Influential albums

This was actually one of the ideas I had on my mind when I was writing the first paragraph of the Nada Surf review back in January. I was planning to do this as a part of the "older albums revisited" section but it was st. tropez who finally forced me to get down to it. It took me three months...

I got into music much, much later than most of you. It wasn't until I discovered the secret of downloading. Yes, big surprise, I'm a pirate. Therefore almost all the albums mentioned here will be from the noughties. I may not listen to many of them anymore, but these records had a tremendous impact on my life and I'll always have a soft spot for them. Let's start with 21 albums that didn't make the final cut. I'm pretty sure I'll revisit them one day too.

AFI Sing the Sorrow
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Ash Meltdown
Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil
Biffy Clyro Only Revolutions
Blink 182 Enema of the State
The Cure Disintegration
Fightstar Be Human
The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound
Idlewild Broken Promises
Journey Escape
The Killers Sam's Town
Lostprophets Liberation Transmission
Muse Black Holes And Revelations
Oasis What's the Story Morning Glory?
Rise Against The Sufferer & the Witness
Saosin Saosin
Silversun Pickups Swoon
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Story of the Year Page Avenue
Taking Back Sunday Louder Now
Travis The Boy With No Name

The Beatles Help!

I think it's safe to say, that the Beatles have been with me all my life. I digged all of their songs when I heard them on the radio. But it wasn't until the 2009 remaster, which offered a great opportunity, that I checked their whole catalogue out and discovered there's a lot more to love than just the notoriously known singles. I could easily choose any Beatles' album, but I chose Help!, because the first track of the same name was literally the very first song ever to gain the title "my favourite song". Although, I was in elementary school and probably didn't even know any other band at that time. But that's not the point. I love the Beatles, period.

V. A. Forest Gump Soundtrack

I decided not to include movie scores, because otherwise this list would look utterly different. But since this album is a compilation of songs and its impact on my musical upbringing was crucial, I simply had to mention it. Forrest Gump's now legendary soundtrack featuring artists like Scott McKenzie, The Mamas & the Papas, The Beach Boys or The Supremes started my obsession with 1960s, arguably the greatest and most important decade in popular music. One thing lead to another and the rest is history. Now I find myself listening to Pet Sounds or the Hollies' greatest hits compilation more often than any other contemporary album.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium

This excessive double album was my first encounter with the Peppers and I spent a substantial amount of time listening to it. Except for the immediate tracks and singles, there are a few hidden gems too. Most notably the fantastic Wet Sand, one of the most overlooked songs ever. Stadium Arcadium represents the peak of the band's career and it was also the last album to feature the lead guitarist John Frusciante, whom I admire greatly. The long-haired virtuoso is an extremely interesting figure and his guitar lines used to be the highlight of almost every Peppers' song.

Nada Surf Lucky

Nada Surf is one of the bands I have to thank Sparkle for. She introduced me to them after Lucky came out. The first song I heard was See These Bones, immediately followed by Whose Authority. And although the rest of the album doesn't quite stand up to its first two tracks, it is still an extremely enjoyable set of songs. This band opened the door to a whole new world of indie music for me. Death Cab for Cutie, Lydia, Sleeping At Last, they all came after Nada Surf. I still treasure this band and all its albums deeply.

Interpol Antics

I hadn't even heard about something called post-punk, nor did I have any idea why it needed a revival, before I stumbled across the video for Slow Hands. It was one of those moments that immediately broadened my horizons. I was blown away. There was a whole new kind of music to explore. Since then, the aforementioned single, along with Evil (bolstered by its famously creepy music video) and  Not Even Jail have become my all time favourite songs and Antics is still by far the Interpol's album I spin the most.

Placebo Meds

For me, this record was the door into alternative rock and British music in genereal. Placebo albums are hardly ever without flaws and a fair share of fillers, but Meds is arguably the closest they've ever got to perfection, hand in hand with wide accessibility. Aside from the singles, there's still enough to dig. The most important fact about the band is, though, that there isn't any other quite like them. They're music's eternal outsiders. I don't listen to Placebo even remotely as much as I used to, but when I put them on the playlist, it usually starts an obsession that lasts for days.

Jimmy Eat World Futures

The first Jimmy Eat World song I ever heard was Pain. It popped out from Youtube like it was bound to be found. Needless to say, I was hooked instantly. Over the course of the years, Jimmy Eat World went on to become the most important band in my life. There is no other band that could get you through tough times like them. And they've always been incredibly consistent. Jim Adkins & Co. have never let me down. On Futures, the band explored darker themes and let loose their experimental side, which resulted in arguably the best album of their career. From the opening track of the same name to the epic closer 23, everything just falls into the right place. Whenever I think of Jimmy Eat World, I think of this album, and whenever I think about why I love music, I think of Jimmy Eat World.

My Chemical Romance The Black Parade

This band came to my attention during the crucial year of 2007. I was graduating from high school, heading for college and music used to be my biggest escape. Linkin Park were my favourite band back then. When I stumbled across the trailer for Projekt Revolution Tour, My Chemical Romance caught my attention immediately. I checked a few of their songs out and couldn't wait until I layed my hands on the whole album. Well, nothing can compare to the sensation I felt when I heard The Black Parade for the first time. It had the perfect timing. I couldn't get enough of it, literally spinning it over and over for months, recommeding it to everyone.

But to be honest, not many people shared my enthusiasm. I used to be kind of looked down upon for listening to them and I still am. However, I've always thought that musically, My Chem surpassed most of their peers by a long margin. Their latest effort, Danger Days only cemented that position. With each album, they were able to come up with a whole new image and style, constantly getting better. When they do something, they do it 100 percent. And that's what admire the most about them. Although I don't adore the Black Parade nearly as much as I used to, I still consider it to be a good example of the band's capabilities.

The Black Parade had a significant chance to seize the top spot, but after a long consideration, I eventually moved it down to the third place...

Green Day American Idiot

I pretty much started listening and actively searching for music by the time Boulevard of Broken Dreams hit the airwaves. The song was literally everywhere and I got the impression that Green Day might be the right band for me. My musical journey started that day and these punk revivalists guided my way. Green Day was the first band I truly got into and it was mostly songs from American Idiot that were later on heavy rotation on my playlists, along with those from Linkin Park an Enya. Yep, Enya.

Linkin Park Meteora

This has to be on top. All things considered, Linkin Park are simply one of the most influential acts of the 21st century. For me and many of my peers, they were the gateway band into harder music (yes, there was a time when Faint seemed heavy). Through them, we discovered many other and often better bands. And although Linkin Park have become kind of a punchbag in the recent years, their importance remains undeniable.

While Hybrid Theory might get all the credit and eventually went on to become one of the best selling albums of the decade, I always liked Meteora better. Less screamy, more melodic, it had the perfect combination of mainstream accessibility and enough edge to satisfy most of my tastes back then. I can still totally see the appeal. Numb, Breaking the Habit and Easier to Run were the soundtrack to my teenage years. However, I haven't listened to them for a very, very long time...