February 24, 2012

DAILY LIST POST: Favorite albums of all time, or for now, until I post this and remember the rest

Growing up with a dad who was the biggest music nerd I had (and will ever) know had its perks. However, after years of being brainwashed educated by the likes of such progressive rock professors as Rush, Styx, Kansas, and Yes, my youthful brain was longing for an generation-appropriate outlet. It was on a family vacation in Boston when my older cousin said to 9-year old me, “If you remember anything from this trip, remember this song.” Then he proceeded to play me The Sweater Song. And my life was never the same.

That same year, same trip, same cousin played me this album, and I literally lost my mind when I heard it for the first time. I begged him to play it every free moment we had access to a tape player.  I had never heard anything like it, and yet it felt like my very being had taken music form and was speaking to me through the Harmon Kardons. Like a sponge, I soaked the chords and lyrics in, knowing that upon my return home, my mother would never let her 9-year old daughter listen to songs about masturbation, let alone an album with a title literally synonymous with shit.

Middle school soundtrack. All day every day. Just me and my big brothers. Going to shows. Playing laser tag. Being awesome. 

I literally woke up to “Hey” every day of my 8th grade year. Consequently, it might have been the best year of my life. 

Most cool people would list Through Being Cool at this time. Well, I’m not cool.

I still say the best day of my life was when I bought this album. Yes, it’s a compilation, but it was mine. It was the first album I owned and loved that wasn’t recommended by one of my older, more musically educated friends.  It gave me a plethora of bands to research and subsequently obsess over. It gave my junior and senior years of high school a soundtrack.

This album was my secret best friend for years. I never wanted to share it with anyone. I never wanted to sing it with anyone. It was like a warm and wonderful cacophony of sounds and lyrics filling pages of my mind’s diary.

One of those albums that makes you believe they could never make anything that could top it. In my humblest of opinions, they never did. 

If you’ve ever been a girl and had a real best friend, this requires no explanation.

The first album I listened to with “fake” instruments and didn’t hate. Responsible for opening my ears to music beyond chord-heavy punk and pogo-jumping pop-punk.

Castaways and Cutouts (2002)
The Crane Wife (2006)
You can be a sailor with scurvy AND make amazing music?!? Colin Meloy, come pillage me.

Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
The Shepherd’s Dog (2007) 
Making me swoon since back when it was mostly just Sam Beam and his wife strumming along. But the added acoustics of later releases still bear resemblance to his untarnished and beautifully-bearded soul.

 Everything All the Time (2006)
Cease to Begin (2007)
Feel good singalong band who won my heart the first time I saw them live. 

Study times. Makeout times. Reflecting on life times. Good times. 

No Girl’s Night Out would be complete without pregaming in the car to this gem.

We started Secret Dance Night at the Wave. This album was the soundtrack to my every Wednesday night for years.

I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child (2006)
Mean Everything to Nothing (2009)
Simple Math (2011) 

For being a new band, they speak to my soul like I’ve known them my whole life.  These albums became my pulse; my blood flow. 

Bright Eyes
If I didn’t loathe Conor Oberst with so much of my being, I could easily award a spot to a mess of their albums (1998, 2000, 2002, 2005).  I should really award this to Dashboard Confessional to be spiteful. But, truth be told, this sad motherfucker and I spent a lot of time crying together in my insanely depressed college years. So for that, he deserves a nod.

1 note
See Post tags #90s #Daily List Post #Dance Dance #Late 90s #awesome music #hardest list i'll ever have to make #indie #indie pop #longest post ever #music #pop music #pop punk ftw #ska punk shhh #me