Phase 2

There's so much depth, texture and meaning in this record—and yet, it's also deeply mysterious. Tweedy produced some incredible songwriting—"All my lies are always wishes," is maybe my favorite lyrics of all time. It embodies this sense of yearning, failure and hope that carry through the entire album. I am an American aquarium drinker I assassin down the avenue I'm hiding out in the big city blinking What was I thinking when I let go of you? Huh? Not sure I totally follow but I'm digging the vibe. It's hard for to separate this album from Sam Jones' incredible "making of" documentary. The scene of Tweedy and his little boy Spencer playing Heavy Metal drumming is impossibly moving when you know that Spencer eventually becomes his touring drummer. Great stuff. That film—and the odd 9/11 connection—turned this album into myth. But whatever. It feels. It stirs. It's always a solid listen. Play it at my funeral.

A 28-song whopper with no skips. Frusciante unleashed! He delivers a huge, layered guitar throughout.

It's hard to separate the sound of Remain in Light from its visual presentation. Bouncy, jouncy, artsy, fun. This record feels like experimental short story writing—I guess I'm thinking of David Foster Wallace and George Saunders—that tackles big issues in a surrealist, comic, wacky way. It somehow manages to be heady without being pretentious. Maybe it's the listeners who are pretentious? Whatever, let's party.