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johannesviii · 4 years

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Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2016

I think everyone will agree that 2016 had “Impending Doom” written all over it, and as a result a lot of pop music became very depressed very quickly, and as such, I’m less enthusiastic about this list than some of the previous ones.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

For a year that was so cataclysmic worldwide, 2016 was pretty mundane for me, so let’s just skip to the albums that came out that year and which I consider relevant to my tastes. Obviously (and unfortunately) there was David Bowie with Black Star. We should have known we had jumped right into the Worst Timeline when the year started with the death of Bowie. Nine Inch Nails also released Not The Actual Events, which was pretty good, and as I said previously I consider Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams to be more of a 2016 than a 2015 album. And then there was the biggest surprise of all, the return of Enigma after eight years of silence, with the very good Fall Of A Rebel Angel (even if A Posteriori is still my favorite “modern” Enigma album). EDIT: I forgot Ghostlights by Avantasia. Took me YEARS to listen to it & realise how good it was.

But no. Surprisingly enough, my favorite album of the year wasn’t any of those. It was... oh god, that title. Here we go. It was I Like It When You Sleep for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It by The 1975 - which I like to call “The 1975′s second album” instead, because what the hell, guys. Anyway. It had been a while since I had found a new band I’d consider to be one of my favorite bands. I really liked Chocolate from their previous album but that was it. But this one? What a breath of fresh air. A Change of Heart, She’s American, Please Be Naked, The Ballad Of Me And My Brain, Somebody Else, The Sound, This Must Be My Dream? That’s only the songs I listened to on a loop and that’s already nearly half of the album. Great music, love the vocals, but I especially love the writing, full of strange and awkward details and lines that make everything feel so alive. The first time I listened to some of these songs, some lines actually got a chuckle out of me, like the American girl wanting the narrator to fix his teeth, or him hopping on a bus to ask the passengers if someone found his brain, or his girlfriend complaining about his shoes and his songs then immediately adding “I thought that you were straight, now I’m wondering”.

As someone who’s constantly puzzled by human relationships and tends to act super awkwardly, all of this is extremely relatable. So yeah. Album of the year, love this band - impatiently waiting for that fourth album!

As far as unelligible songs go, as you can guess I’m furious The Sound (The 1975) wasn’t a hit because I was and I’m still listening to it on a loop. And that’s about it. Wait there’s also Kids by One Republic. It was super good. Apart from that, there’s also one (1) elligible song that I’m gonna put on the 2017 list instead because I really struggled to find enough songs I liked for that list, and that particular one is elligible for 2016 thanks to the French year-end list and 2017 thanks to the US year-end list, so eh.

Time for some honorable mentions.

This Girl (Kungs vs Cookin’ on Three Burners) - Number one of the year here. Every time I heard it (and I heard it a lot) I enjoyed it until that wretched drop.

Fast Car (Jonas Blue ft Dakota) - Not a good cover, but I love the original so much I’d be lying if I said I hated this completely.

Sucker for Pain (Lil Wayne & Imagine Dragons) - No, that slow, heavy, tortured beat that all recent Imagine Dragons songs have doesn’t work on topics like being a natural at something, being a believer, or describing thunder. It does work, however, with a chorus saying “I'm just a sucker for pain”.

Cheap Thrills (Sia ft Sean Paul) - Sean Paul, and a song about having fun without any money. Everything I want from an average hit song on the radio.

In the Night (The Weeknd) - This would be much higher if I didn’t find The Weeknd’s upper register slightly painful to listen to.

J’ai Cherché (Amir) - Hey look, the guy France sent to Eurovision that year. He’s still around, too. He’s pretty good, and that song is super cute.

Ride (21 Pilots) - Not the last time they will appear on this list.

Je Suis Chez Moi (Black M) - Pretty good song about racism, and the singer explicitly calls out a far right political figure who said some pretty terrible shit about him, and it’s a good answer.

Perfect (One Direction) - This is just Style by Taylor Swift all over again except slightly less good. But as I said before, copying good songs isn’t always a bad thing.

Human (Rag’n’bone Man) - Would definitely be on the list if listening to it didn’t feel like working.

