We rated every studio album track by track
To find out which is the best Parralox album, I did the work and rated every single album track by track. I summarized the result in a ranking that you can find here. At the end of the article, the values are again clearly arranged, shown chronologically in a curve graph.
A paradox: 150+ releases but only 6 studio albums
The Parralox catalogue is enormous! John von Ahlen makes music with devotional passion in numbers that would take other artists decades to make, and he does it alongside his jobs. I would like to take this opportunity to express my utmost respect for this achievement. Among all these releases, however, there are only a few "real studio albums" with original songs. The majority are cover, remix or EP releases. But here we going to find out what the best Parralox studio album ever is.
The best Parralox album charts
6. Parralox - Aeronaut
Release: 2015
Overall Rating: 3.68 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Aeronaut, Solid State, Companion, Mystery, Somebody II, Atmosphere, Wrong Or Right
Weak tracks: Zero
One thing in advance: there is no such thing as a bad Parralox album! Even though the 2015 album 'Aeronaut' has landed in last place here, it is still more than good with an overall rating of 3.68 stars. The title track 'Aeronaut (official music video)', 'Mystery' and 'Companion' are my favourite songs on the album. The many mediocre songs brought the rating down a bit here.
- Aeronaut 5
- Do You Feel What I Feel? 3
- Solid State 4
- Companion 4.5
- Mystery 5
- Somebody II 4
- Together 3
- Atmosphere 4
- Wrong Or Right 3
- Zero 2
- Miranda 3
5. Parralox - Electricity
Release: 2008
Overall Rating: 3.73 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Europa, I Fell In Love With A Drum Machine, Eastern Wall, Sharper Than A Knife, Lovely, I Heart U, The End Of Summer
Weak tracks: (None)
It was a very good decision to call the debut album 'Electricity' and to keep the visuals clean but rich in contrast. With this, Parralox, as a still quite unknown band in the scene, created visual attention and with the name of the album you already know that you don't have to fear guitar-heavy rock. The debut already shines with many good synth pop / electro pop songs. The biggest hit on the album with the only 5‑star rating is 'Sharper Than A Knife' in my opinion. Parralox hit the bull's eye with this one.
- Europa 4
- Black Jeans 3
- Electricity 3.5
- I Fell In Love With A Drum Machine 4
- Eastern Wall 4
- Sharper Than A Knife 5
- Lovely 4
- I Heart U 4
- You And Me Both 3.5
- X Minus One 3.5
- Underground 3
- We Believe In Electric Love 3.5
- Factory Friends 3
- The End Of Summer 4
- Should Not Be 4
4. Parralox – Genesis
Release: 2019
Overall Rating: 3.89 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Tears Of Faith (Feat Jane Badler), System Of Pleasure, Robots Of The World Unite, Revelation, Nemesis, Under The Skin, The Future, Resurrection, Hurricane
Weak tracks: (None)
The 2019 album 'Genesis' features two well-known guests. Jane Badler from the 80s series 'V' and Ian Burden from the band 'The Human League'.
'Genesis' is a catchy and 80s spirit filled album with many variations in the typical Parralox sonic universe. I always love the subtle retro sci-fi sound effects that give the songs that extra pinch of nostalgia. My personal highlight on the album is the melancholic and somewhat darker track 'The Future'.
- Tears Of Faith (Feat Jane Badler) 4
- Goodbye Berlin 3.5
- System Of Pleasure 4
- Robots Of The World Unite 4.5
- Revelation 4
- Sueño Latino 3
- Nemesis 4.5
- Cadenas de Oro (Feat Ian Burden) 3
- Under The Skin 4
- Reckless 3.5
- Über Ding 3
- The Future 5
- Resurrection 4
- Hurricane 4.5
3. Parralox - Subculture
Release: 2016
Overall Rating: 4.0 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Electric Nights, Key To The Door Of Heaven, Change Of Heart, A Question Of Love, Jupiter, Pressure Point, Overdrive, Last Year At Marienbad, Last Man Standing, Voyager II, Rocket Science II
Weak tracks: 86G
The 2016 Parralox album 'Subculture' contains two of my favourite songs by the band. Maybe they are also unusual, because they are not single releases. One is the infinitely sad ballad 'A Question Of Love', which regularly brings tears to my eyes. This is melancholy at the highest level.
