18. "Tim"- The Replacements

The Replacements were one of those bands I more knew of before I actually knew their music. I had heard of their songs before actually making the conscious choice to listen to them and bring them into my life. Lucky for me, one of their classics “Left ofthe Dial” crawled its way in via the means of a mix CD given to me at my high school graduation party.

I immediately gravitated towards it and enjoyed the artistic quality to it. It comes across as a strong sampling from something larger. It represented both the music scene from which it came (and spoke to) but also the album that housed it. At the time, I chose to explore the former, not the latter, an exploration that would eventually lead me to buy the album in January of 2014.

I had put it together that this album is in many ways was the climax of the career of The Replacements. The balance between loud and quiet is at its best on this release. It is able to occupy the space between their beginning and their end. In many ways, it is a perfect study of the band.

For my first listen, I actually began with the last track “Here Comes A Regular”. It was one that I must admit took a couple of listens for me to fully appreciate it and be able to insert myself into it. In fact when I first heard of the song, I thought it was a metaphor for normalcy coming into a scene of chaos. I came to discover that it is a lament told from a young person who is still living at home long after he should have moved on. He is the one who stayed in town and never got out. He isn’t glamorizing his life but he isn’t asking for permission either. He is just telling it for what it is. The acoustic guitar drives the point home and the synthesizer in the background is a nice touch. Although I am not someone who will end up spending his days in the local townie bars looking for his buddies to come in, I can certainly relate to the song nonetheless.

“Hold My Life” and “I’ll Buy” come across as songs from the perspective of someone who has just discovered fame and wealth and is at a crossroads. There is this magical, unbelievable story about to unfold and you just want to make sure you can hold onto what you came from, what makes you the person you are. For Paul and company, that was their story at the time. This was their big, critically acclaimed album.

“Kiss Me On TheBus” shows that they can still connect with the life they are leaving behind. I really enjoy its playfulness and I fully plan on signing it to my next muse when we take a bus somewhere. It is just such a fun song that is probably lost to time. Same goes for “Waitress In The Sky”. Who would think to make a song about a stewardess and to almost villainize her?  It is another travel related song that is fun to learn the words and sing along to. It shows that Paul Westerberg can almost write a song about anything. In both cases, I characterize the instrumentation as just enough. The band is present and the playing is original but it is not over the top. The songs are not long either.

One thing in particular on this album that Paul chooses to cover is insecurity. He does it from a position of strength. On “Swingin' Party” he does not sound weak, just clever and because of this, he comes to own his shortcomings. It is also the closest to a Smiths song the band ever made, in Morrissey like lyrics and near jangle-pop guitar playing. “Bastards of Young” is the lost anthem for a generation without a war to name it. I think having a general sense of U.S. cultural history helps to appreciate this song and give it context. I give Paul a lot of credit for writing it, being able to recognize it in his time. Plus it gives the green light for some raw and rough playing from the band, reminiscent of their early days. Just a solid sampling of the band’s strength.  

Returning to “Left of the Dial”, there is just so much in it that stands out. The story of angst and earning told in the lyrics, the masterful playing with a well-placed solo, the deliberate inversion of “playing makeup, wearing guitar”, all come together in a package of classic college rock, forming a standard that will last the test of time.

Overall, I feel it is a complete album. From start to finish I am able to listen and enjoy both the variety in music and cohesiveness in themes. It is on the level that I would buy it for someone and give it to him or her to listen to in its interiority, almost like a book. I am glad to have it on my shelf.

  

19. "Is This It?"- The Strokes

For as long as the other albums on this list have been in my life, this one has only recently entered it. The Strokes were always a band “just outside my radar.” In other words, I listened to and greatly enjoyed bands and artists that sounded like them but I never made the jump to listen to them myself, always knowing that I would most likely highly enjoy them. Over the years, I had heard “Reptilla.” In fact I first came across it at a party in 8^th grade. I wasn’t ready.

In my study of music, I had gathered a sense of the Strokes and the space they occupy as a band. Very similar to The White Stripes, they were heralded as pioneers ahead of their time sonically by borrowing from sounds of the past. Both bands standing out from the rest of the musical landscape of the time and both primarily enjoyed by critics and college students.

This past winter, being slightly past the age of a college student and fancying myself a music critic, I decided it was time to give this highly praised debut a try. I was impressed from the start. I love the gumption to begin an album and a career with the phrase “Is this it?” Instead of an all out showcase of skill and talent that is loud and attention grabbing, Julian and crew are subdued and almost passive. If you as a listener chose to enter in, that’s your call and they will carry on either way. As the last track declares “Take It or Leave It” Needless to say, I walked right in.

