Wow, only ten albums, so hard to choose! Here are ten that have had the biggest impact on me, and that I continue to listen to over and over.

01) Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
I was 14 or 15 when I heard this for the first time and it literally changed the way I listened to music. Really expanded my horizons, especially as a suburban white boy, hahaha!

02) Nirvana - Never Mind
I can still remember the day I came home from high school and saw the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on MTV. One of those moments where you know you're witnessing something important.

03) Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
There was country music around the house when I was growing up, but I discovered this album years later. Johnny Cash is an amazing performer, and this is my all time favorite concert album.

04) Radiohead - The Bends
That's right, I like "The Bends" better than "OK Computer"--so sue me! This album sustains an amazing level of emotional intensity from beginning to end, and Johnny Greenwood's guitar work just destroys.

05) Mono - One Step More and You Die
I made a whole blog post about this band, that's how much I love their music. Instrumental rock that plays like a soundtrack to the best film you've never seen. Highly recommended if you don't know them.

06) Ride - Nowhere
These guys get lumped in with the early 90s British shoegaze movement, which is justified by their big fuzzy wall of sound, but there's a lot of straight ahead pop rock mixed in as well.

07) Beck - Sea Change
He's consistently innovative and I love all his albums, but the sad ones are my favorites. You won't find any samples or stream-of-consciousness raps here, just well structured, earnest songs.

08) Blur - Leisure
Big jangly guitars, insanely catchy hooks, and Damon Albarn's clever lyrics combined with his bratty-as-hell delivery make this one easy to put on repeat. A high point in the history of Britpop.

09) Immortal - Blizzard Beasts
Norwegian black metal is some of the heaviest of the heavy, and Immortal brings it like no one else. On top of that, their technical skills are amazing--just listen to Horgh's double bass drumming on this one.

10) Autechre - Amber
Call it electronica, trip-hop, IDM, bleep techno, whatever you want--just put this album on, plug in some headphones, and see why these guys are the pride of Warp Records. Challenging but chill.
[
Last edited by JasonJason at 2007-10-11 05:13 AM ]