Again, as with Naturals (see my earlier post), there are certain common factors that all of these albums share. For instance, and this sounds ridiculous, but still - the album must be GOOD. Heck, we may get in the car on a road trip and pop in Britney Spears or BSB and everyone would say that this music is fun or brings back memories, but I believe consensus in the car would agree that these types of CDs aren't GOOD...or at least not really good. So each of the albums is good music, and most people would agree that the music is high-quality.
Secondly, the album can be viewed as a work of art. Maybe not abstract like a Picasso painting, or immense like the Sistine Chapel - but the artist(s) took themselves seriously when they made it. That way, you don't end up adding Ke$ha's Animal to the list (because let's be real, who wouldn't?), only to end up disappointed that she started her singing career as a joke.
The last common aspect of these albums has to do with time, and how they seem to affect it. With these types of albums, I've found that time seems to just FLY BY, and at the end of it you're always left wanting more. That's not a bad thing at all, and it's really good as an artist to trust yourself, and not mess with perfection. So there you go, three key elements that each of the following albums have that make them super-listenable (I'm loving this...I'm my own Merriam-Webster!). Without further ado, here are the albums. Hate them if you can!
Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
Key Track: "The Beautiful Letdown"
Whenever I think about this concept, the Time-Bending Album, TBL is always the first one to my mind. The songs flow like crazy, every single one is amazing ("Redemption" is the least-awesome on the whole album, and it's crazy-good! There's the proof.), and it's got hit-quality songs on here too - see "Meant To Live" and "Dare You To Move". My favorite song on the album is the title track, since it just really gets down deep into lead singer Jon Foreman's heart. I may revere this album a little too highly, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I don't have much to say about this album, except that it is really good.
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Key Track: "Through The Wire"
Let's face it, Kanye is crazy (want more proof? twitter.com/kanyewest...be prepared). He's like a train wreck, so destructive - yet SO interesting to watch, you can't take your eyes off him! However, back in 2004 (was it really only 7 years ago?), before Kanye got his train going at full-speed, he made some SICK music. This whole album is full of bumpin' beats and cut-you-to-the-quick lyrics. While I don't absolutely love the skits, they definitely act as road signs for the listener. West's mind runs at freight train-type speeds, and we can only try to hold on for dear life as he barrels through a variety of struggles and tribulations in his own life (drug use, addiction to shopping, dissatisfaction with the education system, his epic car accident that left him with a wired-shut jaw for six weeks, and his lengthy discourse on how he got into the rap game in the 12 minute, 40 second-long saga "Last Call"). "Through The Wire" is my favorite track, and I'm sure I sound (and look) like an Eminem-wannabe when I spit it while I'm walking down the ghetto streets of Suburbia.
Cartel - Chroma
Key Track: "A"
Cartel's debut album is one of the most fun rock albums I've heard in a long time. To me, this album seems like a hand-held camcorder of lead singer Will Pugh's life. We see him painted as a romantic, a care-free kid, a young man coping with the death of his adolescence, and a poet. Yet, in the midst of this wide swatch of emotions and personalities, the entire album is driven by a rock groove. This beat ceases only in "The Minstrel's Prayer", giving way to Pugh's Avatar-style confessional (yes, that's an anachronism...why do you ask?). As we slip into his inner thoughts, queries, and doubts in "Q", the listener gets to witness his maturation and realization of himself in "A", laying waste to all his previous questions.
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Key Track: The B-Side Medley
Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles album, and it's really not even a close race. The first half of the album is near-perfection, and "Oh! Darling" is one of the best blues songs I know, even though it's played by a bunch of pretentious Brits. The album art, as shown above, is also one of the iconic albums even today - so you've got something nice to look at while you're sitting Indian-style in the basement resetting the needle on your parents' record player. Starting with "You Never Give Me Your Money", the following 16 minutes are a little glimpse behind the curtain of heaven.
Jay-Z - The Black Album
Key Track: "Encore"
This Jay-Z album is one of those you can listen to anywhere. Whether it's bumpin' in the club (which I do all the time) or dissecting the detailed rhymes on a Saturday at home (which I most definitely have NOT done...EVER), this music seems to fit the bill. At times, Jay-Z is the "Hova" of rap-god status such as the Kanye West-produced "Encore", and at other times he's the self-aware success story who came from nothing, like in "My 1st Song". Between the two personas, Shawn Carter strikes a chord with this young thug. Okay fine, with this thug.
-746766.png)
John Mayer - Continuum
Key Track: "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room"
I'm a John Mayer fan. I'll admit it. And while his forays into the playboy world have been well-defined by National Enquirer and his E! True Hollywood Story will be scintillating to say the least, his music is the biggest thing about him. Continuum definitely satisfies the "work of art" qualification: this thing is Mayer's magnum opus. For example, one time I was having a conversation about music with a dude while we were eating lunch. When we got to the subject of John Mayer's (then) most recent album, he described it as "Mayer's Continuum" - like Handel's Messiah or Beethoven's 9th Symphony. But it is! This album, front to back, is a work of art. I have heard that "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" is epic live, and I have sworn to see Mayer in concert before he dies. Because let's face it, John Mayer's life is following much more of a Kurt Cobain orbit than that of Betty White.
Honorable Mention:
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
Key Track: "Shackled"
I love Vertical Horizon, and I'm not even partially ashamed to admit that "Shackled" has far too many plays on my iTunes. Throughout this entire album, each song just...sounds...so...good! I'm a huge fan of their sound, and lead singer Matt Scannell is the long lost member of the Blue Man Group.
Oh come on, it's like looking in a mirror!
No comments:
Post a Comment