Grey Eyed Creative

On a drive home with my good friend Patrick we started a discussion that turned into a matter of life and death. More specifically, which albums affected your life so much that you had to take them to your grave. Top 5.

Here we go!

Now taking into account the stipulations: Top 5 albums that have had the most affect on your life, shaped how you live, think or see the world, or hit you in such a way musically that you’d have to include it. These aren’t Top 5 albums ever made, Top 5 albums in comparison with other artists or musicians. These are simply YOUR top 5 albums that you’d want with you as you’re lowered into the ground.

In no particular order:

1. Radiohead - OK Computer

Radiohead reinvented music for me. I remember hearing this album and their music for the first time and seeing how much they influenced artists that I admire, as well as made music that was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It was quality uniqueness, a hard combination to achieve. From the “Paranoid Android” “God Loves his Children” line to “Let Down’s” intro guitar riff/tone to that delay guitar in “Lucky” that made you want to go “Ahhhh! Yusss!!!”, OK Computer is as close to a perfect album as you can get. It truly shaped my music and understanding of it all in a big way.

2. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

This album has a much more personal meaning for me. This album was the soundtrack for glimpses of magic in my memory. 4 or 5 seconds there that stick with you, a look, a feeling, a sentence or a touch. All set up as if this album was the score for it all. The piano in this album coupled with those haunting overtones that give that ambiance defined this album. The writing was delivered spot on and the places this album takes you is great. Starting big with “The New Year” with the firework explosions musically and eventually getting to what I call the “perfect trio”, “Tiny Vessels” right into “Transatlanticism” beautifully into “Passenger Seat”. “Passenger Seat” sums this one up for me with the lines “When you feel embarrassed, I’ll be your pride, When you need directions, I’ll be the guide, for all time.”

3. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity

Where do I begin? These boys did things musically, and vocally especially, that I was almost waiting for as a music lover, musician, and almost as a human being. Yea. I know. These guys started a lot of things for me musically. Songs like “Your New Aesthetic” ushered in that new genre of music for me single handedly. Lyrically, Jim Adkins narrated those drives home, those conversations, and emotions I was feeling right then. “Ten” hit home everytime. “Just Watch the Fireworks” was the song of love, loss, and hope. Concepts I was immersed in at the time. Again, each song was amazing, and as an album, it was one of the most complete albums I’ve ever heard.

4. Sigur Ros - ()

Though Agaetis Byrjun was my original pick from these guys, after relistening to ( ), I knew this was the one to go with. Again, another redefining of what music was. Sigur Ros introduced me to 12 minute songs and how they open an entirely different dimension with music. Guitars played with bows, voice as an instrument, their own language as lyrics, untitled tracks, and overall power of each song puts Sigur Ros as one of my top bands ever. When a band can make you reflect on why things are the way they are, they’ve done something great. This band can play over the end of the world, or represent world togetherness in one song. For me, they help me see the world better. And for that, I’ll be taking them to my grave.

5. The December Drive - White & Black EPs

I wish I had an image of the covers for these. I’m counting these together as one album since they were two EPs. Crashing Cars, Buffalo Wing Diplomacy, And Now We Justify Your Criticism, This Side You’ve Never Seen.. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well, then you don’t. This band made me want to make music.

I would love to hear what albums you would take to your grave. Nothing is out of bounds here. There were some debates about including some Beatles, Genesis, Queen, and even Pink Floyd. But I went with these due to the impact of these specific albums on my most important years of my life to date.

So tell me, which albums would define you?

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.