So since I didn't want to type out any more the last time, here is part two of my Greatest Albums EVER list... enjoy, and seriously take a listen to some, if not all, of these albums. They are truly phenomenal.
1. "Music" by 311. Even though this is the 3rd mentioned 311 album between the two lists, it is, and will always remain, my personal favorite piece of work 311 has released. Their major label debut album, circa '93, is a testimony to the raw energy that was placed within the members of the band in their early years. Upon the first listen, you can tell there is no stopping these guys. From the smooth, slow, yet heavy opening track "Welcome" which is swiftly followed by the fast paced live-show favorite "Freak Out", this album is full of jams that will have your head rocking and your body dancing long after the album is over. With old-school gems like the stoner-anthem "Hydroponic" to the fun-in-the-sun summer tune, "Do You Right" to the hidden hard-hitting 12th track, "Fuck the Bullshit", this album is one of the greatest pieces of music in my collection. So great, in fact, that I had to re-purchase the album after I wore my first copy out.
2. "Alive or Just Breathing" by Killswitch Engage. The first song I ever heard from Killswitch was "When Darkness Falls", which was the first single from their 2nd major release, "The End of Heartache". Obviously, that album was the first one I purchased from the band, and I loved every second of it. However, I was unaware at the time of this album before it, along with the original singer Jesse Leach who was replaced by the current singer, Howard Jones. From the opening song, "Numbered Days" I was hooked. From the undeniably heavy and melodic riffs behind Jesse's raw and emotional screaming/singing, this album never slows down even for a brief moment. Other standout tracks are "Fixation on the Darkness", "My Last Serenade", "Life to Lifeless", and "The Element of One".
3. "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" by Bright Eyes. Now, I do not consider myself to be a giant Bright Eyes fan. I have all of the albums, and I have certain favorites on everyone of them, but I usually skip a lot of the songs. This album is the only one of Conor Oberst's releases under the name Bright Eyes that I can listen to from beginning to end, over and over again. The Perfect blend of upbeat and sad slow folk rock make for a phenomenal album. Conor's lyrics are anything but uplifting, and even make you cringe at times, but are always heartfelt. One of the more notable downer songs is "Lua," a song about cocaine addiction, and loving someone with the same addiction. However, there is a moment of redemption in the love song, "First Day of My Life" where Conor sings, "This is the first day of my life/I'm glad I didn't die before I met you/And now I don't care, I could go anywhere with you, and I'd probably be happy." The song is a sure favorite for any sappy folk love song fan. The album on the whole, while somewhat depressing, is still a phenomenal piece of work.
4. "The Alchemy Index" by Thrice. So this is actually a 4-disc concept album, but it would be impossible to mention only one disc and not the others. Again, I may catch a load of shit from some Thrice fans for favoring their newer material, but that's just how it goes... so suck it. There is a very small percentage of bands and musicians who could pull an album like this off and make it work. Thrice manages to perfect the idea. Each disc contains 6 songs pertaining to one of the 4 elements; Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. They manage to use the elements as the basis for the way the songs are presented. For example; the songs on "Fire" are heavy, loud, and almost apocalyptic. Where as the songs on "Earth" are raw and mostly driven by acoustic guitars and piano. What really sold me on this collection was the way it is all put together. The last song on each CD is written in a sonnet form from the perspective of it's particular element. On the 4th disc, "Earth", the last song ends with the sound of dirt being poured over us, giving the effect of being buried, while we hear Dustin Kensrue's muffled vocals, "Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet/Here I will teach you truly how to sleep." This album definitely requires undivided attention upon listening, but if you allow it to, it will stay with you long after it's all over.
5. "Continuum" by John Mayer. If there was ever any doubt as to John Mayer's ability to produce anything other than girlie acoustic pop gems like "Your Body is a Wonderland" or "Why Georgia", this album will do more than convince. I, like many others, was not a fan of John Mayer's bubble-gum pop album "Room for Squares" or even "Heavier Things" which kind of broke him out of the pop image, but not entirely. But upon listening to "Continuum", I realized that John Mayer is one talented motherfucker in the realm of blues music. He truly came into his own on this album with plenty of blues jams, while still retaining that catchy pop element that made him famous. If you're a fan of this style of Mayer, I highly recommend checking out anything from "John Mayer Trio" which is strictly his blues material played live. Brilliant album.
