Albums I've Been Listening To This Semester

I spent this semester listening to a lot of music, so I figure I'd share what I've been listening to for the last few months. And because I'm clearly the second coming of Lester Bangs (note: that was sarcasm), I'm going to briefly review them. So in no particular order (well ok I put The Replacements first because they're The Replacements, dammit. Of course they're going to be first (second note: I may or may not be a Replacements fanboy (pointless third set of parentheses (I think this sentence is now FUBAR)))), here are a handful of albums I listened to a lot at various times over the semester:

Let It Be — The Replacements

If I were stranded on a desert island and could only pick one album to bring with me, it'd be this one without a doubt. It's perfect. Paul Westerberg's lyrics, which switch back and forth from facetious to thoughtful, fit perfectly with the driving guitars and music that sounds more like a band just jamming together in a garage than meticulously recording an album in a music studio.


Mylo Xyloto — Coldplay
Yes, I know. It's Coldplay, and people love to hate Coldplay. Well you know what? Haters gonna hate, and this was a decent album. This isn't the same Coldplay that made Parachutes and A Quick Rush Of Blood To The Head, as the band has seemed to build on the sound it developed on Viva La Vida. It's rhythm oriented and synth heavy, but the ringing guitars are still there.


Sigh No More — Mumford & Sons

A friend described Mumford & Sons to me as merely Coldplay with banjos. As a fan of both Coldplay and banjos, I'm perfectly ok with this description. Sure, their songs are a bit formulaic and they all have random banjo solos popping up, but it's a folk album. What else do you expect? I'm excited to see what they do next, with this being their first album.

Magic — Bruce Springsteen
I'm a big Springsteen fan, but I really only enjoy the music he made early on in his career. I rarely get around to listening to anything after Born In The USA, and so I often forget about how good The Rising and Magic were, two of the albums he made in the 2000s after regrouping with the E-Street Band (Working On A Dream was fairly unremarkable). This album is energetic and has a modern, evolved E-Street sound that compliment Springsteen's subtly dark lyrics, which reflect on the Bush Administration and the war in the Middle East.


Take Off Your Pants And Jacket — Blink 182

Pop punk is a genre I'm a bit conflicted about: On one hand, I like the fast and furious sound that's derivative of protopunk bands like The Stooges, but on the other, I tend not to care for the lyrics because I couldn't care less about high school angst. But in this case, I grew quite attached to this album for a few weeks. I think the fact that Blink 182 utilizes two lead singers helps keep the album sounding fresh. And of course "Happy Holidays You Bastard" is just a really entertaining song.

The Clash — The Clash
I hope that because it's 2011, I don't have to say anything about how great The Clash are. It's assumed at this point. This is an album I like to put on when when people come over and when I can't make a decision as to what to listen to (and considering I have over 14,000 songs, this speeds the decision-making process up quite a bit). It's loud, and it's real punk.


Boy — U2

Everyone knows how great The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are. War and The Unforgettable Fire are probably also recognized as good early U2 albums, but Boy tends to get overlooked, possibly because it's their debut album and wasn't much of a hit. But it's right out of the post-punk genre, sounding a bit like Joy Division but with Bono's enthusiasm replacing Ian Curtis's dreariness. The fifth track, "Out Of Control," is a particular favorite of mine.

Panopticon — Isis
Is post-metal an actual genre of music, or did I just invent that term? If you're unfamiliar with Isis, just imagine Sigur Ros combined with Tool. If you're unfamiliar with those bands, I'm afraid I can't help you (just stop reading and Youtube "Popplagio" and "Parabola." You're welcome). Most of the songs build slowly to a deafening, pulsing crescendo of sweeping, distorted guitars and guttural vocals. Post-metal? Progressive metal? Alternative metal? I dunno. Whatever it may be, Isis is good at it.

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Some albums have great songs, but as a whole either aren't so good or just didn't do it for me. Here are some individual songs that I've been listening to that aren't from the albums listed above:

"Set Fire To The Rain" — Adele
"Raining Blood" — Slayer
"Wake Up" "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" — Arcade Fire
"Disarm" "Galapogos" — Smashing Pumpkins
"Violet Hill" — Coldplay
"Power" "All Of The Lights" "Homecoming" — Kayne West
"Exit" — U2
"Long Forgotten Sons" — Rise Against
"Walk" — Foo Fighters
"Awful" — Hole
"All Apologies" — Nirvana

(I thought about apologizing here at the end for possibly sounding like a pretentious music snob (which I admit I kind of am), but you know what? This is what I like to listen to. If you don't like it, I don't care. I'll enjoy it by myself if I have to.)

Until next time, Orange Hat Guy