3. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos
Big Star could very well be the most underrated band of all time, with their vast influence and cultural importance rarely getting enough credit. Their nihilistic approach to melodious power pop reverberated throughout some of the most popular alt-rock bands of later years, including Beck, R.E.M., and Wilco. And although lead singer Alex Chilton would go on to varying degrees of solo success after the band split in 1974, it was the other singer/guitarist in the band, Chris Bell (who was sort of the Noel Gallagher to Chilton's Liam), who managed to craft a flawless solo album. I Am the Cosmos is the very definition of masterful songwriting, and Bell shows a knack for writing reflective, slightly melancholy tunes without transferring all of his baggage onto the listeners' shoulders. He somehow makes listening to a bunch of bleak songs an uplifting, cathartic experience. And that's because Bell quietly operated as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time, without having the weighty expectations of a John Lennon or Paul Simon. It left him free to write fragile, idiosyncratic love songs alongside energetic, straightforward rock songs. Consequently, I Am the Cosmos really is otherworldly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR594Kkxmzg