Into You (Ariana Grande) - The last cut. The ending is wonderful and explosive, it’s just a shame that the entire song doesn’t sound like that.

And now... the list.

10 - Stressed Out (21 Pilots)

US: #5 / FR: #9

Defining song of the entire year, whether you liked it or not.

Fortunately, as you can see, I liked it a lot, even if I don’t have anything interesting to say about it.

9 - Don’t Be So Shy (Imany, Filatov & Karas remix)

US: Not on the list / FR: #2

I often joked that the melody sounded weirdly similar to Goldman’s “Envole-moi” by singing the lyrics of the verses over the Don’t Be So Shy verses, and it fits nearly perfectly. But apart from that, great song, great remix, very overplayed but never to the point of being annoying.

8 - I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Mike Posner)

US: #15 / FR: #29

There’s nothing I could say about this song that Todd hasn’t said before in what I consider to be one of his best reviews, if not the best, so here it is.

7 - Heathens (21 Pilots)

US: #21 / FR: #23

Super ominous and tense. It’s rare when a mostly grey song looks interesting, and this one definitely does. I also like the ending a lot. Don’t hang out with too many toxic people, guys, they will influence you over time.

I had no idea this was made for the Suicide Squad movie until very recently and frankly I wish it hadn’t because it’s way better on its own, especially the hand grenade line which works a lot better as a metaphor for self-destructive tendencies.

6 - Starboy (The Weeknd)

US: #58 / FR: #16

As I said before it took me ages to like The Weeknd. His voice is great but I found most of his songs fairly boring or disliked their lyrics. And then he teamed up with Daft Punk and to be honest, I didn’t even care if the lyrics of this one included weird lines about drugs on furniture, the beat was completely worth it and the singing was great. Not enough to put it on my mp3 playlist, but a delight every time it was on the radio.

5 - Faded (Alan Walker)

US: Not on the list / FR: #11

I adore this post-apocalyptic, contemplative music video. The music itself has this weariness and this quiet despair that felt super relevant, and even the drop is a bit slow instead of energetic. I usually don’t like this kind of song but this one found the perfect balance. If we really need to have more sad, exhausted hit songs, more like this, please.

4 - Closer (The Chainsmokers)

US: #10 / FR: Not on the list

I usually don’t like love songs if they are just that, random love songs without a good melody or good colors or good stories. If the melody isn’t particularly great and the colors boring, it needs to paint an interesting picture, and the more details the better, even if they are super awkward, like, as I said previously, in some of The 1975′s best songs mentioning bad shoes, or people’s jobs, or how a car smells like.

So yeah, what I’m trying to say is that my favorite thing about this song is the over-abundance of weird and kind of off-putting details that most people consider to be its main flaw. To each their own, I guess.

3 - Never Forget You (Zara Larsson & MNEK)

US: #46 / FR: Not on the list

See, this is one of the reasons why I decided to make these lists: to find great stuff I missed over the years. I discovered this song while making the 1.0 version of the lists on a google sheet in early December, and now this has a spot on my mp3 player. And it’s so weird because this song shouldn’t work. The drop is ridiculously lifeless compared to the soaring quality of the chorus and it actively works against the rest of the song. It takes a while to get used to it and I’m still not entirely sure it does work, at all.

But what can I say, framing is, once again, everything, and songs about imaginary friends are super rare, and that music video made me cry and catapulted this song from “that’s pretty good” right into the “holy shit that’s fantastic” category. And it made me rewatch Where The Wild Things Are, so yeah.

2 - Perfect Strangers (Jonas Blue)

US: Not on the list / FR: #70

This, on the other hand, stayed on my mp3 player for about two years, and the music fits the lyrics perfectly. It’s not a groundbreaking song, it’s not even that original, but in such an average year for pop music, “happy energetic song with beautiful colors and nice lyrics” meant the world to me. It’s kind of telling that it was enough to put it as high as #2, though.

1 - Hymn For the Weekend (Coldplay ft Beyoncé)

US: #73 / FR: Not on the list

And with this, Coldplay has officially topped as many of my lists as Linkin Park. If, back when The Scientist dropped, you had told me how much I would love this band in the future, I would have laughed pretty hard, but here we are.

