1. Red House Painters - Ocean Beach (1995): Look, "Rollercoaster" is a behemoth. It's an all-time classic. But it's also harrowing enough to bring on depression. That's not a bad thing by any means -- it's a great work of art that inspires emotional commitment -- but the seas into which Kozelek sailed after those storms had passed are even more remarkable. Like "Rollercoaster," Ocean Beach is heartbreaking, yes, but it is also wondrous and warm and vast in ways its predecessor was fearful and cold and monolithic. Ocean Beach is a great leap forward from "Rollercoaster," and from there Kozelek would take more daring leaps, but he never again landed in such a singularly magnificent place -- one of melancholy, awe, nostalgia, loss and hope. It's the breathtaking apex of a master's ongoing exploration.












































