11 Albums That Changed My Life

Pre-age 13...
Enjoyed music from various pop bands and alot of oldies.

Age 13... (1993)

Ten by Pearl Jam
I remember thinking, oh, so this is how songs can sound if they aren't played on the radio. Of course, a few of those songs off Ten were played on the local "modern" rock station, but, nonetheless, I was impacted and I headed towards classic rock at this point.

Age 14 to 15...

IV by Led Zeppelin
By now, I knew classic rock was a relevant entity to shape my musical opinions around. Led Zeppelin is hard not to enjoy at this adolescent age. I was learning about guitar and how much I loved solos. I was starting to get curious about the most "elemental" classic rock albums in my mind like Dark Side of the Moon, Eat a Peach, Led Zeppelin II, Who's Next, and Revolver.

Age 16...

In Utero by Nirvana
Cobain had died, but I was finally realizing what was going on. The waves of wanna-be bands come crashing down, and I found this album, Nirvana's last, to be brutally refreshing and lovely.

Age 17...

Odelay! by Beck
OK, now I knew "Loser" was much more than a hit single. It was Beck's announcement to the world, and with this outstanding follow up album, I shaped my view of music slightly left of center, and meanwhile, stopped taking the radio so seriously. Sadly, I didn't discover Pavement till years later.

Age 18...

Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan
I found this to be very overwhelming at first. Of course, I knew Dylan was important and all that, but this was some serious shit to absorb in teenage years. I have never felt so intensely moved by an album on first impression. I'll never forget that.

Age 19...

Murmur by R.E.M.

The turning point.
My freshman year of college, wow, what a time. This, more than any other album I'm mentioning, changed how I viewed, listened, discovered, thought, and talked about music (and art in general). This was an ultimate awakening that I will cherish.

Age 21...

Kid A by Radiohead
An important album for this decade, and quite a shift in tastes for myself. This album is one of the closest I would consider "perfect" and I have been obsessed in finding many albums that grew from the roots Kid A layed.

Age 22...

Slanted and Enchanted by Pavement
???!! Pretty much sums up my thoughts about Pavement. An album that took alot of time to stain my brain, this was pivotal to say the least. The bar I set this at is now very, very high and few tread the path this disc engrained in my speakers.

Age 23...

Remain in Light by Talking Heads
An album I waited too, too long to buy. Expecting brilliance is sometimes a letdown, but oh no, not with this one. I heard it less than a year ago, and it's easily in my top 5 of all time.

The Band by The Band
The first time I heard this album all the way through was very intense, and I honestly felt like I was waking from a long dream. My new favorite album of all time, a treasure.

Age 24... (current)

Funeral by The Arcade Fire
Magnificent album that I doubt I will ever tire of. Still haven't had time to shape a full opinion or review of this, but I know it has altered my view of music this decade.