But yeah, it’s one of my favorite songs on the album and it’s a super weird combo of heavy and aerial sounds, soft and super colorful notes, and I love the lyrics that completely mirror that feeling, feeling “drunk and high", “poured on a symphony when I’m low, low, low”. A great party song that’s also strangely melancholic. Exactly what I needed.

And then the Seeb remix happened and added a truely fantastic drop on top of an already great song, like turning the saturation up and adding little pulsing lights and transparency effects and shit. It’s sincerely hypnotic and visually so complex and fragile I’m afraid I won’t be able to draw it if I ever attempt to turn it into a synesthesia drawing. Just like A Sky Full of Stars, I was driving the first time I heard that remix on the radio, and I wasn’t expecting that drop at all, and I was gawking.

Godspeed, Coldplay, I’m so glad you’re still a positive force in my life, especially in these trying times.

Next up: Oh my god are you telling me that after 15 years I can finally put a song from that other band at the top of one of my lists

#Johannes’ bad not good pretty terrible music lists #music #long post #eye contact tw

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bowiebwe-blog · 6 years

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Bowie’s Favorite Albums of 2017 Big List! (Intro, #60-41)

Alright! One of my favorite times of the year is actually this list haha. It’s when I finally get to unleash on the world some of my collected thoughts on what came out in the music world this year, and there are a lot of them! I used to just post this list on Facebook in previous years, but this year’s list is a whole new monster. A monster waaaayyy too big for Facebook.

Out of all the years in my life, 2017 was probably my favorite year in music so far (2013 taking 2nd place). Maybe that’s just because I’ve become more invested in it since years past, but either way, it blew me away. I knew last year about some of the big names preparing for releases this year (Eminem, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift, etc.), so of course expectations were high, but those got beat! And I’m lovin’ it! SUCH A GOOD YEAR IN MUSIC!! And my band released our first EP earlier this year too, but out of fairness and all that jazz that won’t be included on here. But hey, I’m a fan ;)

So here I’ve got my top-60 favorite albums of 2017. I listened to around 65 or so new albums this year, but some honestly weren’t good enough to be included and sixty’s a nice, pleasant number haha. Please understand that these are my OPINIONS, so even if it sounds like I’m saying something that could be taken as a fact, like, “this album is amazing,” it’s really not a fact at all. I believe that there really aren’t definitive answers for music. It’s all about how it hits us individually. To say a song is or isn’t great as a fact is kinda dumb. The closest guide I use is what I once heard John Mayer say, which is “the public is never wrong.” And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

So here I’m going to give you the album artist and title, my thoughts on the release, and a few (or one, or whatever I feel like, dang it) of my favorite songs from the album. Just because I like them doesn’t necessarily mean I’d recommend them though. We’re all different, and I try to make my recommendations very personalized. So take a quick look, read every word, skip to number one, or whatever you’d like. It’s all here for you. Enjoy!

———-

Honorable Mention:

Coldplay - Kaleidoscope EP

The only reason this isn’t on the main list is because it’s not actually a full-scale “album.” That’s. It. Coldplay still consistently makes some of the best music out there today (the public is never wrong), and this EP is full of solid songs. Well, besides the live version of “Something Just Like This,” I just don’t feel like that was necessary here and takes away from the cohesiveness of the EP. But the rest of the songs push Coldplay’s songwriting to new limits, seeing how far they can stretch it without losing who they are at heart. “Aliens” might just be their most experimental song to date, “All I Can Think About Is You” feels like the beautiful love child of “Atlas” and their old “Blue Room EP,” and “Hypnotized” I’ll be babbling about later. Great EP.

*All I Can Think About Is You, Hypnotized

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60. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

I was intrigued to listen to this one after hearing her debut album a while back, but it’s not an album to lose any sleep over. Most every song uses similar guitar tones, effects, and patterns on top of repetitive singing tones and patterns. It’s one of those albums I wouldn’t mind just having in the background of a chill session (is that a thing?) for a little bit, but that’s about it for me.

