The Ten Most Influential Albums of All Time

The Velvet Underground & Nico
Self-titled (1967)

Heroin (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Art Rock
David Bowie
Arcade Fire

Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Like a Rolling Stone (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Let's just say,
Bob invented modern music

The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Fixing a Hole (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Pop Music
Psychadelic Rock
Possibilities are endless

Beach Boys
Pet Sounds (1966)

God Only Knows (mp3)

without this there would be no:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Kraftwerk
Trans-Europe Express (1977)

Trans-Europe Express (mp3)

without this there would be no:
House
Trance
Techno

The Smiths
Self-titled (1984)

This Charming Man (mp3)

without this there would be no:
The Queen Is Dead
Belle and Sebastian
& Indie music would be very different

N.W.A.
Straight Outta Compton (1988)

Express Yourself (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Rap

Pink Floyd
Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

Bike (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Reason to eat magic-mushrooms
Roger Waters on lead vocals
Dark Side of the Moon

Black Sabbath
Self-titled (1970)

Behind The Wall of Sleep (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Death Metal
Metallica
Iron Maiden

The Clash
London Calling (1979)

Spanish Bombs (mp3)

without this there would be no:
Versatile Punk Rock
Fun

The Great Arcade Fire

Funeral shook the hearts of millions (including David Bowie, who would hand the album out to his friends) while arguably becoming the album of the decade. The reason being is because it's so perfectly aligned, it's like a painting of death drawn by the hand of God. While their sophomore effort Neon Bible is praising and appraising God, and drawn by the hand of man. This being visibly so in that somehow Neon Bible's errors add up to something even more rare than what we perceive as perfection.

Neon Bible also happens to be my album of the year, to date.

Well, before all the hype and fame and even before their hard to swallow but still very exciting EP, there was a demo entitled 2001.

Here is that demo.

MP3'S

Winter For A Year

My Mind Is A Freeway

Accidents

Goodnight Boy

Asleep At The Wheel

In The Attic

Can't Let Go Of You

You Tried To Turn Away My Fears

Instrumental

The Great Arcade Fire


A Special Thanks To :

Captain's Dead

The Long Winters

It's 4/20 and we all know what that means...
So I have a few tracks for you, and to start it off is The Long Winters attempt at "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple along with some other tracks by John Roderick and his boys.

MP3'S

Smoke On The Water

Pushover

The Commander Thinks Aloud

Blue Diamonds

Dntel

In 2001 when Jimmy Tamborello released Life is Full of Possibilities, the lo-fi indie rock masterpiece, there was a new genre of music being created, it wasn't just electronica or pop or folk anymore, it was more. His collaboration with DCFC's Ben Gibbard started The Postal Service, which broke open like an egg and poured out onto weary hearts and set the tone for "popular" indie-tronica. In the five years it has taken Jimmy to put together his follow-up, other than Postal Service, he has also been included in the band Figurines and he also has the James Figurine moniker for his more techno focused pop songs.

Dumb Luck, the follow-up to the phenomenal Possibilities is more aware of itself as it shape-shifts through genres, but keeps the basis the same. A steady wave of resilience from the collaborators (which include: Bright Eyes, Grizzly Bear, Lali Puna, Jenny Lewis, Mystic Chords of Memory, etc.) is what keeps the music grounded, but it's Jimmy's defining song structure that lets us swim freely through each track. The collaborations make Dumb Luck a versatile album, but it's Jimmy Tamborello that makes it a Dntel album.

MP3'S

Dumb Luck

To A Fault (ft. Grizzly Bear)

Rock The Boat (ft. Mia Doi Todd)

Natural Resources (ft. Fog)

Breakfast In Bed (ft. Bright Eyes)

Paper Airplanes

The Fences (mp3) is more timid than taunt for an indie song that has been released in the last few years, this being released late 2004 on the album Boyhood. It sounds very mature and has a natural feel, and in turn, very open for the first listen, and each listen that follows.

Paper Airplanes take you under their wary wing, and they help you feel a little more assured. Expect a follow-up to their debut (hopefully) in 2007.

Track of the Week

Pop Levi - Skip Ghetto

Hot Chip

Hey, it's Friday the 13th!

MP3'S

Hot Chip - Bad Luck

Death Cab For Cutie

"Do you remember the JAMC and reading aloud from magazines? I don't know about you but I swear on my name they could smell it on me, I've never been too good with secrets..."

Death Cab For Cutie's Transatlanticism reminds me of many things; long car rides, life-changing experiences, waking up on the beach in Atlantic City at 4 in the morning, an idyllic girl, etc. Death Cab For Cutie have crafted a truly beautiful album. If a woman can be considered beautiful, and a car can be considered beautiful, then Transatlanticism is definitely on the same pedestal.

2003 was a stellar year for music with new releases from Sufjan Stevens, the Books, the Shins, M83, Rapture, Wrens, Xiu Xiu, Cat Power, Blood Brothers, and even TV on the Radio's Young Liars EP. But the year belonged to 'Ben and the Death Cabbers'. After their release of We Have The Facts, and Photo Album they already had the indie-rock feel and production down. It was now inevitable for them to create something more understood and evaluated, to the point where it doesn't leave your head or your heart.

