Trif's fave 3rd tracks ranked - 30,000 comments
Number 3. A meaningful number. Mythical qualities. Ethereally significant. Also I commented 30,000 times on Sputnik and this is where we celebrate!!!!!!!!!! List is third songs that rule. One per artist to shake things up a bit!! Playlist available here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTOn0coAI8DYWklQzRVa6CwyHUF9QkAIb |
| 101 |  | Siouxsie And The Banshees
Hyæna
1984
New Wave
UK
3. "Take Me Back"
3 WORDS: Organ / Sassy / Shuffle
MORE WORDS: Nice, shuffling beat, funky, cool organ, sensual, melodic vocals. There's something wonderful happening here. I always think I need to check more Siouxsie, perhaps this list is finally going to make me actually go there. Apparently they've made one of the coolest number 3s ever! |
| 100 |  | Boot Camp Clik
The Last Stand
2006
Hip Hop
US
3. "Yeah"
3 WORDS: Yeah! / Strings / That'showIlikeit
MORE WORDS: A groovy, string-sample heavy Hip Hop tune from the 00s that encapsulates everything about Hip Hop that I love. It's got flow, sunny sampling, a great beat, yeah! |
| 99 |  | Lakker
Tundra
2015
Techno
Ireland
3. "Mountain Divide"
3 WORDS: Clear / Pure / Slick
MORE WORDS: Lakker's mix of ethereal, religious sounding vocals and melodies on the one hand with the slick, clean electronics (beat, synths, effects) works wonders. A purifying experience that feels as huge as the mountains from the title. |
| 98 |  | Sam Sparro
Sam Sparro
2008
Pop/Funk
US
3. "21st Century Life"
3 WORDS: OOPS! / Funky / Cheesy
MORE WORDS: This is one of my secret 5.0s, it's just too cheesy and funky and groovy and slap-bass-heavy and poppy and I love it. Sam tells lovely stories on this one. |
| 97 |  | Luwten
Draft
2021
Pop
Netherlands
3. "Control"
3 WORDS: Precise / Catchy / Surprises
MORE WORDS: A steady, highly danceable backbeat, laid back vocals, a subtle build, and big ear worm potential. Electronic infused poppy yet surprisingly layered music. One of 2021's gems! |
| 96 |  | David Bowie
"Heroes"
1977
Art Rock
UK
3. ""Heroes""
3 WORDS: Shower-singing-alert! / Classic / OOOHOOOHOOOOOOOOO
MORE WORDS: This one's here because of a) my mother (a super Bowie fan) and b) because this song is Undeniably Great and Fantastic. Its drive and the way it gets more intense gradually across its entire length. Its historical relevance. Its totally heartfelt delivery. An empowering tearjerker. |
| 95 |  | Benjamin Damage
Obsidian
2015
Techno
UK
3. "Monolith"
3 WORDS: Freezing / Empty / Space
MORE WORDS: Yes. This album is such a great representation of an empty stretch of space between planets or whatever. Something out there in space. Cold, cavernous. I'd love to be there if it sounds like this! |
| 94 |  | The Sisters Of Mercy
Vision Thing
1990
Gothic Rock
UK
3. "Detonation Boulevard"
3 WORDS: INCOMING!!!!!!!!!!!!! / Cheese / Sexy
MORE WORDS: I know, I know! The others are more beloved. I just love the cheese on Vision Thing. Nicely represented by this song. (Still very sorry for No Time To Cry!) |
| 93 |  | Bowery Electric
Beat
1997
Trip Hop
US
3. "Without Stopping"
3 WORDS: Drum machine / Dreamy vox / Comforting
MORE WORDS: A moment of calm despite the harsh, old school drum machine and the never-ending background wail. Nicely gazy dreamy trip hop by a criminally overlooked act. |
| 92 |  | Telemetrik
My Lightyear
2008
Drum and Bass
US
3. "Exit Civilization"
3 WORDS: Space / Hyperactive / Blackout
MORE WORDS: Lots of good memories for this one. A love-at-first-sight kind of album, still play it regularly. Something about the spacious interstellar travel floaty stuff that combines very nicely with the drum and bass vibe of Telemetrik's stuff. And Exit Civilization might be my second fave, just after the Carl Sagan infused Cosmos. OK, the t/t and Rouge City are up there too. |
| 91 |  | Pi Ja Ma
Nice To Meet U
2019
Pop
France
3. "Ponytail"
3 WORDS: Curly-ponytail / hibudgie / Goofy
MORE WORDS: A very goofy track from a deliciously energetic weirdo of a record. Truly, this is one of my faves from 2019, a fantastic mix of catchy songwriting, general silliness and energetic poppy goodness. |
| 90 |  | Rammstein
Mutter
2001
Industrial
Germany
3. "Sonne"
