Top Ten: GaoSalad's Favorite Albums Ever (Part One)

The time has come for a list so amazing and massive that it not only must surpass the standard countdown of five, but must also be split into two parts! This post is the first piece of a two part special to kick off the return of the ever popular "Top Five" articles that have been among the most fun and most popular recurring articles on the site! I did my best to think of what I find to be the best albums of all time, and it really did take a lot of thinking. Some of these may catch you off guard, and others you may see coming from a mile away.

Actually, in all honesty I kind of hate doing "Top Five Favorite" posts, because I always feel like I'm forgetting something glaringly obvious. I took about a week to brainstorm and compile this list, so I'm hoping that it reflects me accurately. Some of the picks may be seen through nostalgia goggles, but others are far too fresh for that. The dates range from earlier this year to two decades before I was born. There's no limits and no ass kissing this time -- it's just simply GaoSalad's Top Ten Favorite Albums Ever (Part One)!

10. Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour

How could a LGBT themed music site make a list of top albums and not include the one that spawned the biggest gay anthem of the decade? "Let's Have A Kiki" has become a massive hit for the band in the gay community, and it has placed the group back at the top where they belong. I didn't  choose the album for this song -- at least not entirely. The entire album is amazing from start to finish. I admit it did take a while to grow on me, but once I realized the full brilliance of the piece, it became a permanent part of my musical library. Every single track on the album is relatable for myself, from heatbreak, to longing, to wanting to break free from restrictions. Why so low on the list? Well you'll just have to keep scrolling to see the awesomeness that is the rest of my favorites.

(The 9-6 under the cut!)

The Face Makes A Sexy and Sassy Debut

The Face (stylized as THE F▲CE) is a three piece band that are knocking things out of the park with their first official single. They have teamed up with track masters Dream Beats to bring everybody the most amazing piece of pop music to ever grace my ears - "Love Stuck". Oh God, you guys. Oh God.

(Video is a bit NSFW. It's censored, but... You'll understand when you see it.)


Many have labeled this video as raunchy. I on the other hand, would like to say that it is artistic. Well until the point where Tamer takes his pants off. Then I kind of lost it! The entire video comprises of what looks to be mocking the old fad of the "make your own music video" type store that was prototyped in some malls. Instead of making a boring public access video through and through, they being to take their clothes off. One by one each of them strip, leaving little to the imagination behind drum kits and keyboards.

Back in reality, I have to say that this song has to be the most addicting song I've heard in a long time. Upon further investigation, I found the reason to be due to the fact that two members of the masterminds of Dream Beats, Felix and Marta, are members of Le Kid, one of the greatest pop groups of this generation. It is now oh, so clear why this song is totally amazing.

The Face is a hard group to pin down currently. Due to them being a new group, it is hard to get a ton of info on them, but I will be keeping my eye on Tamer, Christie, and Francine over the upcoming months as I patiently await new music from them. For now, they have several demo tracks and a nice remix of "Love Stuck" up on their SoundCloud for now.

As for Dream Beats, they have been around for a little over a year now, and have been taking a David Guetta style approach to music, being the beat makers while having different guest vocalists for each track. According to their Facebook page, they have been working with many different artists including Wynter Gordon and my personal hero, Lene Nystrom of Aqua. No official word yet on the details of either of these tracks, however.

Sorry I Missed It - Le Kid "Oh Alright"

I have been putting this edition of "Sorry I Missed It" off for a while. It's true that I did not talk about Le Kid at all, but it's not exactly that I missed it by accident. I chose not to review this album or highlight it's singles because other than "America", none of the songs are readily available in the US. Recently, however, a few of their tracks have been coming back to me over and over, and I can't ignore this piece any longer.

Le Kid is a band that can only be described as Scandinavian. Either you get that, or you don't. They are an odd version of pop that doesn't come around the US very often. The only group in the United States I can think of that comes close to this genre would be Scissor Sisters, and they aren't even as fully appreciated in their home country as they are over seas.

Le Kid first came to fame during their attempt to get on Eurovision Song Contest via Sweden's preselection contest with their massive hit "Oh My God", which is also included on this album. They instantly labeled themselves "your new favorite band", earning a few giggles from this blogger here. The song was a nice flavor of pop with hints of big band elements.

Nothing else they have done compares to my love for "We Should Go Home Together." This song was my first exposure to the group, and will probably always be my favorite track of the whole bunch. The song is just so campy and 80s feeling that I can't help but sing along into a hairbrush. I have a feeling that if this was their ESC song, they would have made it onto the live show -- but then again that is just me.

I'm not saying that the rest of the album isn't great. The other singles, especially "America" (the only song you can find of theirs on US iTunes) is another catchy track that feels much more laid back than the rest of the album. "Telephone" may not be a Lady Gaga cover, but it stands very well on it's own with tongue-in-cheek references of it's own. Tie this up with a "Mr. Brightside" cover stapled on the end and you have a pretty solid album.

So as you can see, the only real reason I opted not to cover this album was due to it's lack of availability in the United States, as that is my base of operations and where my main reading base is located. This is exactly why I created segments like "Sorry I Missed It" and "MYPHNH(BS)" -- so I could talk about world music and let people know that not only is there great music that exists outside of our North American bubble, but also that I listen to and love it as well.