The reason this didn't quite make the list is because as much as I love it, it didn't really change anything for me. I heard it, I loved it, and I still love it, but this list is more for albums that have changed me musically: either in the way that I listen or the way I write. But I had to mention it, because it's just that good.
10. Saves The Day - Stay What You Are (2001, Vagrant)
I don't remember if this was 6th grade or junior high, but that doesn't matter too much. This is the album that got me really interested in music that wasn't Christian music. Reliant K and The O.C. Supertones had been my staples before this. My friend Shane Stuttle played "At Your Funeral" for me and I couldn't get it out of my head. This is about the same time that Kazaa and Bearshare were in their prime, so I think this is one of the first albums I stole (sorry dudes). Saves The Day was the key band is my transitional phase out of solely Christian music and into a whole world of awesome. I owe a big "thank you" to them.
9. No Age - Nouns (2008, Sup Pop)
Aaron Bragg showed me No Age. I didn't know what I thought at first… and then Teen Creeps came on. Sold. There are few times that a song has gotten me that stoked that fast (but I think "Party Hard" by Andrew W.K. would take the cake for that). No Age taught me to not care too much about how the recording sounds. If the song's good, then it's going to come through.
8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2005, Self-released)
It took me a while to like Clap Your Hands. I wouldn't call them the most accessible band, but ever since I got into it, I haven't been able to get off of it. I first heard them my Junior year of high school but didn't really get into it until a year or two later. Ever since then I have never stopped coming back to it. I can listen to this album any time and I will always get stoked on it. I'm not sure what it is about it, but there is definitely a light, poppy feel to the album that is well balanced by some darker, moodier moments. It just feels right and makes me want to write pop music that still feels deep.
#7. Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica (2000, Epic)
This wasn't the first Modest Mouse album I ever heard. One of my friends bought Good News For People Who Love Bad News as soon as it came out (2004) because he had heard a lot of hype about it. He put it in my CD player and we started listening. He hated it and I wasn't that into it either. Not long after that I heard the song "Paper Thin Walls." I was really surprised when I found out it was a Modest Mouse song. So I gave Moon and Antarctica a shot and really enjoyed it, and the more I listened to it the more it grew on me. It has become my favorite Modest Mouse album, but I must admit I like everything Issac Brock gets his hands on (if you haven't seen the movie 180 South then
you should probably do that). This album really showed me that being an honest songwriter will make a big impact on your music comes across. There is a lot of passion in Issac's songs and that's what makes them timeless to me. It becomes more than just the music, but also the feeling behind it.
#6. Dan Deacon - Bromst (2009, Carpark)
This is the most recent release to make it on here. I myself am amazed that this landed at the #6 spot. The more I thought about it the more I realized how much this album changed how I think about music. I was into electronic music before this, but I had never realized the potential of it until I heard this album. Bromst blew my mind instantly. I had heard the song "Crystal Cat" off of Dan's Spiderman Of The Rings, so I thought i knew what to expect from Bromst, but I had no clue. This album showed me how much power one man can have with just a laptop, a creative mind, and a ton of music theory under his belt. I was entranced as soon the album started and literally jumped out of my seat in excitement when the song "Snookered" reached its climax. I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to make fun electronic music that was also smart and complex. Of course nothing I've done has come anywhere close to being Dan Deacon quality (and stylistically not the same either), but the way this album opened me up is something I will never forget. Also, if you haven't seen the "making of" video for this album, do that now. It rules.
#5. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (2007, Domino)
This is the first album I ever heard by Animal Collective. It was sometime in my freshman year of college that I heard it and I don't remembering paying much attention to it. Then in the summer of 2008 I decided to take a trip up to Chicago and go to Pitchfork Music Festival. I was really stoked on a lot of the bands playing, but the headliners Saturday were Animal Collective and I wasn't sure what to expect. I felt like I went into a trance where colors and sounds all blended in to something beautiful and unique and pulled me in. After that night all I wanted to do was to get to know Animal Collective better. I was upset that I hadn't given them the time of day before seeing them live, but I'm kinda glad that a live experience was my first real connection with them. I got to see first hand a form that I never knew music could take.
