5. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria
When I got it: Summer after senior year of high school
Favorite song(s): Radio #2, Summer '79, Takeoffs and Landings
I got this album at a CD store in Seaside, Florida during "first week," which is the time honored tradition where Northeast Jackson high school students went down to Destin, Florida for a week's worth of high school debauchery. My close friends and I weren't so inclined so we pretty much spent the week on the beach outside of the "senior house" playing guitar and skimboarding. So one night we headed down to Seaside for dinner and my friend Jordan and I went to the CD store and I stumbled across this album. I knew the song "Radio #2" from a movie soundtrack I had, and "In This Diary" was kind of big at the time, so I bought it and good grief did I listen to the crap out of it. It really hit close to home - the whole album's recurring theme seems to be about the point and time in your life when you grow up and leave home - which is exactly what we were in the middle of doing. We pretty much rocked out to that thing all week long. Also, it featured a great cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" that was pretty awesome.
4. The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
When I got it: Spring of my senior year of college
Favorite song(s): Paranoia in Bb Major, Die Die Die, Shame, Go to Sleep, In the Curve
OK so a little backstory. I'd been hearing some things about The Avett Brothers for a while. They had even played at Double Decker the year before, but I didn't go because I didn't know who they were (and I was also really tired). But I had heard about them from several friends and I randomly was in the car with my friend Emily and she was playing it and my first thought was "OMG I have to get this." So I burned it from her and listened to it nonstop. Even now, the songs I listed as my favorites are ones I spend lots of time listening to and playing on the guitar and (hopefully again soon) the banjo. Which touches on something completely else - they inspired me to pick up a new instrument that was WAY more fun than I ever thought it would have been. Plus it opened up the door for several other bands in a genre I hadn't really listened to before, like Old Crow Medicine Show, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Mumford & Sons. I know those aren't all exactly the same genre, but I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't have given them much of a chance if not for Seth, Scott, and Bob. Also, not to mention I have now seen them in concert and I own all of their albums.
3. Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek
When I got it: I'm going to guess it was around tenth grade but I'm not 100% sure on that…it came out in 2001
Favorite song(s): Pressing on, Sadie Hawkins Dance, Maybe It's Maybeline, For the Moments I Feel Faint
This one came at a time when I was messing around with a few friends playing music…can't really call them bands but it was fun. The music was fun and catchy, not to mention incredibly encouraging. "Pressing On" was awesome - such a positive, upbeat message and a song that was relatively easy to play even though it sounded super cool. This was also a gateway album in that it led me to be a huge fan of the band in general (for example, I probably couldn't tell you another Ataris song besides the ones on So Long).
2. MXPX - Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
When I got it: gosh…like eighth grade? I can't even remember
Favorite song(s): Under Lock and Key, Tomorrow's Another Day, I'm OK, You're OK, Cold and All ALone, Party, My House, Be There, Set the Record Straight…gosh who am I kidding? Every one of them
This one really should be 1b. to 1a., which I will name next. There is nothing else to say than this album is incredible. This came during my formative years…I was like…13 when I got this one? I don't remember but it was still during my mall rat days. At the time, it was just loud music, but as I've grown up and reflected on the lyrics and stuff…man it's good. And though I'm sure the songs aren't necessarily as theologically accurate as they should be, it was awesome to me because it was good Christian music that wasn't like…mainstream stuff. Which is not to say I am against mainstream music but it was at a time when I was getting really frustrated with Christian music so it was awesome to have stuff I could really relate to.
1. Five Iron Frenzy - Proof that the Youth are Revolting
When I got it: Summer after senior year
Favorite song(s): All of them
I literally love every song on this album. Even though it's a live recording, it's still awesome because you get a feel for who the members of FIF are as people. And they are hilarious. Which, again, came at an important time in my life. I was moving on to college and finding upbeat, fun, good, encouraging music was really important at the time. Not to mention stuff that was pretty much an in-your-face affirmation of what I believed. This was also a gateway album because now I have every single FIF album and I have branched out to a few other ska acts and now I feel like I genuinely love the genre and hope it will one day return.
So there's my list. These aren't necessarily my favorite bands (although 3 of them are) or albums that I feel like are necessarily the best (Emotionalism I think is one of the best albums of the last few years for sure though) but it's just stuff that came along at just the right time in my life and showed me some things I didn't know that really helped me out.
So there ya go.
-Chanchan
No comments:
Post a Comment