In no real order:
1)
Every Time I Die- Hot Damn!
I honestly can't remember the reason why or how I even came across this album. I think I either saw a shirt for them or someone I went to school with said something, but that doesn't matter now.
For however long I've been listening to this album, probably at least 7 or eight years, I've never gotten tired out it. Track's like 'Ebolarama' and 'Off Broadway' are still some of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm having a shitty day or about to do some serious drinking. Probably my favorite build up of all time is the opening for 'Ebolarama.' Just a guitar, playing a tasty riff and right off the bat you know this song is about to just get ridiculous. Fortunately, due to sheer originality and die-hard following, ETID is still coming out with new albums every other year or so (and getting better with age)and still touring. Honestly, this is one of my favorite bands of all time and for good reason, for a band that's been around for more than 10 years, there's no one even coming close to touching them. And for any serious fans out there, the name of this blog comes from one of their songs from an early album.
2)
Circa Survive - Juturna
I remember hearing this album freshman year of high school and wasn't too impressed. Not too sure why, maybe it was cause Circa was something completely out of left field and I wasn't ready for it, whatever the reason was, I remember picking it up a year or so later because of the back beat off of 'Stop the Car,' which is still one of my favorite tracks to listen to. Steve Clifford is an an incredibly original drummer and, like everyone else, I'm in love with Anthony Green's lyrics and voice (even his way up there screams). 6 years and still spinning it whenever I get a chance.
3)
The Receiving End of Sirens- Between the Heart and Synapse
I don't even know where to start with this. I was introduced to this band at some point early on in high school, was able to see them a bunch of times before they broke up, and meet a few members of the band. If you're looking for an album to listen to keep peeling back layers and layers, BTHAS is definitely for you. From the stand out single 'Planning on a Prison Break' where they quickly showcase their ability to incorporate computer generated sounds in the background (which in many cases can be really cheesy, but these guys pull it off) adding another layer, on top of the 3(yes 3) singers in the band. Tracks like 'the Rival Cycle' and 'This Armistice' (probably my favorite song ever) show a lot of their ability to use off-beat syncopation and never disappoint in extended build ups culminating into, what i think are, amazing repeating lyrics over and over again until the songs finish. I could really go on and on about this album for the better part of a day picking apart each track and I'd still find new and exciting things that I've never noticed in the 6+ years I've been listening to them. Unfortunately their follow-up to this 'The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi' didn't even come close to their first release and due to personal issues, the band fell apart.
4)
Taking Back Sunday- Tell All Your Friends
An album I haven't picked up in a while but definitely couldn't put it down when I was younger. I think a lot of my, and a lot of my close friend's, musical taste was influenced by this band. I remember first hearing 'Cute without the E' and falling in love with the sound. At the time I was kinda into numetal (everyone has that phase in middle school) and this was completely different. Say what you will about the TBS of today, but this album was the bee's knees of my middle school years. Adam Lazzara's voice is incredible and Mark O'Connell is more than a solid drummer, knowing when less is more, and when to really open up songs with heavy crashes and monstrous 2's and 4's. One of the more appealing aspects of this band is that they don't really seem to take themselves seriously (Flava Flav had a cameo on the video for 'Youre so Last Summer') despite finding large-scale success on their following albums which is only due to the fact that these guys are incredible musicians with the in-your-face showmanship that it necessary to make it today.
5)
The Postal Service- Give Up
Probably the odd man out in this list, but one of the most underrated albums of the last 10 years. For those not in the know, the Postal Service is a collaboration between Ben Gibbard (Death Cab) and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel and Headset). It's manly electronic beats with some acoustic drums mixed in. Gibbard's voice couldn't be a better match for this type of music. Modest singing complemented by intelligent, often less-is-more electronic beats. Many of you have probably heard 'Such Great Heights' which was in a lot of commercials a few years back. 'Such Great Heights' draws you in and then tracks like 'Clark Gable' and 'The District Sleeps Alone Tonight' keep you interested. A little fun fact, they got there name from mailing each other what they were working on as they weren't even in the same state while recording this album. Just another showcase of how talented these two gentlemen truly are.
So thats that. My top 5 albums of all time so far, other albums are catching pretty quickly, but at this point in time, I haven't found anything that I've been continuously playing or have played longer or anything I really enjoy listening to as much. Needless to say, my musical tastes are not limited to these genres, but rather these albums molded me into the connoisseur, if you will, of new music and I will try as hard as I can to showcase as many artists and musicians as I my hectic schedule allows.
No comments:
Post a Comment