1989: Stryper
this is rather embarrassing, but in 8th grade I had Stryper tapes, posters, stickers and anything else I could find related to this yellow and black, hair-metal fiasco. they made me feel as rebellious as a christian metal band in tights ever could. i’m still trying to perfect my metal scream.
1992: The Beatles
when i was a sophomore in high school, my friend played me his Sgt. Pepper tape. literally, i have never be the same. the shadow of john, paul, george, and ringo - most notably from the second side of “Abbey Road” - is loitering around every note I’ve tried to write since.
1994: Keith Green
so i was standing in a christian bookstore with a gift certificate in my hands trying to figure out what to get, and i noticed “Keith Green’s greatest hits”. the piano pounding was inspiring, and even the cheesy 70s production couldn’t hold back this freight train of passion.
1995: Stone Temple Pilots
again. . .very embarrassing. but i have to admit that this band really influenced me during early college. they weren’t the most original of the grunge bands, but in my opinion, they were the most musical.
1996: Jellyfish
one of the most inventive, musical, gratuitously creative bands i’ve ever heard. rumor is that after their second CD, Spilled Milk, they decided that this was the best album they could ever make. . .and so they broke up. i can see why.
1997: U2
i tagged along with some friends to my first U2 show in 1997 because they could sneak me down to the second row. that night changed me. 3 chord rock and roll that wraps it’s arms around an entire stadium and won’t give up until it changes the world. . .so inspiring.
Table for Glasses, Jimmy Eat World
Currents, Sleeping at Last
Apocalypse Now, Muse
the first 5 songs from Ok Computer, Radiohead
Wake Up, Arcade Fire
Magic, Ben Folds Five
Redemption Songs, Bob Marley
Road to Joy, Bright Eyes
The Scientist, Coldplay
Father Figure, George Michael
Sabrina, Paste, and Plato, Jellyfish
Into the Void, NIN
Dumb, Nirvana
Down to the River to Pray, Allison Krauss
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,
Postal Service
Bicycle, Queen
Nightswimming, REM
Poses, Rufus Wainwright
Phantom Limb, The Shins
Oh the Glory of it All, David Crowder
John Wayne Gacy Jr., Sufjan Stevens
I’m Dying, VAST
-Vampire Weekend
in 2009, my wife and I listened to “Vampire Weekend” more than any other album. It was the perfect music to have playing whenever we had people over, and immediately put us in a good mood. I love the marriage of east coast snobbery with earthy, African rhythms.
-Regina Spektor
this was another rare overlap of Shauna and my musical tastes, so it got a lot of plays. Regina is so quirky and strange, which I love, and writes killer pop songs.
-Michael Jackson
after he died in June, I burned a CD of all my favorite MJ songs and played it into the ground. (Shauna and I did NOT agree on this!). I truly can’t tell you how many times I sang along with “Man in the Mirror” or danced in my car to “Smooth Criminal” last year.
-The Fleet Foxes
if Vampire Weekend started every party at our house, The Fleet Foxes accompanied dinner. This is the perfect mood album for a meal: soulful, beautiful, and a little dark.
-Sigur Ros
even though they didn’t put out a CD in 09, I still listened to “Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust” approximately one million times.
-Bifrost Arts
a friend introduced me to this collection of spirituals and hymns. It became the primary worship-type music I listened to all year. Oh how I need to find more music like this.
