For an artist, a self-titled album can serve a number of purposes. It can function as an introduction or signify a new direction, or it be used to make a career-defining statement. While every self-titled album is unique, one thing they all have in common is that they’re all collections of recorded music.
In honor of collections of recorded music, I’ve compiled a list of the 15 greatest self-titled records released since 2000. But before we dig in, let’s set some guidelines:
- Obviously, no record released before the year 2000 is eligible for this list. Sorry, American Football.
- No self-titled EPs or 7-inch records were considered in the making of this list—this is for full-length albums only.
- Records that reference an artist’s name but aren’t explicitly self-titled don’t meet the criteria. For example, A Thing Called Divine Fits, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Run the Jewels 2, and xx didn’t make the cut.
- Any artist with multiple self-titled records throughout their career was not considered for this list. Bug off, Weezer.
- If you titled an album after your band’s name and your band’s name is Hoobastank, you’re not on this list—you’ve got enough to worry about already.
15. Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls dropped their debut in 2011 just as the leaves were beginning to call the year to a close, and few records in recent memory have matched their release season quite like this one: Veronica Falls is a true autumn gem in the way it warmly ponders death, as if the music itself is aware that winter is coming.
14. Megafaun
Megafaun mastered their blend of soothing-meets-freak folk on their self-titled record, which also happened to be released in 2011. Besides landing the trio a strangely satisfying spot in a Super Bowl ad, Megafaun boasts one of my favorite band logos as its art.
13. Headphones
My love for David Bazan’s work knows no bounds, and I’ll be arguing that he’s the most underrated songwriter of our time until, well, he isn’t anymore. With Headphones, the ex-Pedro the Lion frontman went super synth-happy and recorded a collection of songs under his Headphones moniker, which sadly helped this record fly even further under the radar than his regular stuff.
12. Beyoncé
I’ve got issues with listening to Beyoncé as a singular piece, but this is one of those instances where an album’s significance moves well beyond the music; we need more records like Beyoncé.
Also, I’ll be damned if “***Flawless” in and of itself isn’t enough to warrant this album a spot here.
11. Wolfmother
I haven’t listened to Wolfmother’s balls-blazing, Black Sabbath-swiping debut in seven years. That being said, this record was my baby blanket during my toddler years of high school.
10. Fang Island
Boasting three guitarists out of four total members, Fang Island is a band that’ll fill in nicely when your party playlist has already conquered Andrew W.K. and Diarrhea Planet. Their self-titled record is one of the few that will never leave your high five hanging.
9. Run the Jewels
If you thought it was too good to be true when Killer Mike and El-P paired up for 2012’s R.A.P. Music, you’ve probably needed a couple of Ice Bucket Challenges to the face to cope with their work as Run the Jewels. The duo’s debut, released in 2013, is one of those rare free albums where the best part isn’t that it’s free. Please cop it here if you haven’t yet.
8. Sylvan Esso
Back in September I raved about how back in May I thought Sylvan Esso was a fantastic duo making fun and carefree music. Well, I still think that.
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
One time Pitchfork gave Clap Your Hands Say Yeah a 9.0 and then abruptly pushed the band that made it under the bus. In Pitchfork years, 2005 was a longtime ago; I suspect they wipe the review from the site within the next five years.
6. Viet Cong
Viet Cong is barely a week old. But an inside source told me the record was prophesied at birth to be one of the greatest post-punk epics of our time. And, though its only seven songs long, this is one heavy baby.
5. Fleet Foxes
There were a number of directions in which Fleet Foxes could’ve headed after they released their debut in 2008, though being essentially non-existent by 2012 didn’t seem a very likely path. Listening again to Fleet Foxes—a record laced with a massive stash of harmonies that feels warm regardless of the season—only confirms the strangeness of the band’s stagnant nature. So it goes.
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
From their name to their look to their sound, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart will always be, for me, the epitomical buzz band. And though they may not be the mold that every ensuing buzz band tries to squeeze into, they should be.
3. Swearin’
Swearin’ makes me want to re-live my early 20s. I’m not even done living out my early 20s for real.
2. Field Report
Chris Porterfield and Co. spend the majority of Field Report building up tension that never finds a release. Throughout the record’s 10 spacious tracks, a lot of doubts are posed and few answers are given. If you squint hard enough, Porterfield’s prose tinkers with catharsis. But no matter how badly you need him to take you there, he and his dark debut don’t budge.
1. Vampire Weekend
As a single, cohesive statement, Vampire Weekend is perfect. Though the record probably won’t go down as one of the greats (it clocks in at a meager 34 minutes and the tracks are, for the most part, pretty content with themselves), every song on its tracklist is either a hit or a might-as-well-have-been-a hit. When was the last time a rookie went 11-for-11?
In the two albums Vampire Weekend has put out since releasing their self-titled debut, they’ve hit higher highs and much lower lows. Honestly, it was expected: After netting perfection on their first try, the kids didn’t stand a chance.