Best avant-garde albums of all time - Rate Your Music
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Top avant-garde albums of all time

Separate: live, archival, soundtracks and scores
Updated: 28 May
Average Ratings Reviews
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King, Cover art
10 October 1969 Album
fantasy epic progressive complex poetic philosophical surreal technical
66k Ratings 986 Reviews 4.32 Average
Radiohead - Kid A, Cover art
4.26 86k 85,538 916 916
3 October 2000 Album
cold melancholic futuristic atmospheric anxious cryptic abstract sombre
86k Ratings 916 Reviews 4.26 Average
Talking Heads - Remain in Light, Cover art
4.26 54k 53,930 627 627
8 October 1980 Album
rhythmic anxious energetic playful abstract cryptic repetitive quirky
54k Ratings 627 Reviews 4.26 Average
Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Cover art
July 1963 Album
instrumental complex passionate suite avant-garde dense technical suspenseful
31k Ratings 431 Reviews 4.34 Average
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico, Cover art
12 March 1967 Album
drugs raw sexual noisy avant-garde urban eclectic hedonistic
62k Ratings 1k Reviews 4.20 Average
The Beatles - Revolver, Cover art
4.22 61k 61,178 1k 1,278
5 August 1966 Album
psychedelic melodic eclectic playful drugs warm quirky surreal
61k Ratings 1k Reviews 4.22 Average
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Cover art
4.30 36k 35,965 484 484
January 1965 Album
spiritual improvisation instrumental passionate complex suite acoustic meditative
36k Ratings 484 Reviews 4.30 Average
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!, Cover art
9 October 2000 Album
instrumental epic melancholic atmospheric apocalyptic suspenseful suite sampling
50k Ratings 737 Reviews 4.23 Average
Björk - Vespertine, Cover art
4.25 40k 40,340 379 379
27 August 2001 Album
sensual sexual romantic winter ethereal lush atmospheric passionate
40k Ratings 379 Reviews 4.25 Average
King Crimson - Red, Cover art
4.24 34k 34,121 413 413
6 October 1974 Album
dark heavy anxious technical uncommon time signatures complex ominous progressive
34k Ratings 413 Reviews 4.24 Average
Image blocked in settings
4.10 58k 57,809 401 401
24 April 2012 Album
aggressive manic noisy energetic angry nihilistic raw sampling
58k Ratings 401 Reviews 4.10 Average
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2, Cover art
4.17 39k 38,607 385 385
11 September 2001 Album
lonely lo-fi melancholic nature introspective forest atmospheric noisy
39k Ratings 385 Reviews 4.17 Average
Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition, Cover art
4.15 41k 41,170 268 268
30 September 2016 Album
drugs dark manic psychedelic chaotic abstract anxious sexual
41k Ratings 268 Reviews 4.15 Average
Björk - Homogenic, Cover art
4.14 41k 41,481 377 377
22 September 1997 Album
passionate cold lush ethereal atmospheric introspective winter anxious
41k Ratings 377 Reviews 4.14 Average
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞, Cover art
14 August 1997 Album
apocalyptic instrumental atmospheric sombre dark ominous lonely epic
37k Ratings 444 Reviews 4.15 Average
The Beatles - The Beatles [White Album], Cover art
22 November 1968 Album
eclectic melodic playful quirky love energetic introspective humorous
49k Ratings 1k Reviews 4.12 Average
David Bowie - Low, Cover art
4.13 40k 39,517 579 579
14 January 1977 Album
atmospheric lonely abstract futuristic cryptic sombre melancholic surreal
40k Ratings 579 Reviews 4.13 Average
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew, Cover art
4.18 27k 26,818 363 363
30 March 1970 Album
psychedelic instrumental improvisation dense complex mysterious atmospheric avant-garde
27k Ratings 363 Reviews 4.18 Average
David Bowie - ★ [Blackstar], Cover art
4.13 36k 36,337 386 386
8 January 2016 Album
death dark introspective poetic melancholic concept album funereal existential
36k Ratings 386 Reviews 4.13 Average
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock, Cover art
4.13 26k 26,150 355 355
16 September 1991 Album
atmospheric spiritual sombre religious sparse introspective improvisation Christian
26k Ratings 355 Reviews 4.13 Average
Pharoah Sanders - Karma, Cover art
4.17 16k 16,386 187 187
May 1969 Album
spiritual uplifting passionate avant-garde religious warm hypnotic psychedelic
16k Ratings 187 Reviews 4.17 Average
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral, Cover art
8 March 1994 Album
suicide misanthropic angry dark depressive self-hatred nihilistic concept album
35k Ratings 520 Reviews 4.09 Average
Sweet Trip - Velocity : Design : Comfort, Cover art
17 June 2003 Album
futuristic mechanical atmospheric playful abstract ethereal lush love
29k Ratings 244 Reviews 4.08 Average
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, Cover art
4.03 37k 36,658 528 528
18 October 1988 Album
energetic anxious raw noisy urban rebellious dissonant apathetic
37k Ratings 528 Reviews 4.03 Average
Swans - To Be Kind, Cover art
4.04 29k 29,327 329 329
13 May 2014 Album
epic repetitive atmospheric noisy hypnotic aggressive heavy ominous
29k Ratings 329 Reviews 4.04 Average
Can - Tago Mago, Cover art
4.06 28k 28,484 497 497
August 1971 Album
psychedelic surreal hypnotic avant-garde rhythmic improvisation cryptic abstract
28k Ratings 497 Reviews 4.06 Average
Steve Reich and Musicians - Music for 18 Musicians, Cover art
April 1978 Album
repetitive hypnotic rhythmic minimalistic ethereal atmospheric soothing polyphonic
14k Ratings 177 Reviews 4.10 Average
The Stooges - Fun House, Cover art
4.06 23k 23,270 474 474
September 1970 Album
raw energetic sexual manic rebellious hedonistic aggressive noisy
23k Ratings 474 Reviews 4.06 Average
The Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat, Cover art
30 January 1968 Album
noisy drugs sexual raw lo-fi dissonant LGBT chaotic
31k Ratings 546 Reviews 4.02 Average
Alice Coltrane featuring Pharoah Sanders - Journey in Satchidananda, Cover art
February 1971 Album
meditative spiritual instrumental hypnotic psychedelic avant-garde improvisation lush
13k Ratings 102 Reviews 4.10 Average
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs, Cover art
4.04 24k 24,056 380 380
30 September 1985 Album
eclectic poetic urban alcohol surreal nocturnal crime dark
24k Ratings 380 Reviews 4.04 Average
Kate Bush - The Dreaming, Cover art
4.06 19k 19,469 269 269
1 September 1982 Album
manic playful anxious surreal complex progressive quirky philosophical
19k Ratings 269 Reviews 4.06 Average
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi, Cover art
4.02 24k 24,101 249 249
18 February 2002 Album
IDM
mysterious psychedelic atmospheric surreal ominous hypnotic sampling instrumental
24k Ratings 249 Reviews 4.02 Average
Eno - Another Green World, Cover art
4.02 25k 24,996 343 343
14 November 1975 Album
peaceful atmospheric meditative calm surreal mysterious futuristic sombre
25k Ratings 343 Reviews 4.02 Average
Death Grips - Jenny Death: The Powers That B Disc 2, Cover art
19 March 2015 Album
noisy manic aggressive abstract misanthropic cryptic raw nihilistic
19k Ratings 55 Reviews 4.03 Average
David Bowie - "Heroes", Cover art
3.99 30k 30,172 320 320
14 October 1977 Album
futuristic atmospheric abstract progressive cold anxious complex mysterious
30k Ratings 320 Reviews 3.99 Average
King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Cover art
23 March 1973 Album
uncommon time signatures complex technical avant-garde anxious progressive philosophical dissonant
22k Ratings 318 Reviews 4.02 Average
Boris - Flood, Cover art
4.04 16k 16,146 172 172
15 December 2000 Album
atmospheric hypnotic repetitive minimalistic aquatic melancholic meditative epic
16k Ratings 172 Reviews 4.04 Average
Can - Ege Bamyası, Cover art
4.02 22k 21,917 261 261
October 1972 Album
rhythmic psychedelic surreal hypnotic cryptic avant-garde mysterious playful
22k Ratings 261 Reviews 4.02 Average
The Microphones - Mount Eerie, Cover art
4.03 17k 16,532 123 123
21 January 2003 Album
death nature avant-garde atmospheric concept album spiritual ritualistic existential
17k Ratings 123 Reviews 4.03 Average
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Soundtracks

