When thinking about making this, nostalgia plays a big part. A few of these albums I attach to fond memories from childhood and adolescence. And I don't think that is a bad thing. Music is powerful because it attaches to your life in snapshots from the past. I'll always remember traveling to Dallas with my parents to the Cotton Bowl while listening to Morning View by Incubus. I'll always think about mowing lawns while listening to Weezer (The Blue Album) in the summers. And I'll always embarrassingly look back on my teenage angst while listening to early John Mayer songs. I love these 10 albums for so many different reasons, but the main one being that the music is really good.
1. Jesus Freak by dc Talk
This one HAD to be number one. It was the first tape I ever bought, and the first CD I ever bought. The three vocalists in dc Talk, Kevin Max Smith, Michael Tait, and Toby Mac, combine for perfect harmonies throughout this album. If I said that I've listened to this album 1,000 times, that might be an underestimation. I can sing along with the gospel outro to "What Have We Become", the hilarious "Jesus Freak (Reprise)", and every raspy word of "Mrs. Morgan". Each listen reveals something greater to every song. The lyrics are beautifully faith affirming. They are honest expressions of the Christian life. Jesus Freak will always center me towards Christ in times of doubts/hardships/emptiness. On top of all of that, the catchy melodies grab me every time. I've seen a lot of concerts in my life, but a reunited dc Talk show is unequivocally number 1 on my wishlist.
2. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
The Beatles basically introduced me into really liking music, not just radio pop. My older cousins were way into The Beatles, so of course I had to be. If you think that the "Greatest Band Ever" moniker that gets attached to them is overblown, well, you're wrong. The White Album is a sprawling opus, 30 songs of pop, hard rock, psychedelic, and downright bizarre, happy songs. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" is generally my answer to the "favorite Beatles song" question. This album meanders in terms of tempo, song structure and subject matter, but it's scope is what draws me in. I love the simple beauty of "Blackbird", the hilarity of "Piggies", and the bombastic "Helter Skelter". There's a reason that I still wear my Sgt. Pepper's t-shirt I got in 9th grade. The Beatles are the best of all time.
3. Morning View by Incubus
After Jesus Freak, this was the next album I bought as a kid, and my choice was sound. I went through a phase in 9th grade where I was OBSESSED with this band. I bought every album, EP, watched every DVD and every band interview. There are so many great melodies and "chill out" songs on this album that I go back to it monthly. And "Wish You Were Here" was my go to song for when I had a crush on a girl but was terrified to talk to her as a 13 year old. I finally saw Incubus in concert in 2012, and it was a culmination of many years of love for the band.
4. Whatever & Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five
From the time I was 5 until 12, my parents forced me to take piano lessons. For whatever reason, I just couldn't stand it. Practice time on my own was essentially 30 minutes of torture. At 12, I finally convinced my parents to let me quit in favor of football. After playing for 7 years and only walking away with a couple of creaky knees, I clearly made the wrong choice. Playing piano is AWESOME, and part of the reason this is true is Ben Folds. The dude is an animal on the keys. I know that Elton John pretty well invented "piano rock", but Ben Folds Five brought it back. Whatever & Ever Amen is their best, not only because it had their biggest hit, "Brick", but because the pop rock melodies on every song are terrific. Folds is a master lyricist, with the ability to be poignant, ironic, and funny from song to song. When I discovered this album my freshman year of college, I didn't even bother playing anything else on my iPod. Ben Folds, in whatever he does, is the man.
5. In Rainbows by Radiohead
I legally paid 0 dollars for this album. When it was released, Radiohead let people pay what they wanted through their website to download. As a broke college student, I decided to have it for free, but it was worth so much more. Probably the best album as an introduction to Radiohead, this album combines everything from the band's catalog into 10 songs. Tom Yorke goes major falsetto on "Reckoner", "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", and pretty much every other song, and it works each time.
6. Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Not only does this album not have a single skip, but I like every song equally, a rare feat for an album. Deep cuts like "Emit Remmus" and "Right On Time" are just as good as mega hits like "Californication" and "Otherside". I played so much Nintendo Gamecube while listening to this album it's unreal. Californication is the perfect summer album, and even at the mention of the word I think of sunshine and swimming poools and wiffle ball.
7. Pinkerton by Weezer
If I had two words to describe Pinkerton, it would be "embarrassingly honest." Rivers Cuomo's lyrics on this album are a raw look at the inner torment he faced after the explosion of his band's first album, Weezer (The Blue Album). He writes of loneliness on "Across the Sea" in a personal way he probably almost regrets, but I sure don't. I appreciate the honesty that breathes on every song, not to mention the lovely hooks that Weezer is known for. Originally panned by fans and critics alike upon release, Pinkerton is now seen as a classic by most in the music media, and I must wholeheartedly agree.
8. Continuum by John Mayer
John Mayer is exceptionally talented, and it is no more evident than on Continuum, a bluesy pop album that is easily my favorite he's ever made. The lyrics are soulful, and the guitar work is masterful. I love "Stop This Train" a song about growing up (subject matter that will always and forever be relate-able). I love "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room", a blues song about a dying relationship. John might be a big weirdo creep that's trying to be too much like Bob Dylan these days, but on Continuum, he was perfect.
9. Tourist History by Two Door Cinema Club
I'm a sucker for a catchy pop-rock song, and Tourist History is basically 10 songs of exactly that. Each song is short, effortless, and will stick in your head for days. "Undercover Martyn", "I Can Talk", and "This is the Life" are incredible highlights from this one. Any time I'm not really sure what I feel like listening to, I will put on Tourist History, because no matter my mood it always satisfies.
10.The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart
Another album that heavily features piano, and another 10 catchy pop-rock songs. The trio of singers that lead this band create some of the prettiest harmonies in music, and they are just dripping with them in every song. "Rivers and Roads" might be one of the most fun road trip songs every written. So many times have I sung the lyrics at the top of my lungs with every other person in the car on an interstate. Just like Tourist History, this album is right up my alley because it is pure catchy pop-rock. Unlike others, however, I never get tired of The Head and the Heart.
Honorable Mention:
Brothers by The Black Keys
Kid A by Radiohead
Is This It? by The Strokes
Youth and Young Manhood by Kings of Leon
Funeral by Arcade Fire
Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
OK Computer by Radiohead
Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer
Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind
Only By the Night by Kings of Leon
Aim And Ignite by fun.
Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by Ben Folds Five
A Crow Left of the Murder... by Incubus
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
Graduation by Kanye West
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
Abbey Road by The Beatles
Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
Parachutes by Coldplay
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