What Makes The “Perfect Album”? : A Conversation With TMB Staff
*Disclaimer: This article is a discussion of the art of creating a “Perfect Album” and what the fellow music-lovers on our team consider when listening to albums and calling them “perfect” or even just their favorites. This is not intended to insult or discredit the work or any artist that is not mentioned or thinks of album production differently. All music is art, and this is simply a collaborative opinion piece from our team:)
The word “perfect” can be controversial in the creative world. Across different disciplines (visual art, music, etc.), artists have different goals with their craft, and perfection is not typically one of them. Some artists create to trigger emotions (joy, discomfort, confusion, sadness), to capture moments, to experiment and explore in a new space.
However, music is one of the most frequently distributed and regularly consumed forms of art, with Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist holding over 4.5 million saves and many more watching for new songs and albums released every week. Fans are constantly hungry for new music from their favorite artists or awaiting the next underground artist to go viral so they can explore a new sound. When a long-awaited album from a favorite artist is finally dropped (you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love by Olivia Rodrigo and Do That Again by Malcolm Todd come to mind as recent examples), Instagram stories are covered with fans favorite tracks on release day with captions of “no skip album!” or “another perfect album from ____!”.
For me, the conversation of a “perfect album” actually came from listening to interviews from my favorite artist, Maggie Rogers, surrounding the release of her 2024 album Don’t Forget Me. Maggie went into detail in a few different interviews about the writing process for this album. In collaboration with Ian Fitchuk, the two wrote the album in tracklist order over 5 days, writing one song before lunch and one song after, leaving us with an incredible 10-track record. “I wanted to make an album that sounded like a Sunday afternoon. Worn in denim. A drive in your favorite car. No makeup, but the right amount of lipstick” (Maggie Rogers Newsletter, archive available to read here). The record was inspired by two albums that Maggie considers to be “perfect albums” Rumours (1977) by Fleetwood Mac and Thriller (1982) by Michael Jackson, down to the length of the album: Rumours has 11 tracks and Thriller has 9, so Maggie met in the middle with 10.
This album perfectly captures what Maggie was going for, and the intention is clear when you listen to the album top-to-bottom. A bright and sunshiney indie-pop record filled with the raw emotions of heartbreak, the joys of friendship, and the melancholy of growing up. I love and relate to every song on this record, and it’s been the soundtrack of many life moments, important and mundane, making me appreciate it all the more (in fact, there’s a whole article on my Substack from its 2 year anniversary). To me, Don’t Forget Me is a perfect album.
This was the first time I began to appreciate an album as a complete work, and not just a collection of songs that I’d pick my favorites from for my playlists. Suddenly I was much more attentive to the cohesion of genre, the storytelling, even the order of the tracks of each new album that was released.
My friend Garrett and I have gone back and forth many times, detailing our elements of perfect albums with examples from the artists we love, honing our definition each time we discuss it. This topic is on my mind so frequently as more amazing albums are released each week, that I decided to survey the Music Box staff to see their thoughts on the art of the perfect album.
“What are the factors you consider when saying an album is ‘perfect’?”
Alyssa Bushman, Senior Writer & Music Review Editor - “I love albums that have a story. When the songs take you on a journey through niche experiences and emotions. I love when you are able to listen to an album chronologically and you can feel transitions and changes in the person’s feelings towards something. Even if the story is a metaphorical one, the story helps me as the listener digest the full album. It’s also an incredible bonus when each song on the album is an absolute hit. A clear aesthetic with repeating motifs and an album cover that wraps it up into a perfect blend of a story, makes it a 10/10 album for me.”
“A perfect album is there to hold you emotionally in whatever way you need, a project that you can return to when you are older with more knowledge and reflect on the songs differently while still maintaining a connection to them. A perfect album grows with you.”
