it sure beats workin'

To celebrate, I decided to compile a short list of Perfect Albums. Yes, perfect ones. Naturally this is a bold claim, but like I care. This list is based on my kind of crazy taste in music, so it covers a whole bunch of genres. Feel free to disagree with me, but I'm about 101% all of these albums are perfect. (For me, perfect means that it's nearly impossible to listen to just one track ... you have to listen to the whole thing through every time.) I'm a commitafobe, so this ordering is totally arbitrary. It'd be alphabetical but I'm not sure if I'd alphabetize based on artist or album. So I just drew e-names out of the e-hat.

Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit. Released in 1998, rereleased in 2008. This is pretty much the quintessential Punk Rock album. Not pop punk, not straight punk, but punk ROCK. Heavy guitars, catchy melodies, lyrics about love and suicide. Really, it's just fantastic. When I hear a track from this album I think of the whole album, and then run off to my record player for a listen.

Fiona Apple - Tidal. Released in 1996. Fiona is the queen. She can be gut-wrenching and catchy at the same time. Her piano licks are fantastic and her singing has an unbelievable amount of soul. Another album that isn't dated; I hear "Sullen Girl" and it's still just as powerful as it was in '96. When I was 12.

Metallica - ... and Justice for All. Released in 1988. Before I discovered punk I was a big metalhead. This is almost entirely due to my cousin Nick's influence, though he is the one that first got me into the Misfits and the Offspring when we used to go skateboarding. But my god, ... and Justice for All is such an epic album. I know some people think this is the first album where they started going down hill, but for me this was their peak. "To Live is to Die" is still one of my favorite songs of all time across all genres. I miss the days when bands released instrumental tracks. Also, Lars Ulrich's drumming is the most tolerable on this album. Man, I hate that dude.

No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom. Released in 1995. It's scary to think that I got so huge into this album when it came out, because I was only 11 at the time. But Gwen Stefani was just the coolest chick ever. And yeah, this album definitely has moments where it sounds dated. What I love most about Tragic Kingdom are the non-single tracks. They are all so good. Just so good. The tracks are super catchy and fun but still have lyrics with substance. I love that.

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come. Released in 1998. This was my soundtrack during high school. If only all other hardcore punk was as good as this. There are moments where it sounds a bit produced--especially for a punk album--but it's so smart and intelligent that you don't mind one bit. "Summerholidays vs. Punk Routine" should be the anthem for all punk kids. This is the album I play for friends that go "so what's this punk rock thing all about?"

Weezer - Pinkerton. Released in 1996. Not only is this the only Weezer album that I like, it is an amazingly good one. Every track is good. It's not like, one hit song and the rest are nonsense. The lyrics are smart, they mean something, and the licks are catchy as hell. This is also before Rivers Cuomo turned into a pretentious ass.

The Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta! Released in 2006. Album of the year in 2006, hands down. This is just a wonderful straight-up punk rock album. Catchy as hell, great licks, fun and witty lyrics. 

The Casket Lottery - Survival is for Cowards. Released in 2002. I'm not sure why this is so often considered "Emo Rock." What the hell is Emo Rock anyway? Or emo for that matter? What a sh*tty genre name. Genres themselves are problematic anyway. I mean, I took a semester-long seminar that attempted to address genre and authenticity and we never came to a good answer regarding any of it. Academic issues aside, this album is just gorgeous. 

The Beatles - Revolver. Released in 1966. I told myself I'd only put one Beatles album on here. It was a tough choice to make, but I'm pretty confident that Revolver is the most all-around perfect Beatles album. To me, it feels like this is the point where they stopped making A-side versus B-side singles, and made all-around great songs for both sides of the LP. (I don't think this was a double, but I could be wrong.) This is practically the only Beatles album that as I listen I feel no need to skip any tracks. Well, this is the first album of theirs that I feel that way with. It's like the perfect mix of early-Beatles and late-Beatles.

Hot Water Music - Caution. Released in 2002. As soon as "Remedy" comes on I know I'm in for 36 minutes of punk rock heaven. This is just a stellar album. Gritty, catchy, exciting, and totally emblematic of their signature sound. This is one of my most heavily-rotated records by a very long shot.

Cursive - The Ugly Organ. Released in 2003. Again, why is this "Emo Rock"? I just don't get it. This album is stream-lined goodness. I love albums that have tracks run together. The fluidity is very appealing to me. It shows careful consideration of the production process, and I very much appreciate that. "Driftwood" is a top track for me. I also concur with their (at least the lyrics') views on love and relationships. It's just one of those albums that speaks to me. You know, I actually read a discussion between four prominent music scholars where one of them said that they didn't think casual listeners were ever concerned with the lyrics of a song. WHAT?! I think the lyrics are one of the most important parts of a song to the casual listener, even the non-casual listener. I remember having a discussion in a class once about how an album that spoke using specific names instead of "I" or "you" was actually not as appealing because it didn't leave room for the listener to put themselves in the interior world of the lyrics. If this is a concern in the appeal of popular music, how could you ever say that lyrics are the least concern of listeners? Some scholars just refuse to put themselves in the shoes of non-academic music appreciators.

I think that's a pretty good list for now. I'm sure I had a longer list at one point, but that was many livejournals ago and I just can't find the entry. Considering how much I hated middle school, it seems like a good amount of my favorite albums came out around that time. OH WELL. Screw you, Glen Crest Middle School.

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