*Claws In Your Back

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59. Kesha - Rainbow

Good album, not great. Somehow it creaked into Rolling Stone’s top-10, but hey, to each their own haha. Kesha went out and made a very self-empowering album here, and she very clearly states she’s done takin’ y'all’s crap. It has it’s very cool moments (“Praying”), and very possibly the most charming song of the year (“Godzilla”), but it’s just a “good” album to me.

*Praying, Godzilla, Old Flames

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58. Migos - Culture

Maybe this album will grow on me, buuuut I’m not there yet haha. It’s not a bad album, I just don’t get all the hype that’s been around it. But like I said, maybe I will someday. There are interesting ideas and concepts in here, and definitely some interesting uses of onomatopoeia (never predicted I’d use that word on this list) though, and it makes it an album to at least check out. I don’t see this album changing rap forever like some have claimed, but it is interesting.

*Big On Big, Slippery

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57. AJR - The Click

Ya know, this album gets a lot better when I forget about the hat. AJR are an interesting band. They’re part of that new generation/movement that has access to an incredible amount of digital sounds and decides to use a very high, diverse selection of them. I mean, Native Instruments might as well sponsor these guys at this point with how often they show off their Maschine and all the sounds the got from it during their live shows. So it’s an interesting album. But it’s also pretty good. Not all great, but mostly “good.” Think Twenty One Pilots’ little eccentric cousin. I dunno. It’s good haha. Definitely a bit fascinating to listen to for the production choices if not much else. And they use an overture, which I actually really dig. Definitely one of the harder albums here to wrap your mind around, for better or worse.

*Overture, The Good Part

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56. Phoenix - Ti Amo

I just found out Phoenix is from France. Huh. Anyway, Phoenix has built a reputation as being a consistently solod alternative band. They go for a bit of a change of sound this time around, and it makes me kinda think of an 80’s high school dance -type thing. But they do it really well, and even though that was probably a terrible comparison, it does sound modern and groovey. Definitely a much more colorful, bright album than their previous albums. Phoenix just makes good albums.

*Fior Di Latte, Ti Amo, Tuttifrutti

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55. Margo Price - All American Made

I checked this album out because Rolling Stone named it their #1 country album of the year, and though I don’t quiiiite agree with that placement, I’m glad I did. Simple, genuine, charming. Definitely an honest album from the artist, and it gives a good insight on her views on some of the social issues out there today. And in a world that’s losing that “old country” feel, albums like this keep it alive, and it’s a beautiful thing.

*Learning to Lose

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54. Maroon 5 - Red Pill Blues

2017. This album in one word. There’s been a lot of distaste by listeners for Maroon 5 over the past few years because of their draw towards pop trendiness instead of the way they used to be in the early 00’s, and I can’t say I blame ‘em, but Maroon 5 is still Maroon 5, and you can’t get as big as they are without making at least “pretty good” music. (What a big run-on sentence.) I mean, you can still occasionally hear the old Maroon 5 somewhere deep in here but it’s too often buried beneath the biggest sounds and trends of 2017, and that really does detract from the heart of everything. But still, the album has it’s good moments and is generally enjoyable. Definitely not their best, but it’s still a decent pop album.

*Denim Jacket, Lips On You

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53. Andy Grammer - The Good Parts

Alright, we’ve all heard Andy Grammer on the radio before, and that’s pretty much what you get. No big changes or evolutions, no big surprises, but you get an enjoyable, radio-factory, cookie-cutter pop album. Basically like any AG album haha. He follows the national trend with this one and has gone more electronic and all that, and that’s as new as you’ll get, but he still does those feel-good vibes probably better than anyone else on pop radio these days (and I actually believe him). I wish he’d sometimes take a step back from overreaching for a catch at the expense of an emotional center (I’m looking at you, “The Good Parts”), but I still enjoyed listening to this one.

