White Stripes, at least through their first four albums.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Friday, 20 May 2005 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Jon W1ll1ams

― A homunculus of Darby Crash, .... created for the purposes of *EVIL* (ex machina, Friday, 20 May 2005 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

he's good!

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Friday, 20 May 2005 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm tending to think this is impossible, and has never been actually been accomplished. Closest I can come up with is *maybe* Big Black, if you think Songs About Fucking > Atomizer > Racer X > Bulldozer > Lungs, which I don't think I do, but at least I don't think anybody who did think that would be completely nuts.

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 May 2005 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

As for the Ex, Douglas, don't they have like 50 albums or something? And the early ones were actually pretty good! If they've been going uphill for a quarter-century, they must be the best band in the universe by now!

Also, Camper Van Beethoven seems way, way off to me.

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 May 2005 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

(On the other hand, the only Ex album I actually still own is their most recent one, so who knows? I've always assumed I should have kept my copy of that old *1936: Spanish Revolution* EP with the 50 page book attached though...)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 May 2005 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 29 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

trust fund
sean mccann
youth lagoon/trevor powers
mount eerie
rachel's (during their career)
maybe joanna newsom?

this is tough

― meaulnes, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 14:14 (seven years ago)

Black Flag
― MaresNest, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 2:11 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
God fucking damn, wrong thread, durrrrr
― MaresNest, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 2:13 PM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Please argue the case for it anyway.

― GG Allin: The Musical (Matt #2), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 14:20 (seven years ago)

Simon & Garfunkel is a good one

Many xps

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 15:00 (seven years ago)

Paramore

― kitchen person, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 16:32 (seven years ago)

Glass Hammer are a good example of a prog band who did this for like, 10 straight albums or so

Lemon Demon/Neil Cicierega is another good one

― frogbs, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 16:51 (seven years ago)

The Sound

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 17:19 (seven years ago)

Chastity Belt

― o. nate, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 17:47 (seven years ago)

the Beatles

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 17:56 (seven years ago)

I agree their early albums are borderline unlistenable, but no.

― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:21 (seven years ago)

maybe portishead

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:23 (seven years ago)

maybe not, lol

there are very few "good" answers to this, probably

― underqualified backing vocalist (morrisp), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:33 (seven years ago)

you could say the 1975

i'd disagree with you, but you could say it

― austinb, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:34 (seven years ago)

the Smiths

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:35 (seven years ago)

A case could also maybe be made for the MC5 (or even the Stooges?), and I think I know people who could make the case. But not me.
― xhuxk, Friday, May 20, 2005 4:28 PM (thirteen years ago)

I would have agreed with the Stooges thirteen years ago (when Chuck posted that), but then other albums came along...

― underqualified backing vocalist (morrisp), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:37 (seven years ago)

Daphne & Celeste

― frogbs, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 18:42 (seven years ago)

> the Smiths

No way. High point is either "Hatful of Hollow" or "Meat Is Murder".

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:07 (seven years ago)

you could say the 1975

i'd disagree with you, but you could say it

― austinb, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 11:34 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

too early imo

― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:08 (seven years ago)

fugazi

― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:08 (seven years ago)

Meat is Murder has the title track on it, so no

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:16 (seven years ago)

Hatful Of Hollow isn't an album! basically an early Greatest Hits

Fugazi are contenders for sure but The Smiths S/T 1st one is way better than MIM for me.

― sleeve, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:19 (seven years ago)

maybe portishead

― mookieproof, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 1:23 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ding ding ding

― galaxy brian (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:28 (seven years ago)

this might be a minority opinion but Amon Tobin!

Could make solid arguments for Slowdive, Rival Consoles, Angel Olsen, and Jon Hopkins

― octobeard, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:39 (seven years ago)

british sea power are a good answer to this imho

― resident hack (Simon H.), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:41 (seven years ago)

Aesop Rock, IMO. His older stuff doesn't hold a candle to his newer stuff, and he seems to get better constantly.

― days of being riled (zchyrs), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:46 (seven years ago)

can't really get behind Bazooka Tooth as better than Labor Days

― President Keyes, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:53 (seven years ago)

oh wait I'm on the wrong thread. BSP offtm

― resident hack (Simon H.), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 20:57 (seven years ago)

xp yeah I realized that immediately after posting. I tend to forget about that album.