3 WORDS: Snowwhite / Nostalgia / AUS!
MORE WORDS: As a young boy this track would give me goosebumps always. It's been a while since then, but this track does still get me hyped. The vid is awesome, as is always the case with Rammstein, and the mix between weirdly catchy and accessible yet rough around the edges and some tongue in cheek melodrama still works. |
| 89 |  | The Orb
Orblivion
1997
Electronic/Leftfield
UK
3. "Asylum"
3 WORDS: Wet / Iterative / Travels
MORE WORDS: A track that clearly shows how easily The Orb can take you with them on a cyclic, psychedelic, jungle like journey through their brand of progressive electronic. Of course, Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld is their magnum opus, but the others are very much worth your time too. A compact, groovy, body moving adventure! |
| 88 |  | Holy Fuck
Latin
2010
Electronic/Noise
Canada
3. "Latin America"
3 WORDS: Still / have / tinnitus
MORE WORDS: For some reason this record always pops up in my celebration lists. It must be good then! This number 3 certainly confirms that hypothesis. Funky, grooving, with a nice chasm of synths and a steady, loud beat. Yeah this can go on for quite a while longer than it does! |
| 87 |  | Meat Beat Manifesto
99%
1990
Big Beat/Industrial
UK
3. "All The Things You Are"
3 WORDS: Loud / Funky / Aggressive
MORE WORDS: That ooooaaaaaaaaahhahahhahahahah-soulful female sample is fantastic. Set off against the industrial tinged hip hop beat, with some cool bleeps, bloops and guitars, and the driving vocals of Mr Dangers, what more could we ask for? |
| 86 |  | Kraak And Smaak
Boogie Angst
2005
Nu Jazz
The Netherlands
3. "Keep On Searching"
3 WORDS: Roosters / Chickens / Funk!
MORE WORDS:Yeah OK I love these sexy funky dancy songs. If there's one thing this list has made clear to me it must be that. But hellloooo!??! This one has a chicken and rooster populated mid section!!!! Kraak & Smaak's discography is very consistently high quality throughout, infinitely replayable and absolutely worth your time. |
| 85 |  | Kyuss
Welcome to Sky Valley
1994
Stoner Rock/Psychedelic
US
3. "Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop"
3 WORDS: Road-trip / Fuzz / Jump
MORE WORDS: Super nicely sung, but the guitars are the hero here. Very tastefully done, honest rock music with that delicious desert stoner sauce that we've all come to love. |
| 84 |  | Amon Amarth
Fate of Norns
2004
Melodic Death Metal
Sweden
3. "The Fate Of Norns"
3 WORDS: Alcohol-free beer / Horn / Drink
MORE WORDS: One of my fave AA tracks, so epic and grandiose and triumphant. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard and North Sea Storm came very close, it must be said. |
| 83 |  | Weval
Weval
2016
Electronic
The Netherlands
3. "I Don't Need It"
3 WORDS: Magical / Caleidoscope / Vintage-yet-modern
MORE WORDS: Another of those tracks that I cannot stop listening to. That lopsided drum filly whatever it's called rhythmical hop thingy they built into this must be it. That and the kaleidoscopic synths, warm fuzzy old school sound and dreamy vox. It's slow moving and kind of kept back all the time yet there is this incredible pulse, this forward momentum going on all the time. |
| 82 |  | Natalia Lafourcade
Un Canto por MΓ©xicoβ Volβ€ 1
2020
Latin
Mexico
3. "Mexicana Hermosa"
3 WORDS: Voice! / Sweet / Enunciation
MORE WORDS: I'm preeeeeeeeeeeetty sure I'm 100% gay but mannnn this lady! How could you not fall a little bit head over heels in love with her? |
| 81 |  | Jungle
Jungle
2014
Soul
UK
3. "Busy Earnin'"
3 WORDS: Stylish / Dancing / Sun
MORE WORDS: I still remember an edition of Lowlands Festival and I was a little sad and then I heard Jungle play in one of the tents and we went and never looked back! Smooth, sunny, and groovy! A good track to listen to when it's sunny during the day and you're walking through cosily filled streets without your hoodie on. I've tried. It works. |
| 80 |  | DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo
Ki-Oku
1996
Trip Hop/Hip Hop
Japan
3. "Mu-Getsu"
3 WORDS: Sax / Noir / Moon
MORE WORDS: Second Krush on the list, this time teamed up with Japanese saxophone legend Kondo. Makes for a very rewarding listen, a record full of dark, ominous but relaxed tunes you can listen to when it's raining in the night and you're walking empty streets with your hoodie on. I've tried. It works. |
| 79 |  | Tosca
Suzuki
2000
Trip Hop/Nu Jazz
Austria
3. "Annanas"
3 WORDS: Shuffling / Lounge / Future
MORE WORDS: Lounge from the future. I've always loved this tune more than the rest of the album, and it's shockingly high up here. But it could not go any lower, its rolling drums, duuduuudoo-ing lounge lady, chk-chk-chks, and general electronic bloops are just too cool. |
| 78 |  | CAN
Ege Bamyasi
1972
Krautrock
Germany
3. "One More Night"
3 WORDS: Motorik / Flow / Eeeheeeheeee
MORE WORDS: One of Ege's more accessible tunes, One More Night unites the crazy delicious motorik beat with nice guitars, cool synths, groovy bass and of course the sweetly weird vocals of Suzuki. One for the ages. |
| 77 |  | Craven Faults
Erratics and Unconformities
2020
Electronic
UK
3. "Cupola Smelt Mill"
3 WORDS: Nostalgia / Trance / Hypnosis
MORE WORDS: β¦what? What is a Cupola Smelt Mill. Whatever. I don't care because this track is crazy good. As hypnotizing as they come, and as the cover suggests. Warm, comforting, trance-inducing music. |
| 76 |  | Peter Fox
Stadtaffe
2008
Pop/Hip hop
Germany
3. "Haus Am See"
3 WORDS: OrangenbaumenblΓ€tter / Background choir / Carefree
MORE WORDS: This was one of those big hits (in Europe at least) that totally mega deserved it. A carefree party, but calm and smooth enough to make it work in so many different situations. Whole album rules, so he'll surely end up in my 40,000 comments celebration list too. |
| 75 |  | Fazerdaze
Morningside
2017
Dream Pop
New Zealand
3. "Misread"
3 WORDS: Love / You / budgie
MORE WORDS: The perfect lazy vox, the perfect Dreamy Surfy Gazy sound. This album is perfect, and its number 3 is no exception. |
| 74 |  | John Coltrane
A Love Supreme
1965
Jazz
US
3. "Pursuance"
3 WORDS: Free / Drums / Higher sphere
MORE WORDS: A legendary album of course, by an even more legendary musician. This had to be here. |
| 73 |  | Quantic
The 5th Exotic
2001
Electronic/Nu Jazz
UK
3. "Snakes In The Grass"