  • C418 - Minecraft: Volume Beta, Cover art
    5k Ratings 33 Reviews 4.06 Average
    4.06 5k 5,022 33 33
  • 近藤浩治 [Koji Kondo] - ゼルダの伝説: ムジュラの仮面 (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask), Cover art
    4.07 2k 1,670 12 12
  • Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Cover art
    8k Ratings 148 Reviews 4.03 Average
    4.03 8k 8,216 148 148
  • Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Symphonic Suite AKIRA, Cover art
    3k Ratings 25 Reviews 3.99 Average
    3.99 3k 2,549 25 25
  • 星野康太 [Kota Hoshino] - "Evergrace", Cover art
    658 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.99 Average
    3.99 658 658 4 4
  • Live

  • Swans - Swans Are Dead, Cover art
    6k Ratings 59 Reviews 4.28 Average
    4.28 6k 6,108 59 59
  • King Crimson - The Great Deceiver: Live 1973-1974, Cover art
    2k Ratings 57 Reviews 4.23 Average
    4.23 2k 1,932 57 57
  • John Coltrane - The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording, Cover art
    4k Ratings 85 Reviews 4.21 Average
    4.21 4k 4,363 85 85
  • Zappa / Mothers - The Roxy Performances, Cover art
    347 Ratings 8 Reviews 4.21 Average
    4.21 347 347 8 8
  • Miles Davis - Dark Magus, Cover art
    4k Ratings 69 Reviews 4.17 Average
    4.17 4k 4,118 69 69
  • Archival

  • The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions, Cover art
    11k Ratings 204 Reviews 4.25 Average
    4.25 11k 10,741 204 204
  • Les Rallizes Dénudés - '77 Live, Cover art
    9k Ratings 130 Reviews 4.06 Average
    4.06 9k 8,639 130 130
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