*Fresh Eyes, Workin On It

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52. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

Nah, I get it. I really do. Some people adore this album and it’s near the top of their “Best of 2017” lists. But I don’t quite feel it as much. Probably the main issue I’ve got with it is that it’s just. too. long. The average song on here is six minutes long. For me, I don’t mind long songs at any given time if there’s some sort of change in them, something that expands its reach and says something else within that spectrum (Green Day’s “Jesus Of Suburbia” comes to mind). These songs sometimes just kinda feel like they take forever to say what they need to say. So it’s hard to sit down with this album and thoroughly enjoy it without checking my watch, but the songs themselves are good songs I wouldn’t mind having shuffled in my playlists on occasion. Despite its length and lack of strong melodies, it is a well-made album and worthy of the praise it’s gotten, but it just doesn’t click with me super well.

*Pain

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51. Zac Brown Band - Welcome Home

If you know Zac Brown Band, you know what you’re getting here. If not, this is another upbeat, fun, warm album from one of the best country groups out there today. Not really anything suprising here or any big changes of formula from the usual ZBB, but it’s still a very enjoyable album to just throw on and have a good day to.

*Long Haul, All The Best

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50. Prophets Of Rage - Prophets Of Rage

You think these guys voted democrat?

I’m a huge Rage Against The Machine fan, so I was pretty excited when I heard about these guys coming together to form this project. It’s a hard-hitting, no punches pulled, fists in the air, solid rap/rock album. Just be prepared to deal with strong opinions, because pretty much every track on this album is exactly that. It’s pure disruption. These guys do what they do very well though, and no matter your social stances, it’s a fun time getting into. (Please note though, the songs I chose for this album are purely based off musical preferences.)

*Living On The 110, Hail To The Chief

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49. William Patrick Corgan - Ogilala

“William *Patrick* Corgan.” This is not the same Willy/Billy I’ve ever heard haha. No more of The Smashing Pumpkins’ grungey guitars or hard-hitting drums here. No more drums here. He took a huge step back here and made a true solo album that is primarily just piano and guitar, and it actually makes his songwriting glow a bit. It’s probably the simplest album on this list, and it’s kind of refreshing to listen to at times. Solid effort, Willy/Billy. Solid effort.

*Aeronaut

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48. Mansionz - Mansionz

If you haven’t listened to this just because of the cover art, I can’t say I blame you haha. These guys (Mike Posner and Blackbear, actually really good artists) are throwing all popular opinions and expectations out the window and making sure you know it. Seems like they literally just got together, said “**** it, let’s make a crazy album,” and did it. But here’s the shocking thing, is it’s actually pretty good. Not all of it was all that great, but it’s mostly an enjoyable experience. Mike Posner is also one of the artists out there I’m most fascinated by these days (“I’m Thinking About Horses”), and it’s interesting to see what these two guys made together.

*I’m Thinking About Horses, Rich White Girls, White Linen

—–

47. Linkin Park - One More Light

It’d be really easy to write a glowing opinion on this one because of what happened with Linkin Park this year, but I’m going to try to drop all sentimentality for a sec. Linkin Park went pop here. Though not to the levels of Chainsmokers or whatever, that’s what they did. These artists who are filled up with so much fire and rage in their youth grow up, and if they’re being honest their music grows up with them, which usually means it mellows out at least a bit (look at Eminem). So pop seems like it was just the place where what they were feeling and wanted to express happened to fit at the moment. WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE. And it breaks my heart now like it broke my heart when this album came out that a lot of their fans don’t seem to understand that. Or probably moreso. Linkin Park made a really good album here, but rather than supporting the band at heart and looking at this album for what it really is, a lot of their fans supported their own idea of what they wanted to the band to be instead and ripped on this one, which makes me really sad. It’s a good album. Sure, I definitely wouldn’t grade it anywhere near as high as “Hybrid Theory,” but Linkin Park are still Linkin Park here, and Linkin Park makes dang good music. If this is going to be Linkin Park’s last album, they ended on a different, but strong note.

*Good Goodbye, One More Light, Sorry For Now

—

46. Rise Against - Wolves

Well, they’re not exactly trying to make an “Abbey Road” here or anything like that, but I do love me some Rise Against! Rise Against is one of those bands that has a formula for themseleves that works and that they do very well, and they stick to it rather than try to re-create themselves all the time. But hey, that’s perfectly fine by me. There will always be a nice spot on my lifting playlists for their songs. And, “if it ain’t broke…”

*Wolves, Miracle

—

45. Beck - Colors

Considering the tone of Beck’s previous album, the excellent “Morning Phase,” this one was a bit of a surprise. He got a lot groovier, and I dig it. It’s a very bright, fun album. Definitely more reliant on synthetic sounds this time around, but that’s not a bad thing. Beck’s still out there making great albums.