#4. Arcade Fire - "Funeral" (2004, Merge)
The first Arcade Fire song I ever heard was "Neighborhood #4 (Power Out)" and that was sometime in 2006 (yeah, i was behind the curve). I think Shane Stuttle showed it to me, but don't quote me on that. I got instantly stoked on it. This album took me absolutely zero time to warm up to. As soon as I got my hands on it I was listening to it non-stop. With every album I like I always assume that I'm going to eventually just stop caring about it, but this is a list of albums that have overcome that, and this is no exception. Honestly I don't have much to say about how this album changed how I listen to or make music, but it's one of my favorite albums of all time and I have a tattoo of the album art. I don't think albums get much better than this.
#3. mewithoutYou - "A->B Life" (2002, Tooth & Nail)
I remember the first day i heard mewithoutYou, I was riding in the car with Luke Collins and he played me "Memphis Will be Laid to Waste" by Norma Jean and then "Gentlemen" by mewithoutYou. I remember when Aaron Wiess came in at the end of "Memphis…" and I was in awe. I had never listened to anything like that before. I can't even remember having heard hardcore music before that time. It was awesome. Then when he played "Gentlemen" it was just like all the awesomeness of the end of "Memphis…" was spread out through a whole song. Totally kick-ass. That day a lot of things changed for me. My ear for music got turned in a whole new direction.
#2. Wolf Parade - "Apologies To The Queen Mary" (2005, Sub Pop)
There's nothing bad to say about this album. I think it's almost perfect. The first song I ever heard was "Grounds For Divorce" and that was sometime in 2006 I believe. It was an instant love affair and I started listening to this album all the time. But like me and most albums, the love slowly faded. Then in 2008 Wolf Parade released "At Mount Zoomer" and I bought it the day it came out. It was a disappointment. So I dusted off "Apologies…" and fell back in love. From then on I knew this album was extremely special. The more I listened to it, the more I loved it. If I would have made this list last year, this album barely would have snuck on, but now it's almost at the top (and even at this moment I'm debating whether it deserves #1). This album just did everything right. Fast and slow songs, fun and meaningful lyrics, dance tunes and rock tunes, and most of all: uniqueness.
As a sidenote I would like to say that Wolf Parade has definitely disappointed me a good bit since this album, but all of that was fully redeemed with the song "Yulia" off of Expo 86 and their "Semi-Precious Stone / Agents of Love" digital release.
#1. Animal Collective - "Feels" (2005, FatCat)
I've already told you how I got into Animal Collective with the #5 slot that was given to "Strawberry Jam," so we don't need to go through that story again. So after that summer when I saw Animal Collective live, I got back home and started exploring the Animal Collect discography. I liked a lot of it, but "Strawberry Jam" really was… well… my jam. But then I met a girl named Eliza Dhonau. She loved Animal Collective a whole lot and listened to "Feels" all the time. I fell in love with this album while hanging out with her. I find this album has perfect aural balance. It's twisted and dark, but also light and happy. For me, all the songs have a perfect structure to them and flow from beginning to end without ever getting to the point where I want to change the track (well, other than "Bees," that's the one song that I'm not in love with).
I once had a conversation with Austin Fleming about how the song "The Purple Bottle" is a perfect song. I don't know if he still thinks that, but I definitely do. Everything about that songs just feels right to me.
Another reason I love "Feels" is the shift that takes place mid-album. The first four songs could almost be an album on their own, and then then next four work incredibly well together but still compliment the album perfectly. Then the last track, "Turn Into Something" is almost another thing entirely, but it still flows somehow.
As I am writing this I am listening to "Banshee Beat," which is quite possibly my favorite song on the album currently. It has a lot of repetition in it, but the steadiness of the beat and tone of the guitar just puts me in a trance that I don't want to ever end. If that song was 15 minutes long I would still love it.
So, am I just another dude who sucks Animal Collective's dick and loves everything they do? Yes. I am. I'm perfectly alright with that.