3 WORDS: Wherecan / Ifind / Thisgrass?
MORE WORDS: Ok so I speak about relaxing vibes here a lot, but these snakes have IT!!!!! Oh my! Sex music. |
| 72 |  | Balthazar (BE)
Rats
2012
Pop/Alternative rock
Belgium
3. "Later"
3 WORDS: Indie-darlings / Lounge / BASS
MORE WORDS: Space. Lots of it. Prominent and greaaaat bass playing. Lazy vox. Superb violin in the background. Addictive!! |
| 71 |  | Bonobo
Dial 'M' For Monkey
2003
Trip Hop/Nu Jazz
UK
3. "D Song"
3 WORDS: Relaxing / Wonder / Curious
MORE WORDS: What I loved from early Bonobo was his jazzy take on trip hop, plus the more acoustic as opposed to electronic feel that he would pursue later on. D Song neatly summarizes what I mean. Positive, curious song full of life, energy and a sense of wonderment. |
| 70 |  | Talking Heads
Remain in Light
1980
New Wave
US
3. "The Great Curve"
3 WORDS: Percussion / Background choir / Guitar freaks
MORE WORDS: SO FUNKY! Another of those songs that leave you dancing around all weird regardless of where you are. I _ffksssimply Fcan'tHEEELPSS IITITTTTTTTT!!!!! Thyping whole dancing is hard! |
| 69 |  | John Tejada
Cleaning Sounds Is a Filthy Business
2006
Minimal Techno
US
3. "Mutation"
3 WORDS: Colourful / Bleeps / Flow
MORE WORDS: Parabolas almost took another win here (it was often featured on my lists before), but this is the best track from Cleaning Sounds. Oh boy! Industrial sounding in its rhythm, with nicely tweaked synths. |
| 68 |  | De Staat
Vinticious Versions
2014
Rock
The Netherlands
3. "Input Source Select"
3 WORDS: Remix / Quirky / LETSGO!!!
MORE WORDS: Love what the boys did with so many of their already-fantastic tracks. Goofy, groovy and totally De Staat. Immmmmput soource select, Pick what you need, Trust what you get! |
| 67 |  | Black Moon
Enta Da Stage
1993
Hip Hop
US
3. "Who Got Da Props?"
3 WORDS: Answer: / They / Do
MORE WORDS: 90s Hip Hop is amazing. Of course, the 90s were amazing for music in general, but there is just something about the way Hip Hop was approached during this decade that makes it stand proudly head and shoulders above other decades. It's not too aggressive, focused more on flow and jazzy or soulful sampling than on being mean. Hmmmmm! More please! |
| 66 |  | Recondite
On Acid
2012
Minimal Techno
Germany
3. "Felicity"
3 WORDS: Huffman / Warm / Floaty
MORE WORDS: Precise, open and spacious, just how I like my techno. Oh and minimal, but you probably got that already. |
| 65 |  | Shining (Swe)
V - Halmstad
2007
Suicidal Black Metal
Sweden
3. "LΓ₯t Oss Ta Allt FrΓ₯n Varandra"
3 WORDS: Uncharacteristic / Production / Groove
MORE WORDS: A weird duck in the pen (a Dutch proverb!). This album has always been (and probably always will be) the only suicidal BM (β¦ eeek!) album I 100% mega enjoy. Something about the way it is mixed, the electric/clean guitar, his crazy vocal delivery that works wonders. This track is a good display of that. Crazy solo too. And that cowbell segment. A very addictive album, and for some reason there is nothing quite like this. |
| 64 |  | Joana Serrat
Hardcore from the Heart
2021
Americana/Shoegaze
Spain
3. "These Roads"
3 WORDS: Lush / Happiness / Should be on always
MORE WORDS: One of the sunniest and cosiest albums of 2021. Joana has a lovely discog so far, but this album stands out for me. Poppy, dreamy, with lots of reverb and her warm, soothing voice. |
| 63 |  | Hallas
Conundrum
2020
Hard Rock/Progressive Rock
Sweden
3. "Strider"