6. "The Oncoming Storm" by Unearth. With the world being overrun by angst-ridden, nu-metal artists, and with once good metal bands making the transition to mainstream, radio-friendly nu-metal, one might wonder what happened to just balls-out metal. Unearth let us know where at least some of that lost charisma wandered off to in their 2005 release, "The Oncoming Storm". This album is chock-full of blaring guitars, fast-pounding drums, and never graceful vocals. The guitar riffs are melodic and crisp and always have you humming the melody in your head for the rest of the day. Everything is spot-on and as tight as they can be, which is most likely due to the beautiful production work done by Killswitch Engage guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz. Unearth's other releases are also brilliant and they still refuse to make that transition to mainstream nu-metal. Definitely my favorite metal band of this generation.
7. "The Shepherd's Dog" by Iron & Wine. While I primarily enjoy almost anything from Iron & Wine, I really feel that Sam Beam's musical efforts on this album shine more than his previous works. Not to say I dislike in any way "Woman King", "Our Endless Numbered Days", or "The Creek Drank The Cradle. I just sometimes feel that I have to be in a certain mood to listen to those albums, as they all have pretty much the same tone on each album and each song. This album definitely mixes things up a bit, adds more instruments, adds more... everything, I guess is the word. Just listen to "Boy With A Coin" and you should immediately understand.
8. "Purple" by Stone Temple Pilots. Who could forget STP's debut album "Core"? It was a massive achievement of it's era and sent STP's reputation up there with the grunge greats of the time, such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana (even though I'm not a big Nirvana fan). Having said that, however, I was even more blown away with STP's sophomore release, "Purple". The band definitely continued it's sound that made them famous, but they also matured musically. Songs like "Vasoline", "Silver Gun Superman", the undeniably catchy "Interstate Love Song", and the always pleasing song taken from The Crow soundtrack, "Big Empty", make this album my personal favorite from STP. The song that truly sold me with it's haunting melody and poetic lyrical content was the album's closer, "Kitchen Ware and Candy Bars." If you haven't done so already, check this album out. And if you've already checked it out, give it another listen!!
9. "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Many would say that this album was not even close to their best work when compared to their later efforts. True. Their later releases showed improved musicianship and a more "natural", if you will, feel for their folk-rock sound that they were so famous for. However, this sophomore release always sticks with me the most. This was their first folk-rock album and sometimes it clearly shows in the lyrics and the music, which may be the reason why I enjoy it so much. It's raw, emotional, and actually quite dark and depressing at times. I enjoy listening to a band's first attempt at creating their signature sound. There's something about the passion for the music and their determination to perfect their sound in this album that definitely paved the way for their later and more critically successful releases. This album almost signifies that hurdle they had to jump in order to gain the success they were looking for as great folk-rock artists. The title track is one of the most beautifully haunting songs I have ever heard and still gives me chills to this day.
10. "Morning View" by Incubus. By the time this album was released, Incubus had gained a reputation of being just another mainstream hard rock band, but there was something that always kept them apart from everyone else. It was hard to tell just what that "something" was, until 2001's "Morning View" was released. From the first three tracks, "Nice to Know You", "Circles", and the hit single "Wish You Were Here", one would expect just more of the same. It kind of sounds like "Make Yourself" all over again. But just when you're about to take the album for what it is, more of the same, the fourth track, "Just A Phase", hits you with it's psychedelic tone and eerie lyrics from Brandon Boyd. From there, the album just gets better and better with gems like "11 A.M.", "Echo", "Under My Umbrella", and the sad love song, "Mexico". And once you think it's all over, the album closes with "Aqueous Transmission", a song that previous Incubus fans would never imagine them creating in a million years. The song is slow, calming, and damn near hypnotizing as Brandon sings on the chorus "Further down the river..." over and over again over the sweet sounds of a sitar. This album proved to everyone that Incubus was here to stay and there was no telling where their music was capable of going.
And that's all I feel like writing at the moment. Maybe Part 3 will come along someday...
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