What is the best indie folk album of all time?

Indie folk lives at the intersection of the personal and the mythic — acoustic intimacy, unconventional arrangements, and voices that feel like confessions. From lo-fi cabin recordings to lush orchestral folk, these are the albums that defined the genre. Cast your vote!

1

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 passionate folk-rock epic about Anne Frank, one of the most beloved indie records ever made.

2

For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver's 2007 debut, recorded alone in a Wisconsin cabin, a hushed folk record of extraordinary emotional power.

3

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens' 2005 sprawling orchestral folk concept album about the American state, a genre high-water mark.

4

Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes' 2008 debut, a pastoral baroque folk album of gorgeous layered harmonies.

5

Ys

Joanna Newsom's 2006 album featuring five long orchestral folk songs of mythic storytelling and harp-driven complexity.

6

Carrie & Lowell

Sufjan Stevens' 2015 sparse and devastating album about grief and his late mother, stripped to its emotional core.

7

Either/Or

Elliott Smith's 1997 acoustic indie folk-rock album, intimate and devastating in equal measure.

8

The Creek Drank the Cradle

Iron & Wine's 2002 debut, whispered home recordings of Southern folk that launched Sam Beam's beloved career.

9

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Bright Eyes' 2005 alt-country/folk album, Conor Oberst's most cohesive and emotionally direct statement.

10

The Glow Pt. 2

The Microphones' (Mount Eerie) 2001 lo-fi folk epic from Phil Elverum, sprawling and deeply atmospheric.

11

Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers' 2020 album, blending indie folk with studio polish for a devastating and nuanced emotional journey.

12

A Crow Looked at Me

Mount Eerie's 2017 devastating album about grief, sparsely recorded and almost unbearably direct.

13

Black Sheep Boy

Okkervil River's 2005 gothic folk-rock album, narrative and dark, one of the era's finest indie folk records.

14

songs

Adrianne Lenker's 2020 intimate solo album recorded in a cabin, pure acoustic folk at its most emotionally bare.

15

Rejoicing in the Hands

Devendra Banhart's 2004 freak-folk opus, whimsical and otherworldly acoustic folk.

16

Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle

Bill Callahan's 2009 warm and reflective country-folk album, a masterwork of quiet observation.