3 WORDS: Epic / Tolkien / STAAAAAAAAAAAARRRIIIIDEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!!!
MORE WORDS: These guys are so addicting! And also when am I not about to STAAAAAAAAR RIDER!!!!!! in full force? It must have something to do with their totally fun and relaxed, story telling attitude. |
| 62 |  | Gorillaz
Demon Days
2005
Hip Hop
UK
3. "Kids With Guns"
3 WORDS: Bass / Issheisshereal / Laid-back-but-also-not
MORE WORDS: I always loved how Demon Days feels like it is telling a story. The debut had ridiculous highs and I love it dearly, but it feels more like a collection of songs. Whereas this is some weird post-apocalyptic strange world where a lot happens and there are kids with guns apparently. Also love the freak out in the ending! |
| 61 |  | Nightwish
Once
2004
Symphonic Metal
Finland
3. "Nemo"
3 WORDS: Video / Iconic / Tarja
MORE WORDS: Hello. A perfect mixture of accessibility, cheese, bombast, operatics. An iconic Nightwish tune, sorry Dead To The World and The Kinslayer. This one, too, should be way higher up there. |
| 60 |  | The Seatbelts
Cowboy Bebop
1998
Soundtrack/Country
Japan
3. "Spokey Dokey"
3 WORDS: Harmonica / Kanno / Seeyouspacecowboy
MORE WORDS: This lady is a genius. Truly. The Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is 100% amazing: completely genuine, heartfelt, so diverse it's almost peerless. The producers famously had to say to Kanno that they could not use all of the stuff she was composing, but they felt bad because it was all so high quality so they kept looking for ways to include more of her stuff. |
| 59 |  | Cannonball Adderley
Somethin' Else
1958
Jazz
US
3. "Somethin' Else"
3 WORDS: Sax!!! / Bop / Classic
MORE WORDS: Adderley shines here with his clear, melodic, and energetic playing. His accompanying group, consisting of an enormously gifted set of musicians (Sam Jones on bass, Art Blakey on drums, Hank Jones on piano and Miles Davis on trumpet) absolutely shines on this one too. |
| 58 |  | Anouk
Urban Solitude
1999
Rock
The Netherlands
3. "R U Kiddin' Me"
3 WORDS: Babybabybabybabybaaabyyyyy / Diva / Organ
MORE WORDS: A Dutch classic. I've always got a soft spot for Anouk. She's so invested in her music, enjoying herself, very genuine. Seeing her live is an experience for sure! Fantastic love story, perfect product of its time. Also this should be waaaaaayyyy higher always!!! AREYOUKIDDINGMEEEEEE!!!! WHATDOESSHEGOT THAT I DONTHAVEEEEE!!? |
| 57 |  | Within Temptation
Enter
1997
Gothic Metal
The Netherlands
3. "Pearls Of Light"
3 WORDS: Nostalgia / Doom / Haaa-haaahahaaaa-haaahaahaaa
MORE WORDS: OH MAN! Nostalgia is huge with this one for me. Angelic Sharon, some super cheesy keys, doomy guitars. It has it all. But what an effect when put together in this dreamy fairytale way! |
| 56 |  | Follakzoid
I
2019
Electronic/Psychedelic
Chile
3. "III"
3 WORDS: Never-ending / That beat / Floaty
MORE WORDS: Krautrocky electronic space jam hellooooooo!? And it's called III too! |
| 55 |  | Moby
Play
1999
Electronic
US
3. "Porcelain"
3 WORDS: Childhood / Commercials / Insta-relaxation
MORE WORDS: Again, what is it with these numbers 3 all being fantastic? Sevastopol, In My Heart, and Shot In The Back Of The Head were all here, but Porcelain is what all of Moby's tracks aspire to be. Perhaps his most iconic song. |
| 54 |  | Black Sun Empire
Driving Insane
2004
Drum And Bass
The Netherlands
3. "Breach"
3 WORDS: Dark / Sharp / Open
MORE WORDS: Always loved going to Blackout, the monthly BSE hosted DnB party in Utrecht, my home town. This track perfectly summarizes what I love so much about this act. Dark, deep, no-nonsense, cold, with a great groove. Will never grow tired of their early stuff in general and this album in particular. |
| 53 |  | Miles Davis
Bitches Brew
1970
Jazz Fusion
US
3. "Spanish Key"
3 WORDS: All-encompassing / Exploration / Pulse
MORE WORDS: A fantastic journey. That's what this double album is, and Spanish Key is a nice reflection of that in track form. What keeps the messy craziness from becoming too much has always been the super strong rhythm section for me. A superb pulse, that keeps a strong sense of direction and purpose to the other instruments, with their free-flowing solos. Really addictive record. I'm sorry for Miles' many many other perfect 3s. |
| 52 |  | Arcturus
The Sham Mirrors
2002
Avant Garde Metal
Norway
3. "Ad Absurdum"
3 WORDS: Space / Garm / whoooohooohooooohooooooo!!!!
MORE WORDS: This album contains a secret not so secret weapon: it has early 00s Garm vox in full force! What a voice. Not to take anything from the other musicians on here, the riffs are totally crazy and the drumming is fantastic. Oh and those keys, one of this record's strongest traits. Songwriting is crazy here. A classic to me, and sadly there's nothing quite like it! |
| 51 |  | Interpol
Turn on the Bright Lights
2002
Post Punk
US
3. "NYC"
3 WORDS: Title drop / Earworm / bassline
MORE WORDS: My fave Interpol track by a landslide. They're lucky this one is a number 3, otherwise they wouldn't have been here in a million years. But this track has an undeniable hook, that outburst where he drops the title is stuck in my head at random moments in my life always. Love the drums too, and we all know that this is a mega win in my book. |
| 50 |  | The Great Yawn
Botanica
2019
Folk
South Africa
3. "A Festoon"
3 WORDS: Sweet / Warm / Peach
MORE WORDS: A dreamy album that too many have ignored. It has appeal to such a large group of people. Wonderfully sung, warm, twinkly instrumentation, dreamy ambience. This particular track has a nice, free form shuffly beat as well. And a mysterious aaah aah section! |