I found a collection of songs that are essentially reflections and brief stories from a time in life that I could at last relate to: early adulthood. I know that I would not have been able to relate the songs when I was in high school or even early on in college. Now, on the cusp of 24, I had my share of “Last Night”s so to speak. I also feel like I probably would have looked for more musically from the band when I was younger. The deliberate choice to do less would have been lost on me. I would not have been able to appreciate the tradition that the band enters into with this album.

In so many ways, “Someday” and “Last Night” are instant classics. Both quick and equipped with a catchy chorus fun to both sing and shout, they have infiltrated pop culture and do serve as landmarks to the large album overall. It is hard not to tap along to them with your feet.

Having gotten into this album almost fifteen years after its release, I able to enjoy it in context of the bigger picture. Like I wrote, I can see them standing on the shoulders of the Ramones. I can also hear bands like Rooney and The Bravery taking notes and preparing for their careers to start. It does not have to be this collection of songs serving as contrast to its contemporaries. It just has to sound good. 

20. "The Unforgettable Fire"- U2

I cannot remember exactly when I started listening to this album. Sure, I had heard of U2. In fact, the purchase of “U218 Singles” in 10^th grade was a big moment musically in high school. I listened to that album constantly, enjoying the pop sensibility exercised by the band throughout their career. I heard each track as a testament to the band’s ability to make great music no matter the decade.

I imagine that I first “ripped” this album from a copy belonging to a library. I think it occurred around 2010. I can remember listening to it during the summer of 2011, but I do not know if it started then. I guess along the way I  had absorbed the history of the album and the album's place in the discography of the band and became curious. I pieced together that the album followed three loud albums and that it came right before the big, breakout of “Joshua Tree.” I am sure I liked the idea that possibly it could have been a forgotten album, or at the very least, an overlooked one. For that quality is what I love about a lot of the music from the 80’s that I enjoy i.e. The Smiths and The Replacements.

At some point, it must have clicked, and I found myself drawn in by the opening drums and shimmering guitar of “A Sort of Homecoming.” A track full in instrumentation and Bono vocal range, it runs into the better known “Pride (In The Name ofLove)", which I first enjoyed as a part of the compilation and now hear in the context of the other U.S. themed tracks on the album. Throughout the album are numerous references to recent (at the time) American history and staples of the “American Dream.” Coming from the perspective of an Irish Band in the 80’s, I just find it fascinating that they found it so fascinating.

“Wire” is just fun. There are loud, almost industrial sounds on it. The song seems to pick up pace and slow down at moments. I love the opening lyric “Innocent, and in a sense I am.” I do not use that nearly enough but it shows that Bono can sing and wink at the same time. This playfulness would fully come out during the “Achtung Baby” era. Also, some of the grunts toward the end of the song foreshadow “Bullet The Blue Sky” on the album to come.

The song that is my absolute favorite is the title track. I have taken many a walk at night, during twilight to it, and gotten lost in the sky. I just think the playing on it is so beautiful. It is the kind of performance where I do not feel like I have the musical knowledge to talk about it properly. I won’t pretend to. I can only say that it remains one of my favorite things ever. I will listen to it independent of the album. Each time, the listening experience brings me peace. I feel a swelling of joy. It is something very special to me. I always try to put it on a mix CD or tell a friend about it.

From there on out and the second half of the album especially, the band shows off their ability to be artistically ambient. In many ways, the mood of the title track contains. It is a talent that I feel often is not highlighted enough when it comes to the band. Sure, folks marvel at their beginning, watch as they rise as a band in the late 80’s, only having to then reinvent themselves in the 90’s, redefine touring forever, and then permanently take their place in the hierarchy of modern music. 

For me, this is the period of U2 I feel I would have enjoyed the most if I were alive at the time. I find myself today drawn to a lot of music that sounds very similar. I think a lot of today’s alternative and college rock draws from this album, both consciously and unconsciously.

Ultimately, a lot this album remains a mystery for me. Despite my best attempts, I can never know what it was like to be a fan at the time. I have the knowledge of all that would come next, the full story, not just what happened up until this moment. Also, like I said, I find a lot of the sounds a mystery. I am simply left to allow them to have an affect on me. Much of Bono's singing is also hard to figure out.  And what is up with that album cover? Where does that place exist on Earth? 

All of this is why I come back each time. I am able to engage with the mystery once more, maybe solve some of it, but at the very least, have an enjoyable listening experience.

                                                                                        

21. "Dancethink LP"- My Dear Disco

It is always special when you get to experience a band for the first time by seeing them live. That was the case with My Dear Disco. It was at the first ever Jamnesty festival held in the spring of my freshmen year at Stonehill. The band closed down the first night with an incredible performance. As with many of the moments that year, it just seemed to come out of nowhere and I was afforded the ability to be fully present. I am happy to say I have a lot of snapshot memories from the night. I can think back and put myself in the scene.