*Seventh Heaven, Up All Night

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44. Russ - There’s Really A Wolf

Russ is an intriguing guy. This isn’t some amazing, instant-standout rap album. But! It is a good rap album. And Russ strikes me as a guy who has worked his butt off to get where he is and who will continue to work his butt off to get where he wants to be. It feels like the beginning of something. Will he get hits later and make it to arenas? I dunno. He writes, produces, mixes and engineers all of his songs himself though, and that is enough to impress me with the level these songs are at. It’s a promising start to his mainstream career.

*There’s Really A Wolf, Pull The Trigger

—

43. The National - Sleep Well Beast

This album feels kinda like taking a warm bath. It’s nice and relaxing, but not quite “hot,” you know? But don’t get me wrong, it is definitely a good album. There aren’t really many standout songs, or any that stand out significantly to me, but the album as a whole is the kind of solid piece of art we’ve come to know and love from The National. I’d recommend playing it in the background of a chill night.

*Carin At The Liquor Store, Dark Side Of The Gym

–

42. The Chainsmokers - Memories… Do Not Open

Love 'em or hate 'em, there’s no denying The Chainsmokers are good at what they do, which is making hits. If you want 2017 pop radio summed up in an album, this would probably be a decent one to pick. They’ve got catchy choruses, big drops, the works. It’s not exactly a Da Vinci of an album, but hey, I enjoy dipping my feet in it on rare occasion.

*Something Just Like This, Paris

——

41. St. Vincent - Masseduction

Yeah, no, this is a pretty dang good alternative album. Definitely not the usual album out that’s out there. Has it’s own vibe going. Kinda strange (not in a bad way), and kinda empowering. It’s not *all* my cup of tea, but there are some really good songs on here (“Los Ageless”) for sure. This is the first St. Vincent album I’ve listened to and it’s good enough for me to want to keeo checking out more of them. So even though it’s not quite all the way up my alley, I can see why it’s held in such high regard.

-Slow Disco, Los Ageless

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arielufret · 7 years

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Favorite Albums- from START to FINISH

I feel like we all have a handful of go-to albums that we can listen to without skipping a single song. Not because we are lazy, but because we genuinely enjoy every track. Albums to me are special because they (should) tell some sort of story. I am going to list the ones that are on my go-to list. Would love to hear what yours are!

No particular order! (I am going to try to remember to link to each of the albums via Spotify, too, so feel free to give these a spin for yourselves!)

Switchfoot - ‘Hello Hurricane’ This one is special to me because even before hearing the first single, I got to hear the band play this album from start to finish live. Its symbolism is impressive and creative, as its meant to represent an actual HURRICANE. The way the songs build and flow, it sounds like a storm rolling in... you can tell when you have made it to the eye of the hurricane and when the storm starts to subside. If you haven’t given this one a listen, I suggest it. Start at 1... no shuffle. Go all the way to the end. Then give me a buzz and tell me you don’t love it. You won’t be able to. :)

Mumford & Sons - ‘Sigh No More’ This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me... even if you just kind of know me. This band can really do no wrong in my book, but ‘Sigh No More’ is a perfect album from start to finish for me. The world would not be the same for me, personally, without each and every one of these songs. I can’t say that for many other albums, if any. It’s special and exciting when you discover an album that has that kind of impact on you.

Jessie Baylin - ‘Firesight’ & ‘Little Spark’ I have Matt Nathanson to thank for introducing me to the absolute gem that is Jessie Baylin. I love women singer songwriters and she is at the top of my list. ‘Firesight’ is a bit more “pop”, but I use that term quite loosely. I also do not think there is a single thing wrong with the term. You will see that later in my list when I go FULL ON BUBBLEGUM. The follow up (which I waited on with baited breath) was equally special and different, but in a way in which you can still listen to both albums shuffled together and its cohesive. Do yourself a favor. Listen to these two albums.