| 49 |  | Bathory
Nordland I
2002
Viking Metal
Sweden
3. "Vinterblod"
3 WORDS: Slow / Triumphant / RIP
MORE WORDS: Crazy how overlooked the Nordland albums are (not by you, garas!). Crazy how this one stands up to earlier number 3s, among which Woman Of Dark Desires and The Golden Walls Of Heaven no less. But this one is just so majestic and those guitars are too sweet. Plus it has choirs of aaaaah-ing Quorthons, how can you ignore THAT!!!! And those guitars!!! Always have the feeling this one needs to be up higher somewhere, but the others are so good too aaaah! |
| 48 |  | Darkthrone
A Blaze in the Northern Sky
1991
Black Metal
Norway
3. "Paragon Belial"
3 WORDS: Riffs! / Opening-guitar-squeak / SOCOOOOOLD
MORE WORDS: Crunchy, melodic, cold riffs. A famous mixture of styles. Amazing vocals! This record is an icon of BM/DM, and for good reason. That main riff, which first surfaces around 1:20 or so, says it all. |
| 47 |  | Joni Mitchell
Ladies of the Canyon
1970
Folk
US
3. "Conversation"
3 WORDS: Chords / Love Actually / Tidididiididid
MORE WORDS: Ok, so Joni Mitchell rules. We know that. If you don't yet: check her out! Incredibly prolific and so amazing. She makes all these self-called 'crazy chords' sound so effortless and natural. Yet they're super colourful because we're not entirely used to them. One of the greats, for sure. |
| 46 |  | Ihsahn
After
2010
Progressive Metal
Norway
3. "After"
3 WORDS: Tranquil / Elegant / Mournful
MORE WORDS: Ihsahn has a great selection of 3s, as could be expected from a solo career of this quality. Sadly for those tracks, the After t/t is among them. Insta win! One of the best tracks of his career, regardless of band. |
| 45 |  | Pitou
Pitou
2016
Folk
The Netherlands
3. "His Song"
3 WORDS: Sparse / Gorgeous vocals / Stunner
MORE WORDS: Seriously gorgeously sung. Oh my goodness. Nicely clean and sparse composition. An amazing artist, I always feel I need more of her music in my life. |
| 44 |  | Chet Baker
Chet Baker Sings
1956
Jazz
US
3. "Like Someone In Love"
3 WORDS: Sweet / Romantic / Smooth
MORE WORDS: Chet has the most comforting and sweet voice ever. Put this disk on, close the curtains and have a good time. It might have been made for that⦠|
| 43 |  | Emperor
In the Nightside Eclipse
1994
Black Metal
Norway
3. "Cosmic Keys To My Creations And Times"
3 WORDS: Cold / Night / Production
MORE WORDS: Everything has been said about this record. Crazy vox, amazing riffs, probably the best production/keys in the Symphonic BM genre. That doesn't do the overall effect justice in the end. The tunes here are so fantastic individually too! A sense of wonder and of magic, just like the cover suggests. If you go to a Norwegian wood (...) in winter in the night, this is what you hear in the mountains among the pines. |
| 42 |  | An Pierle and White Velvet
An Pierle and White Velvet
2006
Pop
Belgium
3. "Good Year"
3 WORDS: Egarran / Knitting / Organ
MORE WORDS: A goofy organ, some absolutely delicious vocals by the unbeatable Miss PierlΓ©, and a lovely progression throughout, this has many of the AP&WV tropes that I love so much. A very theatrical track from a very theatrical album. |
| 41 |  | Orbital
Snivilisation
1994
Progressive Techno
UK
3. "Sad But True"
3 WORDS: Nightmare? / Sound-collage / Flow
MORE WORDS: This is a crazy tune on a very crazy album. It sounds faaannntastic still, those wet sounds, next to the sharp, tinny sounds, and the full bass and tanging drums and static-y noises and harsh beeps and the vocals (!!!) and the weird synths⦠I can go on like this for quite a while because that's what this crazy track does. It probably should be all the way at the top somewhere. |
| 40 |  | Hybrid (UK)
Wide Angle
2001
Big Beat
UK
3. "I Know"
3 WORDS: Julee Cruise / Cinematic / Smooth
MORE WORDS: I discovered this album because of an afternoon of Laser Games when I was a teen. They played If I Survive in the bar. I asked for the song title. Limewired it. Happy me. This whole record is super cinematic, with nice string backdrops, broad, open space, and sweet vocals by Miss Cruise. Still love this one to bits, and I might even prefer I Know to If I Survive nowadays. Well, maybe not. But still! It's close! |
| 39 |  | The Cinematic Orchestra
Motion
1999
Jazz
UK
3. "Night Of The Iguana"
3 WORDS: Full / Flowing / Suspenseful relaxation
MORE WORDS: Organic, mysterious, acoustic, calm. This is the sound I love from The C O. Sadly, they'd move on to more commonly explored territories on subsequent releases, trading in jazz for electronic and rock. This album, and this track with it, contains magic though. |
| 38 |  | Ulver
A Quick Fix of Melancholy
2001
Electronic/Experimental
Norway
3. "Vowels"
3 WORDS: Cathedral / Chanting / Procession
MORE WORDS: For some reason always loved how stately this is. A very nice hidden track, showing it's totally worth your time to explore Ulver's non-LP material. It even beat Providence, Like Music, Graablick, III, Hallways Of Always! |
| 37 |  | Clara Malaterre
Points Cardinaux
2021
Folk
France
3. "Kreuzbergstrasse"
3 WORDS: Sweet / Colourful / Comforting
MORE WORDS: The best EP of 2021, and what happiness that its number 3 is way up there. Unites sweet chanson-style singing with quiet instrumentation, some lovely harmonica and looooooooots of feels. Uncomplicated and absolutely perfect. |
| 36 |  | Pole
Wald
2015
Dub/Techno
Germany
3. "Moos (live)"
