Monday, February 23, 2009

This makes me both lazy and not lazy at the same time.

So Brie tagged me in another Facebook meme. The basic idea behind this one is that you are supposed to choose 20 albums that changed your life. Not just 20 albums you really like, but albums that have really hit you somehow. It was an interesting process for me, because music has always been such a big part of my life. I really had to think about it a lot.


I didn't explain any of my choices in the Facebook note, so I thought I would share the reasoning behind some of them here.



Jeff Buckley - Grace

I first saw Jeff Buckley on a TV special from Glastonbury 95. I loved his voice. When I first put the album on, I liked it. By the end of that first listen, I was swooning. It is heartbreaking, romantic and lovely.




Nirvana - Nevermind

I think I was 12 when this came out. It was probably the first serious rock album that I ever really loved. It woke up my brain. It somehow seemed to validate my pre-teen/teenaged angst. What made me even MORE pissed off was that both of my parents loved it too. God, that was annoying.



The Clash - London Calling

When I was 12, I stole Combat Rock from my Dad. 2 years later, I heard London Calling. Then my brain exploded. It was this amazing combination of anger, frustration and danceability that I have never found anywhere else. Love it.


The Beatles - Rubber Soul

The first Beatles album I ever heard. It made me appreciate a well crafted song.


A Tribe Called Quest - The Anthology

When I first bought this album I really only ever listened to rock music. This changed the way I thought about hip hop entirely. It taught me about the art of sampling and made me think about language in a whole new way. It is literally candy for my ears. (It is technically a greatest hits sort of thing, but I say it still counts!)



The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Holy shit. I first heard this when I was 15. After listening to this album I listened to music in a different way. The way they played with tempo and style is just incredible. It helped me become a better musician, too. The whole concept was so innovative and I think it still is. I can't say I have ever heard anything else like it.


Michael Jackson - Thriller

When I was a kid my Dad would gather us all around on Saturday nights and we would listen to records for hours. My brother and I would BEG to hear Thriller and when he put it on we would proceed to freak the fuck OUT. It is non-stop awesomeness. I still love dancing to it.


Radiohead - Kid A

I love this album so goddamn much that I listen to it practically every night when I go to bed. I still find it amazing that they were able to make such beautiful songs out of what is essentially sound experimentation. The best way I can describe it is to call it "beautiful noise".




So now you know why I love what I love.

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