Megan Lorich, Senior Writer & Entertainment Editor - “When describing a perfect album, many people return to the age-old adage that the internet has drilled into our minds: "No skips." I disagree. You can have a perfect album and there will be a track from that album that you skip when you're not in the mood to listen to it. Rather, a perfect album has tracks that you can always listen to at some point, in some way. A perfect album is there to hold you emotionally in whatever way you need, a project that you can return to when you are older with more knowledge and reflect on the songs differently while still maintaining a connection to them. A perfect album grows with you. The entire picture of an album isn't what makes it perfect, rather, the individual tracks and how they bring you to return is. An album can be technically perfect (think Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon) in the sense that the tracks all weave together and it's a big huge grandiose project that everyone respects and admires. But a perfect album is ultimately a subjective thing, and therefore how those tracks matter to a person, how the album as a project and a statement keeps making listeners return back to more, is what makes it perfect.”
DeAnna Garza, Staff Photographer - “Growing up surrounded by music allows me to look at a lot of factors when I’m listening to it. Deeming an album as perfect isn’t easy, but no two albums are the same and the ones I do believe to be perfect are unique and it’s because of the differences they hold compared to other albums.
While I’m listening to music I’m paying attention to the lyrics, musicianship, and background (meanings and inspirations) to the songs consisted on the album.
- Lyrically, I look for poetic writing, story telling. It doesn’t have to be metaphoric, but an image that can come to mind just through words is what I like to hear.
- Musicianship, I prefer instruments to electronic or sound machines due to my taste in music. Something about a guitar solo panning from left to right, or the bass coming over everything else at the bridge of a song to emphasize certain feelings is beautiful and I don’t think can be quite replicated with electronic music.
- Background, I love learning the meanings behind the music I’m listening to. Everything Fleetwood Mac has ever created always has a meaning underneath, every song released now has taken inspiration from other musical icons of the past. Nothing is created from thin air and if it means something to the creator, it’ll reach those that can relate to the music as well.”
Virche Galloway, Staff Writer - “A perfect album is a project that has production, lyricism, and an overall vibe that appeals to the ear. Regardless of whether the audience knows specifics about music production, every instrument, edit, and sound effect must sound like it belongs together. Perfect albums flow seamlessly through each song, whether you are playing them on shuffle or in order. I've noticed my favorite albums are those I don't have to "like" each song, but that I can still play the entire album in full without feeling the need to skip a song, because even if a song isn't my favorite, the vibe and execution are enough for me to enjoy it. I think some people may struggle to decide whether an album is a "perfect" album because of differences in musical tastes. Still, you have to be someone who can look past the genre you may not care for, listen fully, and admit that an album is "perfect" regardless of the genre.”
Jill Nuelle, Staff Writer - “In my opinion, an album is perfect when there are no outliers. There's not a moment where you aren't fully engaged with what the artist is saying. Every track is essential to the story of the record. I think for an album to surpass "great" and reach perfect, the music needs to first of all, be saying something. Second of all, be intricately woven sonically. It can't feel patchwork, like each track is an experiment of its own. Experimentation is cool, and sometimes that's what makes an album perfect, but the songs have to make sense together.
It goes without saying that some albums strike a specific emotional chord based on what was happening in your life when you hear them, and then they become perfect to you (those are maybe the best kind.)
Paulina Rochelle, Staff Writer - “For me, one of the main things I look for is a through line, something that connects the album and ties it together. I think every album I would consider to be perfect, or as close to it as possible, has this. Whether it’s a reoccurring theme that hides in the lyrics, or a melody that reappears throughout the record, there’s usually a little element in these albums that helps make all of the songs make sense with each other. Along with this though, I don’t want to hear the same song over and over again, so I like albums that explore this, have different sounds and songs that push their limit, but because of that common element they still make sense with one another.”
Esha Shrivastava, Staff Writer - “What makes a perfect album for me is that it sounds cohesive and I want to go back and continue listening to it top from bottom. As much as I love individual tracks, I listen to it as a whole and it has great transition's, track list flows, and it is an album I want to come back to. Also a fun shift in sound is nice. A strong opening track is good since it sets the bar, but an album doesn't have to sounds all the same for it to be perfect in my opinion.”
Kaitlyn Serafin, Live Coverage Editor & Senior Writer - “I actually really struggle when it when it comes to saying an album is “perfect”. I really oscillate with my definition of one because there are albums that I absolutely adore and play all the time that I will admit is not perfect for X, Y, and Z reason. I guess my current definition of a perfect album is one where I feel immersed in the world it creates. It’s greater than the sum of its parts and its parts are all great on their own.”