3 WORDS: Creaky / Dubby / Distortion?
MORE WORDS: Repetitious, iterative, trance inducing. Another calm number that gets me in this nice, contemplative mood. Love how this keeps on growing organically, there's quite a lot going on for something that seems so (insert earlier word of your choice). Love the distorted guitar in the background, fits the flow so well. And the pops and crackles come back of course. |
| 35 |  | Altin Gun
Yol
2021
Anatolic Psychedelic/Rock
The Netherlands/Turkey
3. "Bulunur Mu"
3 WORDS: Ennio Morricone / Bleep-bloop / Cowbell
MORE WORDS: One of my fave tunes from 2021. Such a joyous and weird party! Bring it ON! I can never and will never stop listening to this and it's only a year old yet but I just KNOW it's here to stay in all of my silly playlists ever. |
| 34 |  | ABBA
Super Trouper
1980
Pop
Sweden
3. "On And On And On"
3 WORDS: Doom / Star / Bus
MORE WORDS: As with most ABBA songs, this one contains a fantastic story. There's so much humour here too, they're very good at that. "I said who are you to talk about impending doom?", "So I took advantage of the fact that I'm a star", "I said I was not exactly waiting for the bus". I mean, hello! Genius! Nice rock and roll vibe with lovely backings by Benny and BjΓΆrn. |
| 33 |  | Oumou Sangare
Ko Sira
1993
Wassoulou
Mali
3. "Mani Djindala"
3 WORDS: Songbird / R~H~Y~T~H~M / Feminism
MORE WORDS: There have been so many evenings in the last couple of years (the years that I knew Oumou, that is) during which she was singing softly from my speakers and I was doing whatever. Reading, mostly, with lock downs and all, of course. But Oumou never fails to entrance me, hypnotise me, oh yeah and try to keep your legs or head still during this one. |
| 32 |  | Bahamadia
Kollage
1996
Hip Hop
US
3. "Spontaneity"
3 WORDS: Beat / Whispers / Tension
MORE WORDS: One of my fave hip hop albums ever. It's so dark this reminds me of Portishead. Or the other way around. Her flow is impeccable, the music itself spectacularly bare bones but poignant. Too cool. |
| 31 |  | Jessica Pratt
Quiet Signs
2019
Folk
US
3. "Fare Thee Well"
3 WORDS: Calm / Quiet / Vocals
MORE WORDS: Only three words and I choose vocals? Vocals? Yes. Her voice is what deters some from an otherwise enormously rewarding experience. To me, they're perfect, but to some, they're horrible. What's also perfect is how calm and introspective and quiet this is. Superbly done. |
| 30 |  | GAS
Zauberberg
1997
Minimal Techno/Ambient
Germany
3. "Untitled"
3 WORDS: Repetition / Untitled / Forest floor
MORE WORDS: The happiest track on Zauberberg, a few minutes of relief. Enough to blow his other number 3s out of the water. Full of GAS' characteristic muffled beats and organic, foresty orchestra washes. Good entry point for those curious for this Minimal Techno Ambient pioneer. |
| 29 |  | Monolake
Cinemascope
2001
Minimal Techno
Germany
3. "Cubicle"
3 WORDS: Deep / Dripping / Dub
MORE WORDS: Cracks, clicks, bleeps, synth lines that descend into the depths that surround you. This is a prime example of turn-of-the-century Monolake. Hypnotizing and exquisitely mixed and produced, as to be expected. |
| 28 |  | Anna Von Hausswolff
Dead Magic
2018
Experimental/Modern Classical
Sweden
3. "Ugly And Vengeful"
3 WORDS: STOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOHOOOOOOOONEEEEE / Organ / Ritualistic
MORE WORDS: This couldn't not be here. To me this is her best tune, by a landslide even. A truly enormous tale of monolithic proportions. Enchanting, dark, organ driven and with her fantastic vocals to top it all off, this one builds and builds and just keeps on growing bigger, well beyond what you would probably expect from its humble yet mysterious beginnings. |
| 27 |  | Sungrazer
Sungrazer
2010
Stoner Rock/Desert Rock
The Netherlands
3. "Somo"
3 WORDS: Lazy / Grower / Explosion
MORE WORDS: Incredibly jazzy, laid back, relaxing vibe with a sudden outburst of fuzz. Only like their second album about half as much as their first, but boy do I like their first! Somo is a perfect way in. Joyful and confident. |
| 26 |  | Cradle of Filth
Cruelty and the Beast
1998
Symphonic Metal
UK
3. "Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids"
3 WORDS: Bathory / GOAT / Immortal
MORE WORDS: Oh my. This one hurt. My love for Cradle goes deep. There were sooooo many candidates for this spot (Saffron's Curse, Queen Of Winter Throned, The Forest Whispers My Name, Nemesis, Hurt And Virtue, Funeral In Carpathia, Achingly Beautiful, Enshrined In Crematoria). But this is the best Cradle tune of them all. Insanely diverse early Dani, fantastic riffs and keys and drums, haunting vibe. It has it all. |
| 25 |  | Meshuggah
Destroy Erase Improve
1995
Thrash Metal
Sweden
3. "Soul Burn"
3 WORDS: SOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL / BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN / Grooooooove (DUH!)
MORE WORDS: Love how this derails occasionally, and how it is perfectly straightforward at other moments. This one contains many sections that represent sounds they would further explore on Chaosphere and Nothing. A great overview of what they can do. Oh yeah and that typical perfect DEI mix, we don't talk about that enough. How good does this album SOUND!!!? |
| 24 |  | Paul Kalkbrenner
Berlin Calling
2008
Techno
Germany
3. "Azure"
3 WORDS: PK / Ultra-smooth / Sexy
MORE WORDS: So smooth, hmmmmm! Ibiza friendly techno from an artist that will forever be able to hypnotize me. I usually prefer his other albums, but as far as number 3s go, Berlin takes it. |
| 23 |  | Bill Evans
Live In Paris 1972 Vol 3
1989
Jazz
US
3. "34 Skidoo"
3 WORDS: Loose / Trio / Jam
MORE WORDS: One of my fave jazz recording series of all time. The three disks of the 1972 Paris concert show how incredibly fluid, loose, intuitive, light, and engrossing Bill & Co. (Eddie Gomez, bass & Marty Morell, drums) can be. A dream team for sure. Been brooding on a review for these three for a long time now. One day it'll happen! |
| 22 |  | The Beatles
Help!
