A visit into the modern concept album (and my personal favorites)
By Delaney S
The other day, tapping away at a dusty computer in a dark corner of Wax Trax, I overheard a customer opining about concept albums. They announced strict guidelines and tossed out examples like The Who’s Tommy, Beach Boys Pet Sounds, and The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
A lot of opinions about music, from everyone, are tossed around the store all the time, and I’ve gotten used to the subjectivity of it all. But I think it’s particularly difficult to nail what a “concept album” is, especially when crawling from classic rock confines.
Rolling Stone once defined concept albums as “thematic albums, tied together by very specific moods or interconnected songs” and The Independent wrote that they were “originally defined as a long-player where the songs were based on one dramatic idea.”
Tossing my own opinion into the void, I think concept albums must abide by three rules:
- All songs contribute to a clear, overarching narrative or theme
- The album is meant to be listened to in whole, in order, in one sitting
- There’s clear thematic intentionality, which includes well-placed (and well-timed) tracks
I could probably write an endless list of my favorite examples that follow these rules. To save me (and you) from that, I’ve narrowed it down to five, and stuck with more modern albums because, let’s be honest, could I meaningfully add to existing classic rock commentary? In no particular order:
- Viagra Boys – Cave World (punk/indie rock)
I’m an embarrassingly late fan of Viagra Boys. What can I say? I heard “Punk Rock Loser” once, and I was suddenly in a discography “Cave Hole.” Their album Cave World hits my three criteria, and a secret fourth one (it has interludes). It’s an anthropological satire about humanity’s regressive tendencies in a post-pandemic world. Their sound hits each crevice of my punk-teen, indie rock loving-adult heart. It’s also fucking hilarious, until it’s not.
2. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly (rap/hip-hop)
The internet has been recentering Kendrick’s celebrity into his Drake feud, but allow me to pull back. His fourth album, To Pimp A Butterfly, is poetry drenched, jazzy rap. The central narrative follows a story in the final song, “Mortal Man,” told by Kendrick to an (AI-generated?) Tupac about a caterpillar’s evolution. The album teases this interview, and reveals additional parts, throughout several songs. The clear themes of personal growth, exploitation, racism, and systemic oppression reach each corner of the album. I thought this redditor’s analysis of TPAB’s throughline was nice.
3. of Montreal – The Gay Parade (indie pop)
of Montreal have several concept album contenders, and I narrowed it between The Gay Parade and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. Both of which I recommend, but the winner was the one we actually sell. Most songs follow a gay parade character and their central issue – the silly xylophone and synth stories meet childlike whimsy with melancholic darkness. oM’s genderqueer lead, Kevin Barnes, once said only a tour of kindergartens would justify these earlier albums being played live again. But as a queer myself, I’d love to see a live “The March of the Gay Parade” to kick off pride one year.
4. Lucy Dacus – Historian (indie folk/rock)
The concept of no-skips Historian is best told by Lucy Dacus herself: “What I’m trying to say throughout the album is that hope survives, even in the face of the worst stuff.” Lucy carries this theme with witty lyricism and embedded religious trauma. Even if you don’t have a trauma link to the content, we can all relate to hope surviving. It also hits my three distinction points (and a secret fifth one: rising, climatic, and falling action.)
5. Janelle Monàe – Dirty Computer (pop/r&b)
If you’re familiar with Janelle Monàe’s work, you know their proclivity for characters and concepts. Dirty Computer is no different, but takes on a more personal tone than previous albums. The concept follows themes of feminism, Black empowerment, and identity VS national conformity. It’s grounding and groovy, and features a Prince beat collab on “Make Me Feel” – right before his 2016 death.
There you have it. If you know a great concept album I should’ve included, let me know in the comments! And if you’ve been sputtering complaints, send a letter to our customer service department.
Please, please, please, check out The Grand Spontanean by Wisconsin power pop band Telethon. This 2017 concept album is too good to be true. Enjoy! https://telethonband.bandcamp.com/album/the-grand-spontanean
Listening now! Thanks for the rec!