Mari Garcia, Staff Photographer - And while you’ve already heard a lot of my thoughts, I’ll summarize them concisely here too. To me, a perfect album not only has an overarching theme/story through its lyrics, but is also musically cohesive. Tracks different enough to keep you engaged, but nothing that falls out of place. Track order is very important to me, they have to all flow together and extra bonus points to albums that consider the break where you would flip the physical vinyl to the B side. An album should be long enough to enjoy while cleaning your apartment, but not so long that you forget what you’re listening to (Noah Kahan I love you but I personally just do not have the attention span for a 21 track album). And of course, every song has to be good, even if it won’t be a song you always want to listen to at that moment. Oh, and kind of a niche take but I feel very strongly about album names. I don’t love when an artist uses a track title as the album title, though I understand labeling a track as the “thesis” of the album. I LOVE an album that uses a lyric as a title (i.e. Lizzy McAlpine’s five seconds flat), or even titles the album with the theme or concept it focuses on (Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving). Self-titled albums are okay for an artist’s first release. A good album cover is also a bonus.
“What are your examples of a perfect album?”
- Alyssa Bushman, Senior Writer & Music Review Editor
you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love-Olivia Rodrigo
Each of these albums take you on a journey through an experience that the songwriter had in depth through clear and poignant lyrics, cohesive aesthetics, and interesting instrumentation.”
-Megan Lorich, Senior Writer & Entertainment Editor
“When the Pawn... by Fiona Apple is an album that I will always return to. I think when I am older it will affect me even more. There are songs on it I skip from time to time, but that's not because the songs are imperfect, it's because the emotions they invoke are not the like, emotional catharsis I need in the moment. Does that make sense? On the flip side of this, I think 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields is also up there for me. The album is ultimately a statement about all kinds of love, with the kind of love or reactions to love varying from track to track. But the songwriting behind these tracks makes each one a gem, and a great statement on whatever kind of love or emotion they are trying to portray. Quantity does not equal quality, but the latter is abundant on the album.”
-DeAnna Garza, Staff Photographer
“Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977): melodically and lyrically beautiful. No song on this album sounds the same. Every voice is picked specifically for each song, usually performed by the artist that wrote it, giving it a special meaning every time it’s performed. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar picking in “Never Going Back Again” are still to this day considered hard for people that have played for years, the back and forth with the writing by Nicks and Buckingham create an emotional tug of war and the album drags you along.
Greta Van Fleet - The Battle At Garden’s Gate (2021): Greta Van Fleet is known to sit on their music and withhold new works for years; meaning when it was written, this album came from the talent of four men in their early 20’s. Songs about chaos, love and war brought to life by their lyrics and instruments. This album is genuinely one of the most imaginative I’ve ever heard and yet depicted in a sense of reality because their words reach the generation raised with digital and physical media.
Stevie Nicks - Trouble In Shangri-La (2001): Stevie Nicks wrote a lot of this album at different periods in her life about different things. Some songs from the 70s, others from the early 90s to 2000. She’s spoken a lot about how each song means something to her and it was about a time in her life that she had gone through or was currently going through. The lyrics in each song represent her varying emotional states and because she primarily writes in first person, we get to feel everything with her.”
-Virche Galloway, Staff Writer
Hit Me Hard And Soft - Billie Eilish
Each of these albums demonstrates my vision of a perfect album. These albums allow me to visualize and immerse myself in the album's world. I can sit and listen to these albums, whether that's for background noise, riding in the car, at the gym, or wherever. As I stated before, the production, vocals, and lyrics play an important part in making it a perfect album.”
-Jill Nuelle, Staff Writer
“I Wasn't Only Thinking About You - Oh Pep
This record is 10 songs that all leave you feeling breathless. The production choices are sometimes unpredictable, but really rewarding.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - Big Thief
Some of the best songwriting of any album released this past decade. Adrianne Lenker is such a true talent. In its kookiest moments, it doesn't lose you, it makes you want to listen closer. That's a feat.
I do feel that this one is self explanatory. The first time I listened I had chills for the entire runtime. Beyonce is the blueprint for cultivating every single detail in her singular creative vision. And lyrically, I think it's one of her best.