1965
Pop
UK
3. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
3 WORDS: Nostalgia / HEY / Voice-cracks
MORE WORDS: Others might be better (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds), but this one has so much nostalgia behind it. Fantastic song. |
| 21 |  | Tamino
Amir
2018
Pop
Belgium/Egypt
3. "Tummy"
3 WORDS: Gold / REPLAY-BUTTON-PLEASE! / Husky
MORE WORDS: Melancholic, dreamy, sexy, earworm. OK, that sounds gross. But this tune is sweet, and sometimes that is all I need. |
| 20 |  | Enslaved
Mardraum - Beyond the Within
2000
Progressive Metal
Norway
3. "Entrance - Escape"
3 WORDS: Extraterrestial / Freak-out / Funky
MORE WORDS: My fave Enslaved record by a landslide, and it's partially due to this track. There's just nothing out there that sounds like this album. It's so loose and confident and that bass and those sharp guitars and the weird vox. Sadly, they chose to abandon its sound on later releases. A unique piece of weirdo spacey gritty yet melodic, messy, free and flowing blackish whatever guitar music. Oh yeah and those solos over that galloping rhythm with the repeating funky riff, can't ever get enough of that. |
| 19 |  | Tiny Vipers
Life on Earth
2009
Folk
US
3. "Slow Motion"
3 WORDS: Introspective / At ease / Forever
MORE WORDS: Makes me all melancholy but calm and at ease with the world. Comforting album, comforting tune. Straight to the heart. Something about her voice is incredibly comforting. Always love when artists dare to keep it this simple, it pays of so superbly here. Some artists need a whole collection of weird instruments and recording techniques, and some just use vocals and a guitar and some additional tweaks. |
| 18 |  | The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Time Out
1959
Jazz
US
3. "Take Five"
3 WORDS: Iconic / Glasses / 5.0
MORE WORDS: One of those iconic tunes that everybody knows, and for good reason. Undeniable groove, an instantly recognizable melody that stays with you, and all of that in a compact 5Β½ minutes. Also why the hell did I write "glasses" as one of the three words? Because of Brubeck's glasses? I think so. Can't remember but I'm keeping it. |
| 17 |  | Underworld
dubnobasswithmyheadman
1994
Techno
UK
3. "Surfboy"
3 WORDS: Talktome / Talktomymachine / Evolution
MORE WORDS: Jumbo and Low Burn were tough to beat (yes, Barbara Barbara is indeed that very good!), but dubnobass is revered this much for a reason. That reason is not even Surfboy necessarily, it has better tracks than this one, but it still is insanely good. Relaxing, going through many different stages and ideas, when you've never heard this you're not going to guess where it ends. |
| 16 |  | Fela Kuti
Open & Close
1971
Afrobeat
Nigeria
3. "Gbagada Gbogodo"
3 WORDS: Insta-movement / WHOOOOA! / Allen
MORE WORDS: One huge party. Includes Fela organ solo. Some crazy singing. Horns. Perfect drums. The lot. And there was competition here too of course! (Question Jam Answer, It's No Possible, Observation Is No Crime) |
| 15 |  | Mazzy Star
Among My Swan
1996
Dream Pop
US
3. "Rhymes Of An Hour"
3 WORDS: Swan-I-own / Me / Swan-I-own
MORE WORDS: Ride It On Baby almost made it, but this one is so mysterious and calm and that ending is too gorgeous to ignore. Perfectly displays how both the vocals and the instrumentation are part of Mazzy's big success. Simple yet not simple at all. |
| 14 |  | Kate Bush
Hounds Of Love
1985
Pop/Rock
UK
3. "The Big Sky"
3 WORDS: Backing vocals / NOAH! / Build-up
MORE WORDS: There's some stiff competition between Bush's number 3s. Duh. Quite the discog she's built. From Strange Phenomena, to Pull Out The Pin, even to Misty. But it perhaps doesn't come as a surprise that Hounds Of Love brings us the winning tune. A career high LP and one of the most loved albums on the planet. For a reason. It's never too late to check it if you haven't already! I was late to the party too. Tell 'em, sisters! Rolling over like a great big cloud, Rolling over with the Big Sky! |
| 13 |  | Opeth
My Arms, Your Hearse
1998
Progressive Metal
Sweden
3. "When"
3 WORDS: Ghost-story / Demiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihiiiiiihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissseeeeee / Ending
MORE WORDS: Yup. Poor A Fair Judgement, I Feel The Dark and Nectar, but when (...) you're up against When, there's no contest. Career high. You've got the amazing MAYH production, some of Mike's best growls, his nicely common-cold-ish cleans, amazing solo's, the gallopping drums, and a perfect combo of acoustic vs heavy sections, charactiristic of early Opeth. And oh yeah, that ending. Only negative? The 'flowers die' sentence π© |
| 12 |  | Daft Punk
Homework
1997
House
France
3. "Revolution 909"
3 WORDS: Police / Rave / Number 9
MORE WORDS: As precise and well thought out as one could expect from these French robot geniuses. Ideas weaving their way in and out, never taking away from the main groove but always fortifying it. This record is eternal. |
| 11 |  | DJ Krush
Jaku
2004
Hip Hop
Japan
3. "Nosferatu"
3 WORDS: Mr Lif / Nighttime / Brooding
MORE WORDS: So sorry for Danger of Love (from Zen), but this is one of my hero Krush's best tracks. Oh my. Happy to cheat for the dude too, see entry #X. Powerful despite its relaxed vibe. Just the way I like it. |
| 10 |  | Stereolab
Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
1999
Alternative Rock/Experimental
UK
3. "The Free Design"
3 WORDS: Groop / Dynamics / Soop
MORE WORDS: Percolator and The Flower Called Nowhere have the characteristic searchingly neurotic energy, Captain Easychord and "...Sudden Stars" the cool weird vibe; still, The Free Design takes it for Stereolab's best number 3. Fierce competition indeed, but there's so much going on here. Those melodies, especially from Laetitia, the backing vox, the horns, the lounge against the restless, circular beat. A Stereolab high, and that is saying something! |
| 9 |  | Indigo Jam Unit
Milestone
2013
Jazz
Japan
3. "Naja"
3 WORDS: Quartet / Acoustic / Groove
MORE WORDS: This list wouldn't be a Trif list if these Japanese masterminds weren't there. Of course, these guys created many fantastic number 3s, there was some serious competition for this spot. This one is superb, it perfectly displays their sense of rhythm, groove, and being able to tell a story without any vocals whatsoever. Will not ever grow tired of my fave jam unit in the world ever. |
| 8 |  | Supercar
Jump Up
1999
Alternative Rock
Japan
3. "Jump"
3 WORDS: Warm / Organ / Johnny
MORE WORDS: There was competition for this one. A Supercar 3 would certainly make it to the higher regions of this list, but which one? Shout out to Hello, Storywriter, Baby Once More, MOTORBIKE. The combo of the acoustics, the silly organ, the tight, break-like drums, and the whiny-dreamy vox makes my day. Plus one of Supercar's main feats (for me): BLOODY PERFECT PRODUCTION. Seriously. Time and time again. Also there's some scratching here YES! Supercar has grown into one of my fave bands, and they're here to stay. |
| 7 |  | Cocteau Twins
Head Over Heels
1983
Dream Pop
UK
3. "Sugar Hiccup"
3 WORDS: HoL-precursor / *hic* / Frazer
MORE WORDS: There were many contenders, and it was a close call. Perhaps even the closest call of all of these 101 entries, now that I think about it. Just goes to show how good and consistent the Twins have been throughout their career as a band. Carolyn's Fingers, Beatrix, Hazel, Iceblink Luck, Tishbite, Pale Clouded White, even Throughout The Dark Months Of April And May. Nice that the often overlooked Head Over Heels takes the cake! |
| 6 |  | Agnes Obel
Myopia
2020
Folk/Electronic
Denmark
3. "Island of Doom"
3 WORDS: Fairy / Calm / Enchanting
MORE WORDS: One of her most mysterious tunes. Gorgeous and airy and perfect. A good example how she creates infinite space while keeping that introspective and comforting ambience. Plus as with all of her stuff, production is crazy good, and she does it all by herself! Agnes Obel has one of my fave discogs of any active artist, and perhaps even of any artist in general. A magical lady, she just knows how to create tension and exciting tunes out of very sparse compositions. |
| 5 |  | Portishead
Dummy
1994
Trip Hop
UK
3. "Strangers"
3 WORDS: Beat / Boop / Beth
MORE WORDS: The beat here is so deliciously loud, mixed so wonderfully, those funky samples placed so well. Beth is once more proving she's one of my fave vocalists ever on this one. An undeniable groove, cannot ever stop bobbing my head to this. Sorry Undenied and Nylon Smile! |
| 4 |  | The Field
Yesterday And Today
2009
Minimal Techno
Sweden
3. "Leave It"
3 WORDS: All-timer / Bassline / Leave it
MORE WORDS: As someone I know put it in the Yesterday And Today thread: "That insaaaaane build up in Leave It with that bass line worming its way into you is just too much. Plus the drum fill (or whatever it's called) at 8m05s in... Oof.". Or as someone else put it in that same thread earlier "The way the bass slowly drifts into picture and eventually locks in during Leave It is just . . . . the best". Amen. |
| 3 |  | Massive Attack
Blue Lines
1991
Trip Hop
UK
3. "Blue Lines"
3 WORDS: Solar System / Restraint / Sexy
MORE WORDS: A constant in all of my lists. One of my all time fave albums. The t/t is so superbly smooth and quiet yet has such an undeniable forward momentum, crazy how they make that work. Will never grow old. And then that to-and-fro-ing between 3D, Daddy G, and Tricky! One of the best third tracks in history. |
| 2 |  | The Gathering
How to Measure a Planet?
1998
Alternative rock/Progressive rock
The Netherlands
3. "Rescue Me"
3 WORDS: Best / Band / Ever
MORE WORDS: Pity for all of those lovely other number 3s (In Motion #1!!!!! especially, but also The May Song, Amity, Alone), but Rescue Me is one of their career highs. Ooooooops. With that superb heavy section and theremin solo-going into guitar solo-going into quiet singing again, and the general Measure A Planet magic. Oh and 90s Anneke of course. My goodness. BOOM. The drum sound on this disk is one of my faves ever. Mixed to perfection, same goes for the guitars. You can hear everything here and the band is so generous with displaying what they've got and giving you time to appreciate it. Straight to the top. |
| 1 |  | Nina Simone
Let It All Out
1966
Jazz/Vocal
US
3. "Love Me Or Leave Me"
3 WORDS: There / areno / words
MORE WORDS: Nina is my favourite artist ever. Simple as that. And this, by a sheer stroke of luck, is perhaps my fave Nina tune. That isn't a light decision either, she's got so many golden number 3s. But this one, with her 'Oh, so I can't go to study classical music! Watch me!'-inclusion of Bach-inspired counterpoint in her piano playing just sums up her attitude so nicely. A complete winner of a tune. Not just one of the very best number 3s ever, it is one of the best songs ever written, performed, and recorded. |
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