This is a list of the 25 most impressive, inspiring, and life-altering songs
I've ever listened to. I was talking with Scott Smith a while back and we
were both noticing a trend in our listening habits which was shifting us
back toward the seemingly immature tendency of focusing on, listening to, or
remarking upon single songs, as apposed to taking in and analyzing entire
albums. Both styles of listening have their merits; however, songs are
predominately composed as single entities and often, regardless of the songs
they're grouped with, express a personal and singularly complete idea. I've
been thinking about it ever since; what are my favorite songs? What is my
FAVORITE song? This list might not have been right 5 years ago; it might not
be right 5 years from now. It might not be right 5 minutes from now! But it
will at least stand as a snapshot of my life from a very important perspective.
25.
Rilo Kiley - A Better Son/Daughter
(Indie)
I'll always love this band; the song is from their album, The
Execution of All Things, which was one of my major mid-teen discoveries
and obsessions. Jenny Lewis produces an incredible string of emotionally
pulsing lyrics and wraps them around a classic melody; it's one of the
few songs I've ever heard that I know every word of.
24.
Vic Chesnutt - Coward
(Singer-songwriter / post-rock)
This is the most recently recorded song to make my list. It was released
last fall, shortly after which I heard the song being played on NPR,
followed by an interview with Vic. It's really the only song I've ever
actually made a note to acquire. Just a few days ago I heard an
interview with Vic's band mates on NPR; Vic Chesnutt committed suicide on
Christmas Day, somehow adding to the power and unnerving honesty of the
Chesnutt's music.
23.
Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails
(Indie / Rock)
John Allyn Smith Sails is a song about the life and suicide of poet
John Berryman. The song is breathtaking; as with most of the songs on
my list, it tells a story and harvests the dynamics in both volume and
emotion. Sooo good.
22.
Sleep - Dopesmoker
(Doom / Stoner / Sludge)
Dopesmoker is a 64 minute epic by stoner doom band Sleep. I'm positive
that the song would be further down on my list but for the period of
my life during which I listened to it. I adore the song and I enjoy
every minute of it, but I cannot truly relate to it as I might once
have been able to.
21.
Incubus - Vitamin
(Rock / Alternative)
Incubus is one of the many bands which were phased into my brain
by my dad's listening habits. S.C.I.E.N.C.E., the album upon which
Vitamin is featured, was oneof my dad's favorites for blaring
while he cleaned. I always enjoy listening to the song, but Vitamin
and other Incubus tracks played a large role in my decision to pick
up the Bass Guitar at 15.
20.
Dimmu Borgir - Progenies of the Great Apocalypse
(Black Metal / Symphonic Metal)
This isn't a joke. It looks crazy, it looks cheesy; BUT, I
managed to attach a pretty significant portion of my life to this
song and its album-mates, isolating it as a massive pillar in the
structure of my life. I continue to enjoy the track; I can't help
it! There's something about grotesque grandeur which draws me like
a moth to a flame.
19.
Frontier Ruckus - Animals Need Animals
(Indie / Alt-Country / Folk)
One of the more recent discoveries on my list, Animals Need
Animals is one of those tracks that syncs with my brain like a
key fitting into a lock. I suppose there are certain chord
progressions or lyrics which continually turn me over, but an
overwhelming amount of honesty in the discussion of biology,
emotions, philosophy, and instrumentation earns many of these
songs their places, including this one.
18.
The Flaming Lips - Are You a Hypnotist??
(???)
The Flaming Lips are a large part of the group of bands
which my dad handed down to me. Additionally, they helped to
broaden my musical horizons in relation to rhythm and
instrumentation. Are You a Hypnotist?? particularly catches me
off-guard every time I listen to Yoshimi; it's wonderful!
17.
Bedřich Smetana - The Moldau
(Classical / Orchestral)
I discovered this during a music appreciation course and it
was really the only orchestral piece that I took away from
it. It's moving in many ways that conventional modern music
never can be; the listener is able to tie many sorts of
emotions to its melody, but for me it was a bittersweet
realization surrounding my life.
16.
Shugo Tokumaru - Wedding
(Indie / Folk)
Scott pointed this fellow out to me. I had not been
more impressed by a single artist or album for a long
time; the disc is incredibly timeless and I KNOW I'll
continue to enjoy it as I grow older. The album, Exit,
is capped off by a lo-fi acoustic track called Wedding.