MP3'S

We Looked Like Giants

A Lack of Color

Title and Registration

Transatlanticism

Transatlanticism is truly a definitive chapter in my life.

Handsome Furs

Remember Wolf Parade way back in 2005? Remember how good they really were? Remember Spencer Krug becoming the Man of the Year in 2006? Remember how you would worship him? Remember how "I'll Believe In Anything" was your favorite song? I sure do. Well the only reason Wolf Parade started as a band is because the Arcade Fire needed an opening act and they asked Krug to get a band together. You know who he contacted?

Dan Boeckner

And then from there on out they shared the song-writing duties and formed a band in the midst of it all. After releasing Apologies to the Queen Mary they were already legends. The album took a lot of people by storm and helped cause an avant-garde musical frenzy.

Remember how Sunset Rubdown's Shut Up I Am Dreaming was on 2006 year-end lists alike? Remember how Krug even had time to form Swan Lake? Well guess who's turn it is now?

Yup, Dan Boeckner's, and with his fiancee Alexei Perry, he has formed Handsome Furs. Seamlessly addicting and one of the relatively smarter bands of today.

I always knew he had it in him since "Shine A Light"

MP3'S

Dead + Rural

Dumb Animals

Handsome Furs Hate The City

The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack
(Live Liars Cover)

Happy Easter

Considering today is Easter, and even though the meaning of Easter may have lost it's value over the years, it still stays steadfast in my heart. Jesus died for our sins, and was resurrected, and today is the day we celebrate his resurrection.

So, me being the type to tie things into one another like a shoestring holding a pair chucks together, I present you with tracks off of one of the most over looked and highly relevant albums of all-time The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut wall-of-sound stunner, Psychocandy.

"It has been noted that the band was very fond of drugs such as LSD and methamphetamines and that the drugs influenced the ear-piercing, screeching feedback, which immediately became their trademark. The record received unanimously positive reviews and is now considered a landmark recording."

MP3's

Just Like Honey

The Living End

Taste The Floor

The Hardest Walk

The National

Since the overwhelming success and straight forwardness brought forth by The National about two years ago with the release of Alligator, the guys have brought back their sharp chords and melodies for more of a party instead of their last album's parade. Actually Boxer is more of a get-together, but who doesn't like the term party?

I'm pretty secure in saying anyone who can enjoy a good get-together will enjoy Boxer. It's edgy but not too risky, segued, but not inflected. Boxer is not a shadow of Alligator but more it's own self, casting it's own view. But just as Alligator has proven to, Boxer also gives us a stronger feeling of assurance with each new listen.

MP3's

Boxer track-list

Fake Empire (mp3)
Mistaken for Strangers (mp3)
Brainy
Squalor Victoria (mp3)
Green Gloves
Slow Show (mp3)
Apartment Story (mp3)
Start a War (mp3)
Guest Room
Racing Like a Pro
Ada
Gospel

Back 2 Back

Since the Florida Gators Basketball Team became the first "Back 2 Back" National Champion since Christian Laettner's Duke Squad back in the early 90's, I'll post a few "Back 2 Back" songs on albums of the past 2 years that I really seem to enjoy.

MP3's

Swan Lake - Beast Moans (2006)

4. A Venue Called Rubella
5. All Fires

The first of the two being the more experimental
...and the second being the godsend.


Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance (2006)

8. Granddance
9. Within Hours

Granddace is a good album as a whole but the
way the title track glides into the elegant and waving
'Within Hours' is almost flawless.


Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir (2007)

1. Sinister In A State of Hope
2. I Am John

'Sinister' is pretty and poised,
and 'I Am John' is hands down Song of The Year.


LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

4. Someone Great
5. All My Friends

A little over two years ago I said "James Murphy
is making the best music of today"
and he has not proven me wrong.

Track of the Week

DeVotchKa - How It Ends

Roommate

Roommate started as a solo project for Kent Lambert. Now a full band, based in Chicago, they have had some radio play in Belgium, but other than that they are pretty discreet. Songs The Animals Taught Us came out in 2006, and an early 2007 EP entitled New Steam has been released. If all goes as planned the band will release their sophomore effort sometime in 2007.

MP3's

Roommate - Tuesday

Roommate - Fresh Boys

Roommate - Hot Commods

Roommate - RP (Forget The Metaphors)

The Last track being a River Phoenix tribute, and my personal favorite.

Arms

Arms is Todd Goldstein. Todd is a guitarist for The Harlem Shakes. Todd is a very talented man. I do not know Todd, but if i did, I'd shake his right hand, look him square in the eye and tell him how if he hadn't written "Tiger Tamer" I would have. But I'm glad he did because it probably would have taken me a few years to write and record, and that would have been years missed listening to it.

This music stays with you like chap stick in the wintertime.
Sometimes you just need it.

MP3's

Arms - Whirring

Arms - Kids Aflame

Arms - Tiger Tamer

Arms - Shitty Little Disco