Top Indie Folk Albums
Rank All Time Artist Album Subgenre(s) Other Genre(s) Year
1
115
 Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell Singer/Songwriter 2015
2
237
 Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago Singer/Songwriter 2007
3
242
 Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Indie Rock 1998
4
249
 Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes Americana, Chamber Folk 2008
5
253
 Elliott Smith Either/Or Singer/Songwriter 1997
6
281
 Bon Iver Bon Iver, Bon Iver Art Pop 2011
7
485
 Grizzly Bear Veckatimest Psychedelic Folk, Psychedelic Pop 2009
8
503
 Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear Singer/Songwriter 2015
9
528
 Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me Singer/Songwriter 2017
10
563
 Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning 2005
11
723
 Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire for No Witness Psychedelic Folk, Singer/Songwriter 2014
12
751
 Big Thief U.F.O.F. 2019
13
868
 The Microphones The Glow, Pt. 2 Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock, Psychedelic Folk 2001
14
915
 Cat Power You Are Free Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2003
15
1003
 Elliott Smith Figure 8 Indie Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2000
16
1067
 Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues Chamber Folk 2011
17
1138
 Okkervil River Black Sheep Boy Indie Rock 2005
18
1281
 Grizzly Bear Shields Psychedelic Folk 2012
19
1284
 Bright Eyes Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground 2002
20
1317
 Grizzly Bear Yellow House Psychedelic Folk 2006
21
1376
 The Decemberists The Crane Wife Folk Rock, Indie Pop 2006
22
1385
 Sufjan Stevens Michigan Chamber Folk, Singer/Songwriter 2003
23
1419
 The Decemberists Picaresque Chamber Pop 2005
24
1425
 Palace Brothers There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You Alt-Country 1993
25
1505
 Midlake The Trials of Van Occupanther Americana, Folk Rock 2006
26
1576
 Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days Singer/Songwriter 2004
27
1656
 Beirut Gulag Orkestar 2006
28
1834
 Phoebe Bridgers Stranger in the Alps Singer/Songwriter 2017
29
1836
 Beirut The Flying Club Cup 2007
30
1932
 Sharon Van Etten Tramp Alternative Singer/Songwriter 2012
31
2107
 Big Thief Two Hands Folk Rock 2019
32
2131
 Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog Americana, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2007
33
2433
 M. Ward Post-War Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2006
34
2616
 The Mountain Goats The Sunset Tree Singer/Songwriter 2005
35
2617
 Whitney Light Upon the Lake Indie Rock 2016
36
2812
 (Sandy) Alex G House of Sugar Neo-Psychedelia 2019
37
2833
 Mumford & Sons Sigh No More Folk Pop 2009
38
2883
 Julia Jacklin Crushing Singer/Songwriter 2019

Albums "bubbling under" the all-time top 3000:
Sufjan Stevens Seven Swans Chamber Folk, Singer/Songwriter 2004
Kings of Convenience Quiet Is the New Loud Folk Pop, Indie Pop 2001
Father John Misty Fear Fun Psychedelic Folk, Singer/Songwriter 2012
The Mountain Goats Tallahassee Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2002
(Sandy) Alex G Rocket Singer/Songwriter 2017
José González Veneer Singer/Songwriter 2003
Kristin Hersh Hips and Makers Alternative Singer/Songwriter 1994
The Decemberists The King Is Dead Country Rock 2011
Bright Eyes Cassadaga Alt-Country 2007
First Aid Kit The Lion's Roar Folk Pop 2012
Monsters of Folk Monsters of Folk Folk Rock 2009
Andy Shauf The Party Chamber Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2016
Laura Marling Short Movie Singer/Songwriter 2015
The Dodos Visiter Folk Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock 2008
First Aid Kit Stay Gold Folk Pop 2014
Micah P. Hinson Micah P. Hinson & The Gospel of Progress Singer/Songwriter 2004
Laura Marling I Speak Because I Can Singer/Songwriter 2010
Villagers Becoming a Jackal Indie Pop 2010
Laura Marling A Creature I Don't Know Singer/Songwriter 2011
Elliott Smith Elliott Smith Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock, Singer/Songwriter 1995
Mount Eerie Now Only Singer/Songwriter 2018
boygenius boygenius EP Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2018
Kings of Convenience Riot on an Empty Street Folk Pop, Indie Pop 2004
Beirut The Rip Tide 2011
Smog Dongs of Sevotion 2000
Avi Buffalo Avi Buffalo Indie Pop 2010
Department of Eagles In Ear Park 2008
Laura Marling Alas, I Cannot Swim Singer/Songwriter 2008
Conor Oberst Conor Oberst Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2008
Mumford & Sons Babel Folk Pop 2012
Haley Heynderickx I Need to Start a Garden Singer/Songwriter 2018
Get Well Soon Rest Now, Weary Head! You Will Get Well Soon Alternative Rock, Chamber Pop 2008
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Spanish Dance Troupe Folk Rock, Indie Pop, Psychedelic Folk 1999
Andrew Bird My Finest Work Yet Chamber Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2019
Agnes Obel Aventine Chamber Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2013
Dr. Dog Fate Indie Pop 2008
Julia Jacklin Don't Let the Kids Win Singer/Songwriter 2016
Avi Buffalo At Best Cuckold Indie Pop 2014
Whitney Forever Turned Around Indie Pop 2019
Adrianne Lenker Abysskiss Singer/Songwriter 2018
Damien Jurado The Horizon Just Laughed Singer/Songwriter 2018
Cass McCombs Wit's End Chamber Folk, Singer/Songwriter 2011
Elliott Smith New Moon Lo-Fi / Slacker Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2007
Villagers The Art of Pretending to Swim Indie Pop 2018
Florist Emily Alone Singer/Songwriter 2019
Mount Eerie Clear Moon Singer/Songwriter 2012
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins Diamond Mine 2011
Elvis Perkins Ash Wednesday Singer/Songwriter 2006
Okkervil River The Silver Gymnasium Indie Rock 2013
The Leisure Society The Sleeper Folk Pop, Indie Pop 2009
Damien Jurado Where Shall You Take Me? Americana, Singer/Songwriter 2003
Various Artists Dark Was The Night Folk Pop, Indie Rock 2009
Andrew Bird Break It Yourself Chamber Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2012
Midlake The Courage Of Others Folk Rock 2010
King Creosote From Scotland With Love 2014
This Is the Kit Moonshine Freeze 2017
Kings of Convenience Declaration Of Dependence 2009
LUMP LUMP Art Pop, Folktronica 2018
Volcano Choir Repave 2013
Conor Oberst Upside Down Mountain Singer/Songwriter 2014
The Mountain Goats Beat the Champ Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2015
Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album Chamber Pop, Singer/Songwriter 2006
Villagers Darling Arithmetic 2015
The Mountain Goats Transcendental Youth 2012
Port O'Brien All We Could Do Was Sing Folk Rock, Indie Rock 2008
Thurston Moore Demolished Thoughts Singer/Songwriter 2011
First Aid Kit Ruins Americana 2018
Iron & Wine Woman King EP Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter 2005
Laura Veirs July Flame Singer/Songwriter 2010
The Decemberists What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World Folk Rock 2015
The Mountain Goats All Eternals Deck Singer/Songwriter 2011
Cass McCombs Big Wheel and Others Singer/Songwriter 2013
Fleet Foxes Sun Giant Chamber Folk 2008
José González In Our Nature Singer/Songwriter 2007
Tunng Good Arrows Folktronica, Indie Pop 2007
Shearwater The Golden Archipelago Indie Rock 2010
The Mountain Goats Get Lonely Singer/Songwriter 2006