Led Zeppelin - IV

Album: IV
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Release Year: 1971
Hails From: London, England

Tracks:
1. Black Dog
2. Rock & Roll
3. Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway to Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Four Sticks
7. Going to California
8. When the Levee Breaks


My Thoughts: Best. Rock. Band. Ever.
Though Led Zeppelin is often referred to as a heavy metal band, I have to disagree. Though they have many loud guitar driven songs and portions of songs, they are just as often very soft and acoustic. Their songs range from sounding country to folk to funk and more. They are pure genius. I will agree that they laid the groundwork for the future of heavy metal, but really, what rock genre did they NOT influence?
I will probably end up putting all but two of their albums on this list, I chose this one first for a few reasons. It shows their awesome diversity. It has a cool back story. It also includes arguably one of the best classic rock songs and guitar solos ever.

Reminds me of: Listening to rock angels sing. Perfection.

Random Fact: Led Zeppelin III was critically panned for departing from their harder sound in the first two albums and they were often criticized by the press for being over-hyped. So they released IV without a title and without a name. It was represented by 4 symbols that they each picked to represent themselves. They did this to prove that they didn't need their name to sell music. They wanted the music to speak for itself. It is the 3rd best selling album ever in the US.


The symbols, in order, represents - Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant. Because it kind of looks like letters the album is often called ZOSO






Funky Led Zeppelin
Reference to Lord of the Rings & marijuana.


Bluesy Led Zeppelin
Derived from another song about 1927 Mississippi River flood.


Folky Led Zeppelin
This song is supposedly about Joni Mitchell because Page & Plant admired her greatly


Rockin Led Zeppelin
Having nothing to do with the lyrics, the title comes from a black dog that roamed around the studio grounds.

Tegan and Sara - So Jealous

Album: So Jealous
Artist: Tegan & Sara
Release Year: 2004
Hails From: Alberta, Canada

Tracks:
1. You Wouldn't Like Me
2. Take Me Anywhere
3. I Bet It Stung
4. I Know I Know I Know
5. Where Does The Good Go
6. Downtown
7. I Won't Be Left
8. Walking With A Ghost
9. So Jealous
10. Speak Slow
11. Wake Up Exhausted
12. We Didn't Do It
13. Fix You Up
14. I Can't Take It


My Thoughts: One of my favorite bands. They are super talented and smart twin sisters that formed their band when they were 13. This is their third album and their best up to this point. This album gets a little lighter and poppier than their previous albums, which does well for them. The songs are short, fun and all a little different from one another. Most songs are acoustic and electric guitar driven with some keyboards added in to give some songs an electro feel. Walking With a Ghost is their most popular song from this album and it helped that The White Stripes covered it and gave it more attention. Some others I love are You Wouldn't Like Me, Speak Slow, So Jealous, Fix You Up.

Reminds me of: T&S music always cheers me up when down :) Also it always reiterates my want of learning the guitar.

Random Fact: The girls are famous for their banter and diatribes that they go on during performances. They are very funny. The band originally was Sara & Tegan because their mom messed up when she signed them up for a war of the bands event. Which they won. They later changed it to Tegan & Sara, because she is older and they though it sounded better.


Walking With A Ghost


Speak Slow

Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill

Album: Cypress Hill
Artist: Cypress Hill
Release Year: 1991
Hails From: South Central LA

Tracks:
1. Pigs
2. How Could I Just Kill A Man
3. Hand on the Pump
4. Hole in the Head
5. Ultraviolet Dreams
6. Light Another
7. The Phuncky Feel One
8. Break It Up
9. Real Estate
10. Stoned Is the Way of the Walk
11. Psycobetabuckdown
12. Something for the Blunted
13. Latin Lingo
14. The Funky Cypress Hill Shit
15. Treq Equis
16. Born to Get Busy


My Thoughts: Children - Just because I really like this album does not mean I condone the use of marijuana or violence against police or violence in general or racism. However this some good mo fo shiz. It uses heavy sampling from jazz greats, to soul, to funk, to Jimi Hendrix. It is one of the best hip hop albums, from when hip hop was still good (unlike today). I listened to this "tape" through out all of grade school. Since Cypress Hill is sooo pro mary jane they made their songs to sound like you are stoned, if you aren't already. Even though they are rapping about violence and drugs, their delivery makes it sound almost humorous.

Reminds me of: sitting on the bus going to school. being out in the yard during lunch. gang banging with my homies in south central LA.

Random Fact:
Banned from SNL for smoking weed on stage during their show and for smashing their instruments after their performance. This album is one of "1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die". Also I found it interesting that Rolling Stone only gave this album only 3 stars when it came out, but then named it "Essential Recordings of the 90's". I guess they had a change of heart. First latino group to have a multi-platinum album. ~ wikipedia

Hand on the Pump


Latin Lingo (combines both english and spanish with an ill beat)

Dave Matthews Band - Crash

Album: Crash
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Release Year: 1996
Hails From: Virginia


Tracks:
1. So Much To Say
2. Two Step
3. Crash
4. Too Much
5. #41
6. Say Goodbye
7. Drive In Drive Out
8. Let You Down
9. Lie In Our Graves
10. Cry Freedom
11. Tripping Billies
12. Proudest Monkey

My Thoughts: I love Dave. He is and always will be one of my favorite artists and this album transports me to another time. Every single song is great. Well almost, sometimes I can't stand Cry Freedom. But other than that - half the songs are some of my favorites ever. Now children, a lot of people may tell you not to like Dave and that he sucks - Don't listen to them. One of the greatest bands ever. In fact before this album, I HATED Dave Matthews and made fun of my friends who liked him. I ate my words and now am one of the only people I know (only?) who still buys every Dave album.

Reminds me of: what doesn't this remind me of. Mostly of the the shore, the summer of 97 and early college.

Random Fact:
While researching this, I found that though the most popular, Crash is the most criticized, citing no strong melodies or hooks. Not really a fact - sorry that's all I got.

Say Goodbye Live

Lie In Our Graves - Dave Matth...

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Album: Vampire Weekend (self produced original version)
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Release Year: 2007
Hails From: New York City


Tracks:
1. Mansford Roof
2. Oxford Comma
3. A-Punk
4. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
5. Boston
6. Campus
7. One
8. Bryn
9. Walcott
10. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance

My Thoughts: Kids - I am presenting the boot leg version of this album rather than the 2008 official album because that is what I heard first and grew to love. The "official" release adds two songs - M79 & "I Stand Corrected" and removed Boston now known as "Ladies from Cambridge". It is definitely less produced, but I almost think that makes it better - it is them in their rawest form without all the added bells and whistles. You can only get the new version now - but they are great - so it doesn't really matter. This album is so different sounding. They pull from African music and they were definitely influenced by Paul Simon's Graceland. Their live show is amazing. And girls, when your old enough, check out the drummer - he is super cute.

Reminds me of: sitting in a park on a sunny day. driving to allentown.

Random Fact:
Ezra Koennig (lead singer) made a movie during college, the album started out as a soundtrack for that movie. They eventually took the movie's name for their band name. Ezra also had formed a rap group as a serious joke, which didn't work out. He then formed Vampire Weekend with his friends from college at Columbia.
~ (i just knew alright)

Love this song.

The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance ...

Love this song and this video. This was a continuous take to film it.
Oxford Comma