Wedding is played entirely on the banjo and is based
around a melody that manages to grapple me every time
I listen to it. Good stuff.
15.
Portishead - All Mine
(Trip-hop / Downtempo)
Portishead was my dad's favorite band for a pretty
big chunk of my late childhood, leading to my inevitable
gravitation towards the artist. It is difficult to go wrong
with them; however, I've always been really fond of All
Mine. It's an immensely powerful song which I can still hear
bellowing through the halls of my dad's house. Additionally,
its lyrical subject matter has offered a great deal to take
hold throughout my life.
14.
Tool - Third Eye
(Hard Rock / Progressive Rock)
Tool served as an essential catalyst for my adolescence.
Again, my dad loved Tool and managed to infect me with the
bug. There were entire years at a time when I don't remember
listening to anything else. It's difficult to isolate a
single song, but it's also difficult to find a single Tool
song which had as great an impact on my life as Third Eye.
The Bill Hicks samples were earth-shattering to me in my
awkwardly square early teens. Things certainly changed after
Third Eye; I'm glad they did, too!
13.
Death Cab for Cutie - Passenger Seat
(Indie)
Passenger Seat is really a representation of the beginning of
my long and endless loving relationship with "Indie" music.
Transatlanticism is a wonderful album, but this particular
track continually manages to both metaphorically and literally
string together huge chunks of my life, placing me into an
emotional and captivating trance.
12.
Jesu - Silver
(Post-Rock / Shoegaze)
I was floored when I first heard Silver, simply because
I felt as if Jesu had dipped a ladle into my brain and cooked
a soup with my thoughts. I didn't really think anyone made music
like this: bone-crunchingly heavy, melodic, Major, and with
LYRICS and VOCALS taking a back seat! The Silver EP will always
hold a special place within me and, undoubtedly, so will the song
which shares its name.
11.
Grandaddy - He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot
(Indie / Alternative)
As one of the first Grandaddy tracks I heard, HSHDHP acted
as the type of song which you would equate to a movie that
you never want to end. Beautiful atmosphere places this song
in a serene place which sets it apart from anything else out
there. Jason Lytle's voice, while not for everyone, really
hits me.
10.
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
(Indie / Alt-Country)
Jenny Lewis is the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, as well
as a portion of Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. Her voice
is undoubtedly my favorite of any female vocalists and I
cannot help but succumb to it during Acid Tongue. The track,
named after its title, provides utterly raw emotion,
expressed by way of sad recollection and a loose-knit choir.
I've adored this song since my very first listen and I
always will.
09.
A Perfect Circle - Judith
(Rock)
When I was 12 or 13, I asked my dad to burn a mix CD
for me. He inquired as to what music I wanted on it; I
didn't know, so he offered his modest digital collection
and told me to choose. I was eyeing the list and decided
to add a song by A Perfect Circle. "Which one should I
pick?" I asked. "Any of them. They're all good," he
answered. I picked Judith and he chuckled. Judith presented
a unique view on religion which had already been brewing inside
me; one which disregarded the ideas presented to me by my
friends and family. The song made me feel like I wasn't alone,
and it had a direct influence on the way the rest of my life
would play out. I still enjoy it.
08.
múm - Green Grass of Tunnel
(Minimalist / Ambient / Electronic)
Múm introduced me to a side of music I didn't even know
existed: silence. Until I started listening to the Icelandic
band, there was only more sound; dynamics were defined as loud
to louder. How could such beautiful music exist without guitars?
Drums? It couldn't. But it did, and Green Grass of Tunnel became one
of the first songs that I truly enjoyed listening to at 50% volume,
at 1 am, with my headphones, in the dark, with my eyes closed.
07.
El-P - Tasmanian Pain Coaster
(Hip-hop / Rap)
Tasmanian Pain Coaster was the first hip hop song I enjoyed.
EVER. Until I listened to El-P, my usual response to "What
kind of music do you like?" was "Anything but rap." However,
after this song, I was plunged into the world of Definitive Jux,
an alternative hip-hop label which offered artists and albums
which differed in content and style from mainstream hip-hop groups.
However, I never stumbled upon another track quite like TPC.
Breathtaking!
06.
A Cuckoo - I Won't Forget
(Indie / ???)
