5 Electronic Albums That Just Sound Better on Vinyl

I Am the Night, by Perturbator
Paris-based synthwave musician Perturbator got a lot of recent exposure by contributing to the soundtracks for Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2, where his brand of sleazy, 1980s-style disco caught on with fans of the games. His full albums don’t disappoint: I Am the Night (released in 2012) is an hour-long joyride through catchy synth melodies, driving rhythms, and a gloomy, white-knuckle atmosphere inspired by cyberpunk and horror films, frequently sampled on this album. Isabella Goloversic and Greta Link provide guest vocals on two of the album’s best tracks, “Naked Tongues” and “Desire,” respectively.

TRON: Legacy, by Daft Punk
When it was announced that Daft Punk was scoring a new TRON film, the Internet went berserk, in part because we were expecting a proper Daft Punk album instead of a film soundtrack. When we got the latter instead of the former, a few of us were disappointed, but time has proven TRON: Legacy to be a tense, interesting record that combines grand, sweeping orchestral compositions (think John Williams or Hans Zimmer) with the pulse of electronic music. Meanwhile, Daft Punk purists have “The Game Has Changed,” “End of Line,” and the powerful, thumping “Derezzed” to geek out over, since they are primarily electronic tracks in the classic Daft Punk style.

Fated, by Nosaj Thing
Nosaj Thing has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper (who appears on this record), among others, and his own music is similarly chill, alienated, and strange. Fated, which came out in 2015, has been called “glitch-hop” by some reviewers because of the skittering beats, detuned melodic flourishes, and sonic artifacts employed, but this album is really a triumph of modern minimalism; think Phillip Glass if he loved hip-hop and science fiction as much as Nosaj obviously does. “Realize,” “Let You,” and the extra-melancholy “Medic” are this album’s standout tracks, but Fated should be really be listened to all at once, on proper vinyl.

White Women, by Chromeo
Chromeo was considered a singles band (as opposed to being appreciated for full albums) when they released White Women in 2014, and this album woke people up to how good their songwriting is, and how much heart there is behind their goofy, self-ironizing shtick. “Hard to Say No” is a cheeky, bouncy opener that introduces Chromeo’s typical mood, only to soften it with “Lost On the Way Home,” featuring Solange as a guest vocalist. Later, they whip out one of the catchiest songs in modern pop, “Jealous (I Ain’t With It),” an infectious ear nugget that can be listened to dozens of times in a row without wearing thin. Trust us on that one.

Spiderman of the Rings, by Dan Deacon
This album’s title is a self-aware mashup of dorky—and to some, childish—obsessions, which fits its tone and content like a glove. In fact, Dan Deacon’s unhinged bubblegum pop compositions thrive on pairing nerd culture’s enthusiasm with a deep, cerebral understanding of avant-garde music. What this means to the listener is that Deacon’s music is catchy in really unexpected ways. “Big Milk” is a gorgeous sonic landscape that sounds like it was made with children’s toys, and “The Crystal Cat” is both electronic surf rock and hyperactive psychedelia. This album demonstrates Deacon’s gift for exploring multiple genres of music without taking all the fun out of them.