That night, after they were done playing, I bought a CD from them and got two bumper stickers. Needless to say that sticker went right on almost immediately and the CD joined the others in the car. It became part of the rotation for the summer and still stays with me to this day. In fact, when I took my “final lap” around St Andrews, in the midst of a rainy, raw night, I put this album on. I was connecting a special memory from my freshmen year with an important moment from my senior one. I like to think as almost bookends.

My reasoning for putting the album on that night is the same one every time I chose to give a listen: it is an album I am able to get engulfed in. I am drawn in by the opening “WhiteLies” a bold opener of over seven minutes, it serves to introduce all the parts of the band. Together they build toward the second track “For Your Love”, more of a blend of the different sounds, instruments and voices, and a little more catchy and pop. From there the album spills out to a collection of songs that do exactly what the title claims: dance and think.

I have always been impressed by the choice to cover Stevie Wonder. They do a wonderful rendition of “All I Do” and showoff an appreciation for what had come before them, thus earning a lot respect in my book. It also helps that they own it and make it sound like their own. Maybe one day, some band will be doing the same with one of their songs.

After that, the songs grow in length and a story is even told in two parts with “Madam Eon.” The true gem of the album, the song that really crystalizes their style and their mantra is "M.Y.F. (Move Your Feet)". It is an epic indie-electronic, dance smash, lasting six and a half minutes. I have passed it along on countless mix CDs and played it on a number of my radio shows in college. I hear it as the honest confession of a young woman who is looking for a good time on her terms. I always took it that I could have the same in my time in college, that I could dance and think and that fortune would allow for both in the same moment. In many ways, this album came at the perfect time.

Now the story of My Dear Disco would not be complete without acknowledging the fact that they are no more. After this release, they would change their name to Ella Riot and release one more cd. Not much more was heard from/about them until 2013 when the lead singer Michelle Chamuel competed on The Voice and began her solo career.

For me, this album is more than enough. It fills me with so much joy to hear it every time. I am reminded of a night where I heard great music played live at a place I love, a standard I hold for every concert going forward. I am reminded of the possibility I felt at the close of my freshmen year and how happy it made me. Once again, “dance and think”. Not a bad binary/expectation for a life going forward.

22. "Kiss Each Other Clean"- Iron & Wine

Like a lot of great music in my life, this album started out as a CD in the playlist for WSHL. Every semester there would be two racks of them that we, as DJs, we required to play from. I always thought of it as returning the favor to the labels for sending them to us. Plus, it would lead us to sometimes align with what was being played on other radio stations at the time, while also being able to sound original or different. (I think that description can also be applied to this album.)

The first song I played on air from the CD was “Glad Man Singing.” It was leading into Spring Weekend my Sophomore year and I attempted to connect it with the artists for the concert on Friday night. I can remember saying something to the effect of “and K’naan will be a glad man singing up there on the stage.” In all actuality, I liked the groove of the song. It starts out slow with some strumming and grows to incorporate other instrumentation. Plus Sam Beam sings in this really relaxed style. It sounds like he is having a good time, so the listener might as well also.

I found myself playing that song in random moments when I wanted to hear something to pump me, most frequently for a walk across campus. I was usually leaving a place, such as my room or the dining commons, for either going to work or going to do work. I would end up strolling in with a smile, ready for what awaited me.

As the summer between sophomore and junior year unfolded, so did the rest of the album for me. Similar to “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, I too discovered this album track by track. I would say in six months time, I would start at the beginning and let it play from there. What is great is the over seven minutes long closer “Your Fake Name is Good Enough for Me” that allows the album to not end so quickly. There is a wide array of sounds and tempos. You get your money’s worth as the curtain falls.

What is significant about this album is that it led me to more Iron & Wine. I did not have the benefit of being “of age” when Sam Beam started his career. I did not have my ear to the ground so to speak to music like his. With my interest peaked because of this album, I would in turn check out his earlier release “Our Endless Numbered Days”. Drastically different in style, I still heard thoughtfully made music characterized by accessible sounds and stories. With both releases in mind, I was able to further appreciate Sam Beam as an artist. I also the fact that they both end with a track that has the line from which the album got its title.

Overall, this album occupies a space between the beginning and the latter stages of Iron & Wine music. There is plenty of acoustic strumming, while there is a mix of studio prowess. The album is not a grand statement nor is it a quiet whisper. It simply a great way to get into a great artist.

23. "The Airborne Toxic Event"- The Airborne Toxic Event

I first encountered this album via the means of hearing the hit single “Sometime Around Midnight” on the radio in the spring of 2009. I am happy to say that the album basically carried me through that summer before college. I can remember in that initial listening, the balance of angst and art intrigued me. I could sense intent to balance both in an attempt of creating a defined listening experience. At that time, it was one I could very much so identify with. Today, I listen to it to identify with myself at the time.

