The Kinks - Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

In my mind, The Kinks are one of the early rock bands that are still being heavily translated into today's music. Maybe not so much through the lyrics and 60's guitar sounds, but the song arrangements are essentially today's indie pop and rock ran through an updated production. On Arthur, the band really shines, although they had an incredible run of albums around this time that puts them at legendary status, despite not being nearly as recognizable say for about three of their songs. But, they were master storytellers and their songs were incredibly diverse in sound and emotion. They were ahead of their time and created some wonderful rock operas. Arthur speaks of a post-war Britain, filled with uncertainty and changing tides; and while this may seem cliche by today's standards, the album avoids the typical nuances that can sometimes plague other works of that nature by keeping the songs sounding fresh and passionate. They feature magnificent orchestrations, stellar vocal harmonies, and of course some hard-hitting guitar riffs. While out-shined in the realm of public opinion by the likes of The Who and The Stones; The Kinks will always be a personal favorite worth sharing and worth exploring. They recorded a lot of albums and always managed to change it up. This one is a fantastic jumping off point and I hope it will gain more listeners with time.