A Critical List of 21st-Century Concept Albums
By Laura LeeboveEven with MP3s serving as many listeners' first-choice music format, some artists are still adamant about making pieces of work that are meant to be heard from start to finish. Sample some of the 21st century's most innovative concept records, ranging from orchestral folk to prog rock and taking place in fantasy lands, the Underworld, remote islands, a hospital...even Michigan!
| CRITICAL LIST | |
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 HadestownAnaïs MitchellFolk opera utilizes some of the scene’s most recognizable voices >> |
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 MichiganSufjan Stevens |
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 The Stage NamesOkkervil River |
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 Glory Hope MountainThe Acorn |
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 NeverthelessChristine Fellows |
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 HeartlandOwen PallettCanadian wunderkind further expands his ambition. >> |
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 HospiceThe Antlers |
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 Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?Of Montreal |
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 De-Loused in the ComatoriumThe Mars Volta |
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 Rise AboveDirty Projectors |
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 The Golden ArchipelagoShearwater |
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 The Hazards Of LoveThe DecemberistsAn unabashed and entirely successful concept album >> |
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