The Airborne Toxic Event are in a select group of artists who on the opening track of their debut album, drop a F-bomb. I think it is wonderful. They do it in a song, “Wishing Well” that has all the pop-alternative sensibilities to garner some radio play while requiring a bleep. The album as a whole quite masterfully occupies the space between simple and complicated. The same can be said for between quiet and loud. You can sing along to the songs and feel like it is a mix of The Beatles and the Ramones. This contrast coming together in harmony is what Cobain strove for. The spring of 2009, a turning point for modern alternative, this album came along at the right time.

Another binary I associate with this album is innocence and experience. A song like “Gasoline” captures this quite well. “We were only 17, we were holding in our screams.” At the time, I was 17 turning 18. I enjoyed hearing the perspective of a 17-year told trading some innocence for experience. It inspired me that I could and should do the same. The sing makes it sound like so much fun. At the very least, it was fun to sing along to.  The line “Oh my dear, I fear I can’t understand how” ranks right up there with “baby better come back later next week, cause you see I’m on a losing streak.” I loved the playfulness of the line “Your father would find my hand inside your blouse.”

“Sometime Around Midnight” is the grand, sweeping emotional tour de force on the album that is as much a ballad we can stand this side of Springsteen. Very similar to the second half tracks on “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, I only hoped that I could one day have a love to lose like the one the singer had lost and that I would feel things so strong to create a chorus that epic and accessible. At the very least, I could align the song and its sentiment with any crush I had ever carried. I also found it to be very similar to Keane’s “You Don’t See Me” which was also released around that time.

“Missy” is just fun. It makes no apologies for a simple rhyme scheme and incorporating a passed down prayer. I always enjoy the easily identifiable piano throughout it. It is a song that I sometimes just play on its own. A quick burst of fun during a drive on a familiar road or walk around a high school track. Very much so a track for a mix cd.

Great summers only happen once in your life. If you are like me, after a great summer, an even better one can sometimes follow. That is what happened with the summer after my first year at Stonehill. I had traded some innocence for an experience and picked up some new albums to listen to. But I will always feel a strong connection with Summer 2009 and this album that inspired me to embrace it all. I knew that I could later recount my stories in the form of art that isn’t more complicated than it needs to be while still containing some knowledge. Not a bad mantra for the years to follow.

24. "A Rush of Blood To The Head"- Coldplay

I think it is fitting to begin with the first CD I ever I bought for myself. Having first heard of it from a 7^th grade classmate, who I always assumed in turn heard of it from his older brother, I was intrigued by what I perceived to be an “instant classic” quality to the album. I am happy to say that what I love most about this album are the characteristics that have only presented themselves because of the passing of time.

Sure at first was I was struck by its ability to be sweeping in sonic nature. To have grand expanses of instrumentation in “In My Place” and have a guitar and piano co-lead in “The Scientist.” But now, it is the full album that I return to with joy. I see it as a listening experience characterized by an uplifting, triumphant first half and a second half that it is at times is sad and slightly defeated. Also, as much as Chris Martin is discovering his full range of emotion, his band mates are finding theirs in terms of playing ability. As the tour that would follow proved, they were able to combine both together for a truly original music experience. (Something I only got to experience with the live album released from the tour, “Coldplay Live 2003”)

Of all the songs in this countdown, these are the ones I have been listening to the longest. Like I just said, it is the first half singles that first drew me to it. I can remember clearly, slowly discovering the songs that follow, one by one, as I allowed myself to listen little more. I was being given glimpses into emotional moments I only hoped to experience. Also, with each song, I was discovering more and more why I loved Coldplay. They were able to create music that I could wrap myself in. It was all encompassing. For me, it always felt like a soft blanket. Now, some folks would argue, that makes it weak or wimpy. I just think of it as complete. It is so thorough; it has a texture to it. And as someone with heightened sensory awareness and as a result, at times, I become overwhelmed and tired from life, it is nice to have some comfort music. My junior year of high school, after a period of four days that included a license test, a Model Senate conference, State Science Fair, the SATs, and Junior Prom, I found myself wrapped up in a blanket with both the ceiling fan and this album on for the afternoon.

This album has always been one I listened to. Still, in the CD boombox in the bathroom of my Dad’s house, there is a burnt copy that serves as a go-to for the soundtrack to getting ready. It has filled the air on plenty of summer afternoons. It is this long history that truly endears me to these eleven songs. Together, they have been a touchstone throughout my life. I can listen to them and connect back to different parts of myself. Most importantly, a specific part of myself that I today take a lot of pride in: the desire to have music in my life. Something in me moved me to buy that first CD and I am glad I still have it today.