Music: Top 10 Favorite Albums (Part 2)
Sorry for the long delay between these lists (5 months!). A few major life changes (wedding, honeymoon, and new apartment) got in the way of regular writing. Please forgive me and sit back and enjoy this music!
6. “The Foundation” Zac Brown Band (2008)
I didn’t really discover this band until grad school. The song “Chicken Fried” was sonically flogged on the radio, but once I checked out the rest of the album I was pleasantly surprised. The Zac Brown Band is an amalgam of country and folk that lacks the twang of traditional country but retains folk staples such as the banjo. “The Foundation” was well-received by the music community and was nominated for best country album at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perhaps the best way to describe this album is great beer-drinking, playing fetch with a yellow-lab, dancing-in-the-kitchen and the feeling you get at 5 pm on the Friday of a long weekend music (whew…even I’m out of breath writing that!). Playing this album makes me want to sit on the porch, down a six pack and just-enjoy life. Something we all need to do more often
Favorite track: “Whatever It Is”
This is one of the songs that most reminds me of my wife, even though she doesn’t particularly care for country music. I wish I could just play this song to anyone who asks me why we’re married. Sorry to get all sappy on you, but just take a listen.
7. “Crimson” Alkaline Trio (2005)
Now to take the most abrupt U-turn possible from porch-sitting, beer drinking music. “Crimson” is more angry at the world, turn up the volume, forget about life music. I first started to listen to this band later in high school. Angry and emotional, without the screaming typical of a lot of emo-rock, this album really hits the sweet spot. You have to be in the right mood to listen to it, but the music really helps me calm down and realize that your life could be a hell of a lot worse.
Favorite Track: “Sadie”
This song was written about Susan Atkins, a member of the infamous Manson Family who was an accomplice in the 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders. It has a really catchy beats, soaring backgrounds and a creepy re-reading of her testimony from the murder trial.
8. “Jurassic Park Soundtrack” John Williams (1993)
The 12thcollaboration of John Williams and Steven Spielberg on a film score, this album is my favorite of all of them. Listening to this album takes me to another place entirely, a place composed of jungles, fossils (living and dead!) and a chaos theory-espousing Jeff Goldblum at his finest. If the opening credits don’t put a chill down your spine, well, you might not have a spine. This album is my go-to music for any type of writing, scientific or otherwise, as the iTunes play counts for this album dwarf all other songs in my library by over an order of magnitude. Although we had some snickers when we played this song before our wedding, my love for this score was further reinforced during a visit to the Jurassic Park section of Universal Studios during our honeymoon this summer.
Favorite Track: “Journey to the Island”
This song is playing while Dr. Grant, John Hammond, and the others are taking the helicopter ride to Isla Nublar. Epic in scale, it is the song I wish could be playing when I find a new fossil or get a paper accepted.
9. “Freedom” Akon (2008)
One of my favorite hip-hop albums, “Freedom” showcases Akon’s talent. Although some of the songs aren’t lyrical masterpieces, Akon mixes heartfelt monologues about his experiences growing up in Senegal (“Freedom”) with infectious dance tracks (“Right Now”, “Beautiful”). There is just something about Akon’s voice that intrigues me. I really like to listen to this album when working on things like presentations where I can really get into a groove.
Favorite Track: “I’m So Paid”
A collaboration with Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, this song is full of post-production, celeb name-dropping, and auto-tune magic and I completely love it. Sometimes you just need to forget musical prejudices and just enjoy a song for what it is.
10.“Into the Wild” Eddie Vedder (2007)
This soundtrack compilation was recorded by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to accompany the film of the same name directed by Sean Penn. I was told to check out the movie by Soren (of Monday Musings fame) and was struck by how the music fit the story of a lone soul trying simultaneously to find both himself and the middle of nowhere. Most of the tracks are stark, with only Vedder’s voice and some kind of stringed accompaniment filling the silence. I find this album perfect for sitting back and reflecting on a big life change or a long trip. I could also see listening to this during a long drive through the desert at night with the windows down and volume on full blast.
Favorite Track: “Society”
A collaboration with Bay Area songwriter Jerry Hannan, this song condemns society’s overt materialism and expresses a desire to escape it all. The lyrics read like a solemn good-bye to the society that the main character in the movie, Chris McCandless, once knew.