Matt Nathanson - ‘Beneath These Fireworks’, ‘Some Mad Hope’, ‘Modern Love’, ‘Last of the Great Pretenders’, ‘Show Me Your Fangs’ As you can see from the list here, this man can do no wrong in my book. Not only did he introduce me to Jessie Baylin by bringing her out to open on a tour of his many years ago, but I’ll be damned if he isn’t one of my all time favorite songwriters/story tellers. A live show from Matt is equal parts music and comedy show, and he does both parts with uncanny ability. Over the last decade+, Matt Nathanson has provided me with endless hours of listening. Some songs have pulled me out of myself for long enough that I can see things the way they should be instead of staying inside my own head and self destructing. If that isn’t talent, then I don’t know what is. Honorable mention: Live album, ‘At the Point (Live)’.

Tom Petty - ‘Full Moon Fever’ Here we have my first favorite album of all time. It will always be special to me, as long as I have ears to listen to music or a memory of how special music is to me. I was a whopping four years old when this album was released. I stole it-- like legit STOLE it-- from my dad. I still have it in my possession today. He never got it back. From the moment I heard it, it was like something inside me clicked ‘on’ and it never turned ‘off’. For that, I will forever be indebted to the one and only, Tom Petty (& the Heartbreakers, of course).

Billy Joel - ‘Storm Front’ Again, this one is sentimental to me because it happened when I was just really discovering music and picking out my own favorites. My parents were in one of those ridiculous “CD clubs” where they would send you those sheets of stamps that you would go through and pick the 10 albums or whatever the number was that you wanted and they supposedly would charge you a penny or some ridiculous nonsense. I was 4, so I didn’t understand what a pyramid scheme was, but I am sure there is someone out there searching for my parents to pay off their cd club debts to society. Now that we have the back story-- there was a day my parents were look through their little CD cover stamps and I begged to have them let me pick a few for myself. I was a spoiled brat, so of course they obliged. My first choice was Billy Joel’s ‘Storm Front’. Because of my obession with “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. I wore that album OUT. It also left me with a skill that not many others have (I have asked and literally no one I have met can beat me at this).... I can sing every. single. word to “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. I am still holding my breath for an update from the 90′s to present. Get on that, Bill. I know you’ve got it in you!

Taylor Swift - ‘Red’ and ‘1989′ When you think perfect pop music, if you don’t think Taylor Swift, then I am not sure what you are looking for you in your pop music. Love her or hate her (I know what I would say to the haters-- ‘Why you gotta be so mean’) you have to admit her songwriting talent is there. And it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, as she seemingly is getting better and better with age and experiences. ‘Red’ was still when Taylor was in the country world but toeing into the wavy waters of full fledged POP. They are both in my ‘driving albums’ rotation. Perfect singalong at the top of your lungs material, especially if you are in a post break up, girl power mode (who isn’t always in that mode, though?)

One Direction - ‘Midnight Memories’, ‘FOUR’, ‘Made in the A.M.’ While I am on straight up POP, I have to discuss One Direction. I grew up the the world of the boyband. I was certain after the early 2000′s this fad would go away to return maybe never but certainly not with a group put together by Simon Cowell on a British competition show. But... alas... HERE THEY WERE, right in front of my eyes. Each of the 5 members of the band auditioned as solo artists. They did not make it, but the genius of Simon Cowell said ‘Wait just a bloody minute!!!’, at least thats how I imagine it going down backstage. And he pulled the 5 adorable youngsters together and said “SING AND DANCE AND MAKE THE WORLD LOVE YOU” and then they did just that. They did not win the X Factor but considering they are one of the top earning groups of all time and no one knows who came in first that season, I would say they fucking WON. In the process, they won my (much to old for this) heart and I have not been the same since. Luckily, I have friends my age who think the same thing, and they are all of age now, so I don’t have to feel creepy. Also, one of them knocked up one of the judges on the X Factor and she is older than me. So, I suppose its all in good fun. If you are ever in the mood for perfect pop, look up a One Direction album. NO SHAME! I promise.