The follow-up song 'Jupiter' is the second number on the album and hits the same note. Two super emotionally charged songs for which you should be emotionally strong, but if you let yourself get involved, these songs are true soul healers.
- Paradise 3
- Electric Nights 4.5
- Key To The Door Of Heaven 4
- Gimme Back My Lovin 3
- Change Of Heart 4.5
- A Question Of Love 5
- Jupiter 5
- Pressure Point 4
- Overdrive 4
- Last Year At Marienbad 4
- Last Man Standing 4
- Voyager II 4
- Rocket Science II 4.5
- 86G 2.5
2. Parralox - Metropolis
Release: 2010
Overall Rating: 4.08 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Ancient Times. I Sing The Body Electric, Promised Land, Supermagic, Miracles, Acrimony
Weak tracks: (None)
It's always nice when a new album by an artist or band you like is packed with new songs. However, the main pitfall is always that there are too many gap-fillers and unnecessary interludes, which tend to have a negative effect on a track's track rating. For some, the album experience as a whole may be more important than the individual songs. To be able to compare albums as objectively as possible (at least internally), we believe in the track-by-track rating and here it has often turned out that albums with fewer songs perform better.
So I was surprised with the result for the album 'Metropolis', which I thought was not that strong. After I took the effort to rate every single track, I had to realise what a fine synth pop / electro pop pearl this is.
- Ancient Times 4.5
- I Sing The Body Electric 5
- Love Is Enough 4
- Miss You 4
- Promised Land 5
- What About You 3.5
- Supermagic 5
- Miracles 4.5
- Acrimony 4.5
- Machines 3
- Failure 3
- New Light 3
1. Parralox - State Of Decay
Release: 2009
Overall Rating: 4.25 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Beautiful World, Universe, I Love You, Isn't It Strange, Hotter, Be Careful What You Wish For, Moonwalking, I Am Human, How Do You Break A Robot's Heart?
Weak tracks: (None)
At the top of the ranking is the 2009 album 'State Of Decay', with five strong 5‑star songs and two songs that are close to the highest rating with 4.5 stars. It is well known that the second album of a band is always the hardest release. Can it top the debut? Does the second album stand out enough from the debut without being labelled a cheap copy? The pressure is enormous. But 'John von Ahlen' has put all the love, passion and creativity into this album. The result is a fantastic synth pop album that has very few rivals in this rating league.
- Beautiful World 5
- Universe, I Love You 4.5
- Isn't It Strange 5
- When The Walls Came Tumbling Down 3.5
- Hotter 4.5
- Be Careful What You Wish For 5
- Moonwalking 4
- I Am Human 5
- Peter 3
- Two Hearts 3.5
- How Do You Break A Robot's Heart? 5
- Time 3
All Parralox albums in a chart overview
Spotify playlist: The best of Parralox
In the Spotify playlist 'The Best of Parralox' are all songs with 4.5 or 5 stars in the rating. At least when the album is available on Spotify.
A beautiful Parralox memory
At this point I would like to share with you one of my favourite memories in the Electrozombies history. During our Australian holiday in 2016, we were in Melbourne, among other places. The only thing I knew about the city at that time was that Parralox is based here. After a brief chat via Messenger, John von Ahlen spontaneously agreed to a meeting. I am still grateful today that he invited us to his studio (Subterrane Records) despite his busy schedule and little time. Thank you for this wonderful meeting, the insights into new songs and an everlasting memory.
What's your opinion?
- Which Parralox album do you like at most?
- Share your personal album ranking with our visitors.
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More 'Parralox'
If you love Parralox as we do, don't miss the article 'What is the best Parralox album ever?'.
