What is the best lo-fi indie album of all time?

Deliberately rough, intimate, and unpolished — lo-fi indie strips away everything unnecessary to get to the emotional core. Which lo-fi record resonates most with you?

1. 1
   Slanted and Enchanted

   Pavement's 1992 debut, the definitive lo-fi indie record, establishing the sound of a generation with tape hiss and sardonic cool.
2. 2
   Bee Thousand

   Guided by Voices' 1994 monument of lo-fi songcraft, 28 songs of brilliant pop buried under 4-track fuzz.
3. 3
   The Glow Pt. 2

   The Microphones' 2001 lo-fi folk epic from Phil Elverum, sprawling and deeply atmospheric on cheap equipment.
4. 4
   Roman Candle

   Elliott Smith's 1994 bedroom debut, fingerpicked and whispered, raw lo-fi folk of aching intimacy.
5. 5
   Alien Lanes

   Guided by Voices' 1995 lo-fi companion piece to Bee Thousand, equally charming and rough-hewn.
6. 6
   The Natural Bridge

   Silver Jews' 1996 album of drawled lo-fi indie rock, David Berman's most elliptical and poetic work.
7. 7
   What Would the Community Think

   Cat Power's 1996 lo-fi indie folk album, Chan Marshall's raw and fragile voice over sparse guitar.
8. 8
   On Avery Island

   Neutral Milk Hotel's 1996 debut, a lo-fi precursor to their classic, woozy and experimental.
9. 9
   Beach Music

   Alex G's 2015 Bandcamp-era lo-fi indie pop record that helped launch his reputation as a DIY pop genius.
10. 10
    Sebadoh — Bakesale

    Sebadoh's 1994 lo-fi indie pop album that balanced catchy hooks with bedroom-pop roughness.
11. 11
    God Ween Satan

    Ween's 1990 debut, a wildly eclectic lo-fi freak-folk/rock album recorded on a boom box.
12. 12
    Taster

    Hovvdy's 2017 bedroom indie pop debut, a gentle and intimate lo-fi record of warmth and melancholy.
13. 13
    Hi, How Are You

    Daniel Johnston's 1983 cassette album, primitive lo-fi folk pop from a singular outsider artist.