5. Green—R.E.M
Bearsville Studios, Woodstock
Though the '90s alternative rock group's earlier guitar-driven albums are masterpieces in their own right, there's something about R.E.M's acoustic songs that drive right to your core, with Michael Stipe's full and softly wavering voice front and center, like a pot of water just starting to boil. Green represents a departure from their traditional folk-rock style and a movement into the acoustic approach that would influence their two subsequent albums. Partially recorded near the idyllic natural setting of Woodstock, Green also marks a development in the band's political engagements, conceptually influenced by environmentalism and green politics. The album's division into two thematically distinct parts—the "Air side" and the "Metal side"—points to an experimentation with style that the band first started exploring in Green.
6. Tigerlily—Natalie Merchant
Bearsville Studios, Woodstock
Merchant's first solo album after splitting from the 10,000 Maniacs, which catapulted her into the Lilith Fair fem-alt-rock scene. While on death row, serial killer Aileen Wuornos spent many hours listening to the album, and requested that the song "Carnival" be played at her funeral.
7. Z—My Morning Jacket
Allaire Studios, Shokan
This album marks a major shift in MMJ's sound, moving from a reverb-saturated psychedelic style to a more polished and focused product with a synth-driven, otherworldly quality. When Pitchfork listed Z as one of the top 200 albums of the 2000s, they called it My Morning Jacket's OK Computer.
8. The Monitor—Titus Andronicus
Marcata Recording, Gardiner
With their second studio album, The Monitor, Titus Andronicus achieved a seemingly impossible feat in the ephemeral age of the mp3: They created a timeless album. In one fell swoop, The Monitor encapsulates varied iterations of the American dream, meshing the rhetoric of the Civil War with Bruce Springsteen's blue-collar Americana with the breathless urgency of the post-rock era. "The Gettysburg Address" goes punk.
9. Heathen—David Bowie
Allaire Studios, Shokan
The long-time Hudson Valley resident and English rock-monolith's 22nd studio album, the recording of which started before and finished after the events of September 11, 2001. Themes of angst, disillusion, and fear are explored in songs that many believe to have been influenced by the attacks, including "Slow Burn", "Afraid", and "A Better Future".
10. Under the Table—Dave Matthews Band
Bearsville Studios, Woodstock
DMB's first studio album, which brought national recognition to the jam-rock band that would come to be one of the most popular of all time, effortlessly selling out the world's largest arenas for their annual summer tours. Under the Table was dedicated to Matthews's sister, Anne, who was killed by her husband in 1994.
*4'33"—John Cage
Premiered at the Maverick Concert Hall, Woodstock, 1952
The experimental composer's legendary three-part composition, which consists of four minutes and 33 seconds of silence, was meant to make listeners more aware of the musicality of their environment. Cage's most famous and controversial work is founded in his idea that, "Everything we do is music".
Runners Up
Come Away with Me—Norah Jones
Teen Dream—Beach House
Billy Breathes—Phish
