I’ve written about music many, many times before. Music is an integral part of my life. As I have been contemplating how I want to end my time here at Her Campus Hawai’i, I thought that I would go out writing about the one thing in life that I am the most passionate about: music. As someone who has consumed more than an average amount of music and music media, I thought I would celebrate 10 of my favorite albums by some of my favorite bands of all time.
Disclaimer
All of these choices are based solely on my opinion. My opinion does not reflect the opinion of the company, Her Campus Media. Information regarding the albums was found online at the Wikipedia pages for each album and each band.
Rules
In order to choose the top 10 albums, I decided to set some rules for myself to make the process easier. Rule 1: I can only pick one album per group. I cannot choose two albums from the same group. Rule 2: To qualify for this ranking, the group must either A) have all female or all female-identifying members B) have a female lead singer (frontwoman) or C) be a majority female or female-identifying group. Rule 3: I must pick these albums based on my own listening habits, not based on charting history or other lists. Rule 4: No expanded, deluxe, or repackage albums (or anything similar). Rule 5: No EPs, singles, or mini albums. The Top 10 must be full-sized albums.
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Albums!
Number 10: TWICE’s “Twicetagram” (2017)
“Twicetagram” is the first full-length album from this South Korean girl group. In 2017, TWICE was still very much in their cutesy, bubblegum-pop phase and serving bop after bop on this album. “Twicetagram” was the group’s first album, but they had been releasing music as a group since 2015. The lead single on the album is Likey, which features lots of synth and is composed in an electro-pop style. My favorite song off the album is Jaljayo Good Night, which features lots of acoustic guitar, piano trills, and heavenly harmonies for a chill, acoustic, almost bossa nova-esque composition.
Number 9: Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Peepshow” (1988)
Siouxsie and the Banshees is one of my all-time favorite post-punk/goth rock groups of all time. The lead single on this album is Peek-a-Boo, which is a perfectly spooky start to the album. Featuring accordions, a brass and percussion loop, and the perfectly distorted vocals of Siouxsie Sioux, this song is easily the most recognizable song of not just this album, but of the band’s entire discography. Some of my other favorite songs off of this album include the other two singles off the album: The Killing Jar and The Last Beat of My Heart, which are also equally spooky and enchanting.
Number 8: Veruca Salt’s “Eight Arms to Hold You” (1997)
Veruca Salt is an iconic woman-fronted alternative rock and grunge band from the 1990s, when grunge was in full swing. “Eight Arms to Hold You” is the second studio album by the group and featured five singles on the album: Straight, Volcano Girls, Benjamin, Shutterbug, and The Morning Sad. Volcano Girls was the most popular single off the album and was the lead single. My favorite track (besides the lead single) is Don’t Make Me Prove It. Characterized by rock guitars and harmonies between the two vocalists, Nina Gordon and Louise Post, “Eight Arms to Hold You” remains a classic 90s rock album and is always a timeless listen.
Number 7: BABYMETAL’s “METAL GALAXY” (2019)
BABYMETAL have been icons in metal since they came into fame with their hit song Gimme Chocolate!! in 2014. Pioneers of a new genre called kawaii metal, which means cute metal in Japanese, BABYMETAL have established themselves as one of the most popular modern metal groups and have fans of all ages. At their concerts, you can see little girls dressed up like the BABYMETAL members and old-timers who have been fans of metal since the genre’s inception. “METAL GALAXY” has some of my absolute favorite songs by the band on the tracklist, DA DA DANCE, Starlight (which is a song that is speculated to be made in memory of a late band member), and PA PA YA!. This album also has some incredible features, including F.Hero and Polyphia’s Scott LePage and Tim Henson. Overall, this album is an amazing summation of BABYMETAL’s journey as artists and is by far one of my all-time favorite metal albums.
Number 6: ABBA’s “Voulez-Vous” (1979)
ABBA is one of the most famous disco-pop groups of all time. Their music is so beloved that an entire musical and movie franchise was written around their music (hi, Mamma Mia! fans!). The album’s name is French for “Do you want (to)”. Some of the songs off of this album are featured in the musical. Chiquitita, Voulez-Vous, Does Your Mother Know, and I Have a Dream are all included in the musical. My favorite tracks off of this amazing disco album are Kisses of Fire, Angeleyes, and If It Wasn’t for the Nights. Despite being a 44-year-old album, I never tire of the magic that is ABBA’s disco music.