I smashed into A Cuckoo last year; I don't really remember
how. It was probably Last.fm radio or something, but I'm reeaally
glad that it happened. Destination Unknown was a strange album
for me in that, upon first listen, I couldn't decide whether I
loved it or hated it. It only took a few minutes, but I decided
I loved it and continued listening to the album non-stop for several
months. The particular track (I Wont Forget) seems to be ripped
from my own dreams: unreal, magical, unabashedly romantic and deeply
affectionate. The song tells me more about myself than it does the
artist, and that's what I think extraordinary music SHOULD do.
05.
The Decemberists - I Was Meant for the Stage
(Indie / Folk / Rock)
The Decemberists have not overly impressed me with either of
their two most recent albums, but that does nothing to diminish
my adoration for their music. Essentially, I've never heard a
Decemberist song pre-Crane Wife that I have not fully enjoyed. At
this point in my list, songs nearly act as representatives for their
artists or albums. However, they hold their position because they ARE
my favorite songs, whether they're performed by my favorite
artists or not. I was Meant for the Stage pretty much sums up my
entire life-to-come. I won't elaborate too much, and I don't mean
to sound cynical, but I will never achieve my deepest dreams and
aspirations; many of us never will! However, my feelings of regret
and remorse for not pursuing my dreams are unnaturally heavy, and
match the dynamism of those expressed throughout the song, giving
it deep and lasting meaning to me. One of my dear, dear favorites.
04.
The Postal Service - This Place is a Prison
(Indie / Electronic)
They may have been overplayed, overdistributed, or even
overloved, but I think I've gotten over my irrational disdain
for media which appeals to mass-markets. The Postal Service DESERVE
it. The entirety of Give Up seems as if it is only a passing
glance at something greater; it is as if the album was an
artificial high which cannot be matched or reproduced. I can't
listen to the album anymore. It sounds stupid, but it acts as a sort
of kryptonite towards me. As I listen, I feel my walls breaking down;
my head swims; I can't think straight. Throughout no song is this
more true than for This Place is a Prison. When I first heard the
song, I was sitting alone at my computer at 2 or 3 am. I was him, he
was me; Ben Gibbard had been spying on me and wrote a song to both
describe and destroy me. Every time I hear the song, I am as sad as
I was that night, so I don't listen to it often, but sometimes it's
worth it.
03.
Radiohead - Exit Music (For a Film)
(Indie / Rock / Alternative)
Exit Music is not truly something I can entirely relate to.
However, there are some songs by some artists which are able to carry
themselves, creating an entirely superb experience to any listener.
Radiohead became one of my favorite bands when I was younger, but when
I first heard OK Computer, things changed for me. Music had, before OKC,
been an endless string of songs. After OK Computer, I knew there were
albums. In fact, no album ever quite matched it. However, before I heard
the entirety of OK Computer, I heard Exit Music (For a Film). I was 14
years old or so, and the type of music I listened just didn't have the
magnificent dynamic shifts which Exit Music expresses. Since then, I've
always had a knack for things that grow; the song is organic, just like
you and I! It's crazy good!
02.
Ayreon - Day Twenty: Confrontation
(Progressive Metal)
Day Twenty: Confrontation is the final song from Ayreon's
opus, The Human Equation. The album is magnificent; there's
nothing like it, and there probably never will be. The album
tells the story of a man who slips into a coma after a car accident.
He is accosted by the voices of his own thoughts and emotions who
attempt to guide him through his past, the events which led to
his accident, and into the future. The disc (And the song) feature
artist from many different bands and genres. Every single time I
listen to Day Twenty I enjoy it just as much as the last; there is
no more climactic song in all of music! It's beautifully composed,
carefully and expertly executed, and builds itself into an inescapable
and unforgettable cosmic eruption of sound.
01.
Air - Sex Born Poison
(Downtempo / Electronic)
I was in my early teens and beginning to really dig into
computing and gaming when I came across a music folder into which
my dad had stored a portion of his digital collection. The folders
were listed alphabetically, starting with a folder titled, "Air."
I entered the folder, turned my speakers on, and played a random
song in the folder, titled Sex Born Poison. After that first listen,
every piece of music I've ever heard has been playing catch-up. It
might not seem like an earth-shattering track, but it was for me.
There is something raw, powerful, and beautiful that blares
through the polished, pristine execution and production of Air's
music. I tried to keep my love for Air as a band away from my
decision making throughout this process, but in the end there is
no band I enjoy more than Air and no SONG I enjoy more than Sex
Born Poison. From beginning to end: a masterpiece. To me, at least.
If you ever want to know anything about me, find all these songs
and listen to them at least once!
Ayreon
