Hmm... this is pretty hard (a good lot of the bands I put on my top 25 list are important but indiv. albums, I still skip around some yet see the collection as a whole as great beyond that aspect, so yeah, this'll just be based on ones I recall frequently getting out in the past 6yrs), but I'm going to go on first instinct, yo:
1. The Notwist - Neon Golden (yessssss)
2. Ella Guru - The First Album (I wrote
a review for it for my cousin's old zine back in '04. not sure if it ever got published, but that review made me listen more than I would've originally and it still is great all the way through.. I get chills each time I get it out)
3. Knife in the Water - Plays One Sound & Others ('Red River' is great, but I relate more with this one... especially 'Norma' -- it's where the 'Texas only kept me awake' line comes from -- and the last track)
4. Twilight Singers - Blackberry Belle
5. Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll