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3 Great Albums That Loop


Album covers of Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G., and Effloresce by Oceansize

If you didn't already know, I'm an album guy. I see listening to individual tracks off an album akin to reading a single page of a book. Most artists think carefully about the composition of their albums back to front, and I like to honor that consideration, by listening to the full album when I listen to music.


What I really love are albums that end the same way they start, so you can loop them endlessly. There aren't a whole lot of albums that do this, but the ones that do, I find, are the best composed albums. Here are three albums I love that you can put on repeat and not realize they've started over.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

This classic album is the quintessential psychedelic prog album. (People have argued with me that Pink Floyd is not prog, but between their through composed albums, their affinity for odd time signatures, and their overproduction, I find it hard to argue otherwise.)


This album starts and ends with the same heartbeat, which makes it great for repeat listening. If you play it twice through starting on the third lion roar in the movie The Wizard of Oz, there are a number of musical coincidences with the film which fans have dubbed "The Dark Side of Oz."


There's not a wasted track on this album. It's ethereal audio heroin from back to front, and it's great for both careful listening as well as background music.

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

I like to call this The Dark Side of the Moon of hip hop because of how this album also begins and ends with a heartbeat. The sole release during Biggie's life, Ready to Die packs lyrical punches with addictive beats that rightfully places it in the top hip hop albums of all time.


Although I usually skip the skit "Fuck Me" the rest of the album is banger after banger. Although he's most well known for his party and braggadocio songs, this album contains a significant amount of conscious lyricism, with lines that will absolutely break your heart.


I'm not one to say that hip hop died or fell off, but I certainly long for the days when your average rapper was spitting verses that depicted struggle and hardship in poetic terms. If you're the type that has difficulty understanding lyrics, I would strongly recommend listening to this one with the lyrics sheet the first time through.

Oceansize - Effloresce

This album is by far the least well-known album on the list. This one starts and ends with a chimey, ringing sound effect. I assume it's guitar, but I'm honestly not sure.


This proggy post-rock band from Manchester, UK deliver an absolute tour de force with their debut album. Full of heavy riffs, ethereal soundscapes, and poetic lyrics, this band does not let a single second of this album go to waste.


Honestly, writing this review compelled me to throw the album on just now. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this one. It just goes so hard, I can't get enough.

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