Taking Back Sunday - ‘Tell All Your Friends’ Now, for the emo section. This album is high school for me. Senior year. It also reminds me of ex boyfriends from hell, which is not usually a welcome thing, but isn’t that what emo music is for? Open up all of the wounds you thought you’ve licked clean and healed just to remind you what it means to FEEL something. Anything. These songs aren’t all F YOU anthems to ghosts of girlfriends/boyfriends past, though. Some are genuinely fun, at least for me.

Brand New - ‘Your Favorite Weapon’ In another emo nod to high school memories, we have Brand New. Now, this band has beef with Taking Back Sunday and you can actually tell in their lyrics if you pay close attention. See if you can find it! Its fun!

Fall Out Boy - ‘Take This to Your Grave’, ‘From Under the Cork Tree’, ‘Infinity on High’, ‘Save Rock and Roll’ Here is another band that I have literally ZERO shame in admitting my love for. Emo? Whatever. Who cares? They have badass, long song titles that make nearly no sense with the song’s theme and it makes me love them even more. Plus, just google for some leaked photos of Pete Wentz and then you can have that visual to go along with the tracks and think happy thoughts. Dirty. I know. I am sorry. Its late and I am not sleeping until I finish this list. Panic! at the Disco - ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die’ Another band with a flare for a killer, long, sometimes ridiculous song title. The first album from this band is ALL sophomore year of college for me. Just as wonderful and confusing as those days were, this album is all of that and more. Their 2013 release is just as special to me, and the songs are just so good. I don’t care what your preconceived ideas are on this band.... give these songs a whirl. Their other albums are great too, but I do tend to skip a song or two when playing the album from start to finish, so rules being rules... I had to keep them from the list. But some of those songs will land on a list of of some of my favorite songs. So keep that in mind and give the full catalog a spin around the block for good measure. Brendon Urie, while we don’t have access to cell phone photos of what is under his clothes, we do have the video for a song called “Girls/Girls/Boys” which is almost (maybe more?) satisfying in a nod to the D’Angelo video for “Untitled (How Does it Feel?)”. YOU’RE WELCOME.

Howie Day - ‘Australia’, ‘The Madrigals EP’, ‘Stop All The World Now’, 'Live From.... EP’ As far as singer-songwriters go, Howie Day can basically do no wrong in my book. I stumbled upon Howie in the beginning of my desire to learn everything I could about John Mayer circa 2001. Thanks to that, I found one of my favorite artists of all time with Howie (he opened for John on some key dates in the earlier days of his career). His debut, ‘Australia’ still gets regular play from me, as to his other albums. Howie had some radio success and VH1 love for a couple of singles, so you may recognize the tracks “She Says” and “Ghost”. Now, my love for Howie isn’t just his boyish charm and great songwriting. Its also that mother F’ing looping pedal. The first time I saw him live, so many years ago.... I about had a heart attack. I had never seen anything like it. He was a one man music machine and I couldn’t get enough. Now, if anyone performs with a looping pedal, I automatically compare them to Howie and they rarely stack up to his skills. But I still fall for a man with looping pedal skills & an acoustic guitar, it never fails.

John Mayer - ‘Inside Wants Out EP’, ‘Room For Squares’, ‘Any Given Thursday’, ‘Heavier Things’ Oh John Mayer. Where do I even start? Discovered just shortly before the blockbuster release of ‘Room For Squares’. He gave me one of the greatest moments of my teenage life when I won upgraded tickets (front row) and meet & greet to his first big headlining tour. THANKS FAN CLUB! That was also the beginning of the end for me and live music... spoiled rotten. There are not many songwriters alive today that I can say I believe have more raw, indisputable talent than that of this human being. Don’t even get me started on his guitar skills. If you haven’t already spent some time with his catalog, I suggest starting from the beginning with these 4 suggestions.

Not ALL of them made the list, but as artists before on this list it doesn’t mean that those unmentioned albums aren’t nearly perfect. So give those a listen to, if you like what you hear from these suggestions. They just might be YOUR perfect album. Who knows!?

okay.... I am not done. So stay tuned for more. I will just be editing this post, not making a new one.

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