As far as sophomore albums go, I think this has a case for best of all time. A monumental record and a perfect example of a story that keeps you invested from first to last note. Production choices that were at the time, disruptive and then became the blueprint.”
-Paulina Rochelle Staff Writer
Both of these are absolutely, without a doubt, perfect albums in my book. Every song on both of these albums deserves to be on it, and you can tell. They would be incomplete if you were to take away any song from either one. They have certain elements, whether it be nature sounds in the back of certain tracks that appear time and time again, the way the songs connect and flow into each other regardless of how different they might be, they both just make sense when you listen from top to bottom. The best part is every time you listen, you find new little details that help you see the album in a new light, and see how things connect.”
-Esha Shrivastava, Staff Writer
“Favourite Worst Nightmare -Arctic Monkeys. This was the first album I ever listened to and felt that I had no notes. From the track listing to overall flow, this album has no skips and is one I consistently come back to. I appreciate the tempo change and gradual ramp up back to the tempo and vibe they set early. Also, “Brianstorm” as an opening track is so cool. I think ending with “505” is also a good move since it has elements of the album that i there but not at the same tempo and intensity as the opening track. From the top to the bottom, the is a shift in tempo and vibe, but I think it's an album where I feel there's nothing missing.”
-Kaitlyn S, Live Coverage Editor & Senior Writer
“A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out - Panic! At the Disco: This album might be one of my earliest “perfect” albums. I just don’t know if there are many other albums this cohesive from the visuals to the larger-than-life instrumentation to the lyrics. Listening to this on vinyl specifically immerses me fully into the vaudeville and melodrama that form the heart of this work.
After Laughter - Paramore: This album came out when I was in high school and it just made sense. The aesthetic, visually and sonically, work together to perfectly capture the brand of upbeat melancholia that this work exists in.
Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers: Where do I begin? Just the album I need when it’s raining outside and I’m feeling like upping my meds.
Voulez-Vous - ABBA: 70s Europop and disco at its best, coming around in 1979 right before the genee died. No-skip if you ask me.”
-Mari Garcia, Staff Photographer
I’ve already mentioned Don’t Forget Me by Maggie Rogers as the album that started this whole conversation years ago, but here’s a couple more albums I consider to be “perfect”.
five seconds flat by Lizzy McAlpine - this album is such a beautifully devastating album about being young and heartbroken, and nothing hits like hearing the album title as one of the closing lyrics in the final track. And once you’ve listened to this album, you need to check out the series of music videos organized into a short film, it’s incredible.
The Art of Loving by Olivia Dean - I talk about this in depth in TMB’s February Staff Picks article:)
Cannot Be, Whatsoever by Novo Amor - this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Ethereal indie folk with reflective lyricism, I revisit this every single fall.
From 2 to 3 by Peach Pit - I love songs from every Peach Pit record, but I love every single one on this album. Hopelessly romantic and playful with a blend of all their best genre sounds, this album is an incredible work.
Honorable mentions for two incredible EPs that fit every criteria of mine except not being full-length albums: Don’t Get Dark by Del Water Gap is an indie-rock album with raw emotion and deep desperation, an old favorite of mine from Holden Jaffe. Something You Needed by flipturn is in here for many of the aforementioned reasons, but honestly the transition from the opening track “Savannah” into the title track “Something You Needed” is reason enough for me. If you haven’t experienced it, you need to.
There’s a theme of cohesion and intentionality behind everyone’s thoughts on what makes the “perfect album”. We as listeners want emotion and storytelling, we want to feel like we’re being taken for an experience with enough variety from song-to-song but still fitting together nicely. The music needs to be good obviously, and while every song won’t be right for you in every moment, you can still appreciate its role in the album the same way you understand why a painting has so many colors even if they aren’t all your favorites.
But at the end of the day, an album that makes you feel something, whether that’s the desire to get up and dance, reminding you of your younger self, or just the background music for a long drive, will be the perfect album in the moment you need it.
We’d love to hear your criteria & examples for perfect albums in the comments below, or head over to our Instagram and let us know!
(All albums & songs are linked to Spotify when they are mentioned for your convenient listening)