Number 5: Paramore’s “Paramore” (2013)
Paramore’s self-titled album has some of the most well-known and iconic Paramore songs in its tracklist, like Ain’t It Fun and Still Into You. “Paramore” ventures beyond the band’s usual sound of pop-punk and alternative rock and experiments with synth-pop, R&B, and hard rock to create a new kind of Paramore that is seen more in their later albums, like Hard Times. “Paramore” features four singles: Now, Still Into You, Daydreaming, and Ain’t It Fun, which coincidentally are some of the most well-known tracks off the album. My personal favorites from this album are Anklebiters and Ain’t It Fun. However, Hate to See Your Heart Break is one of Paramore’s best ballads and is such an amazing composition that deserves its flowers. Overall, the self-titled album is iconic and a fun listen each time.
Number 4: The Pretty Reckless’ “Going to Hell” (2014)
Fronted by lead singer Taylor Momsen, who you might know as Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas or from Gossip Girl, The Pretty Reckless is one of my favorite rock bands ever. “Going to Hell” has five singles. Commercially, both the album and the singles performed quite well, the album itself debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart and three of the five singles hit number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The album is gritty, daring, and quite the attention grabber, despite the mixed critic’s reviews. Momsen shows off vocally on this album, recording a mix of ballads and songs that are very much the bread-and-butter of the band. My all-time favorite releases from this band are all on this album: Follow Me Down, Going to Hell, and Sweet Things. I never tire of listening to this album, and it is truly an amazing rock album.
Number 3: Little Mix’s “LM5” (2018)
Those who know me know that I love Little Mix. In fact, I wrote an article about the deep dive I did into their discography last year! This album, as you may have guessed from the title, is the fifth studio album released by the group. However, it was their first venture into being executive producers of their own album. Similarly to their previous works, “LM5” features themes about feminism and women’s empowerment, “LM5” also tackled sexism, the MeToo movement, and body positivity through their usual pop and R&B sounds. In addition to pop and R&B, Little Mix also ventured into reggae pop, reggaeton, and trap-pop on the album. The album’s lead single is Woman Like Me, which features Nicki Minaj. It is a fantastic song (and one of my favorites off the album). The addition of Nicki Minaj’s rap fits well with the song and overall is a great addition to the album itself. My other favorite tracks from this album are Wasabi and Joan of Arc.
Number 2: Evanescence’s” Fallen” (2003)
“Fallen” is just that album. It’s got iconic cover art, some of the most iconic (if not the most iconic) Evanescence songs, and the much-beloved goth rock sound that Evanescence is known for. “Fallen” is the quintessential Evanescence album. This album is full of huge hits by the band, including Bring Me to Life, My Immortal, Going Under, and Everybody’s Fool. This being their debut studio album is so mind-blowing to me. Evanescence have so many hard-hitting songs in just this one album, and it’s the first taste of them that we got! Evanescence, as a project, was designed to combine Amy Lee’s different music tastes. She wanted to bring something cinematic and classical into the world of metal, alternative, and hard rock, and this album is the perfect combination of it all. Hauntingly beautiful and ferocious at the same time, “Fallen” perfectly blends cinematic strings swells with fierce guitar and drums to create something unique. This album never gets old – I still listen to Going Under and Bring Me to Life regularly despite the album being nearly as old as I am. Twenty years later, and “Fallen” is still that album.
Number 1: Fleetwood Mac’s “Fleetwood Mac” (1975)
I toyed around with whether or not “Fleetwood Mac” or “Fallen” would be number 1, but I don’t believe anything could really top this album. This album has it all: iconic songs, a mix of ballads and more rock-y songs, Fleetwood Mac essential tracks, and perfection in audio form. Funnily enough, 1975’s “Fleetwood Mac” is the second self-titled album that the band released. The first self-titled album was actually Fleetwood Mac’s debut album from 1968, before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham ever joined the group. This album is actually the first Fleetwood Mac project that Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham worked on. This self-titled album has quite a few of some of the most well-known Fleetwood Mac songs, like Rhiannon, Over My Head, and Landslide. The amount of times I have played this album is absolutely ridiculous; had all the plays been on vinyl, I would have worn it out. I love that this album is the introduction that we get to Stevie Nicks as a member of Fleetwood Mac. I think her voice and Christine McVie’s vocals fit so well together. Stevie is certainly more of a powerhouse kind of singer, and Christine is better suited to the soft-rock songs that the band has. This album is a great showcase of both of their vocal talents. Christine shines on tracks like Sugar Daddy, Over My Head, and Say You Love Me, while Stevie steals the show on Rhiannon and Landslide. This album is another one of those timeless listens that I can never get enough of.
I really wanted to make my last article here at HC Hawai’i a celebration of something, so I chose to celebrate women in music. If you haven’t heard of some of these groups or haven’t listened to some of these albums, I hope you’ll check them out and give them a listen and enjoy them as much as I do.