― days of being riled (zchyrs), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:02 (seven years ago)

The Sound
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 9:19 AM (three hours ago)

Gerald, you're my favorite poster here for a reason.

I'm gonna venture outside of the popular music area for a bit and say Gustav Mahler and Franz Schubert.

Trying to think of a jazz person that this could apply to, but those folks all have huge catalogues, so it's hard.

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:02 (seven years ago)

really the only candidates for this thread are ones with pretty limited/proscribed discographies. Anyone who's been recording for more than a decade is going to have some clearly identifiable peaks and valleys.

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:03 (seven years ago)

trust fund is a great answer because they split up this year having released an album about splitting up that also happens to be an indiepop monument - i.e. there's an actual arc to their whole recording career

their four albums basically went: decent juvenilia -> again, with stronger tunes and more of a sense of self -> super little weird record -> masterpiece

i basically just wanted to talk about them, but there have been some cool wrong suggestions itt since

― imago, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:06 (seven years ago)

Steely Dan

― flappy bird, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:41 (seven years ago)

nah

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:58 (seven years ago)

I mean Gaucho is great but my favorite album is actually the first one lol

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 21:58 (seven years ago)

yeah my favorite atm iis Aja but it's often Gaucho and The Royal Scam is a solid 3rd behind them.

― flappy bird, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:01 (seven years ago)

Steely Dan made more than one album?

(FP ME, IDGAF)

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:02 (seven years ago)

but which one did they make, Austin?

― flappy bird, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:05 (seven years ago)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/The_Best_of_Steely_Dan_-_Then_and_Now.jpg

― We're in 2009—it's time to take risks, (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:08 (seven years ago)

Haha, that's what will actually get me FP'd.

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:08 (seven years ago)

jesus, is that a Stonehenge made of cars?

― flappy bird, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:21 (seven years ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carhenge

― underqualified backing vocalist (morrisp), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:22 (seven years ago)

Yep!

Anyway, to answer your question:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1JOM-koWOL._SX466_.jpg

― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:22 (seven years ago)

Buncha things to respond to itt:

> Meat is Murder has the title track on it, so no

I heard "Meat Is Murder" when I was 17 so I'll admit to some temporal bias but I still love every heart-on-his-sleeve bit of it more than the rest of their catalog. It's full of amazing sounds (especially given that my copy included "How Soon Is Now").

> British Sea Power

Their catalog has been inconsistent for me, and I'll rep for most of it. The debut is great, then a couple of good but lesser albums until "Valhalla Dancehall" which I adore, then lesser returns on the next couple of albums (not counting the soundtrack work, which is fine but not my thing).

> Gerald, you're my favorite poster here for a reason.

Cheers, Austin! The Sound is one of those amazing bands where each album feels like a triumph for very different reasons. "Jeopardy" is a punch in the face, "From The Lions Mouth" tones it down but adds wonderful texture, "All Fall Down" is a left-turn full-on post-punk masterpiece, "Shock Of Daylight" is a perfect pop EP, "Heads And Hearts" takes that pop and inverts it and "Thunder Up" crystallizes everything Borland was trying to accomplish. And then his solo albums almost continue that upward climb but "Brittle Heaven" and "Cinematic" are a bit weak.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 02:21 (seven years ago)

I think 3 albums is the sweet spot:
Vampire Weekend
Janelle Monae
Solange

― enochroot, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 03:00 (seven years ago)

potential challop: Jawbreaker

― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 03:02 (seven years ago)

post flagged

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 03:07 (seven years ago)

xposts more bands should nick Manic Street Preacher albums for their own.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 12:29 (seven years ago)

one month passes...

Beat happening lol

― nostormo, Monday, 14 January 2019 17:45 (seven years ago)

one year passes...

Hum

― nostormo, Sunday, 5 July 2020 16:05 (five years ago)

Radiation City (3 albums)
Scrawl (6 albums!!)
Secret Cities (3 albums)

Someone mentioned Joanna Newsom - only up to "Have One On Me" though ("Divers" < "Ys" in my opinion).

― ernestp, Tuesday, 14 July 2020 16:13 (five years ago)

clipping

― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Tuesday, 14 July 2020 16:18 (five years ago)

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