Jeff Buckley, Grace (1994)
As cliché as it has become to say that you’re a Buckley fan, I’ll never stop admitting it. This was one of those records I got at the perfect time in my life. His lyrics are poetry, and his melodies are undeniably brilliant. He’s also the one who indirectly taught me how to sing.
Radiohead, Kid A (2000)
I was late to jump on the Radiohead train, but when I finally got around to it, I knew that I would be on that train for the rest of my life. The first thing I noticed about this album was that it was unlike anything I had ever heard before (and most things since). It’s hypnotizing, dark, beautiful and mysterious from the first note of “Everything in its Right Place” to the very end. This is what I hear in my dreams. Literally.
Sigur Rós, Ágætis byrjun (1999)
HBO used to have a show called Reverb from 1997-2001 that would showcase bands, and that’s where I first heard Sigur Rós. It was a couple months before the movie Vanilla Sky came
out and their career really started taking off in the States. Listening
to Jónsi Birgisson’s guitar sounded like an arsenal attacking my ears,
but in the best way possible. They were my teachers of dynamic and lush
soundscapes.
Red House Painters, Songs for a Blue Guitar (1996)
Like Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, Red House Painters’ album Songs for a Blue Guitar was
one of those records that was played a lot when I was alone and driving
around, lost in thought. Albums like this have always been timeless and
therapeutic to me. Mark Kozelek’s warm voice and beautiful melodies
mixed with his fantastic song arrangements were and always will be
something I enjoy. Every time I listen to this album, it’s like hearing
it for the first time. That’s something I greatly admire.
Hey! Read This:
• Defining Times interview
• Music Made Me: Mike Hosty
• Music Made Me: Chris Harris
• Music Made Me: Laura Leighe
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2013.