Favorites

Just felt like posting a few of my all time favorite tracks. (Some of these albums I will be reviewing in the future.) I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say they've altered me in some way--or at least have imprinted themselves in my memory accompanying events, places, people. Here they are.


Big Black: "He's A Whore"
No sentimentality here, just one of the greatest songs ever (in my world.) This album that gave a soundtrack to my general don't-give-a-fuckery. If I'm gonna be a bitchy teenager--I wanna do it to the best music possible, not some shitty neo-punk boy band.

Joy Division: "Disorder" 

This is one of those songs that blew my mind when I first heard it, and still does every single goddamn time. It's the first song I listened to when I switched from earbuds to Grado SR80's--and finally music had layers--it wasn't polished to a smooth, homogeneous sound (but I feel like that's more of a comment on the quality of Grado headphones...Joy Division is always awesome.) 

 

A Place To Bury Strangers: "In Your Heart"
I really think a person's taste in music in a large part depends upon being in the right place at the right time--or in this case, stumbling upon A Place To Bury Strangers on my hard drive and giving it another listen. I am perfectly willing to see that some people will never enjoy distortion of any kind, or angst or pure loudness for that matter. I didn't have a taste for it until a couple years ago--and know it's the majority of music I listen to (using the terms "loud" and "distorted", I mean everything from shoegaze to punk to industrial noise.) "In Your Heart" was that initial foray into a world of pedals and cords and amps and deafening sound--and I still love that album, and APTBS to death. 

Crystal Castles: "Not in Love ft. Robert Smith"

Crystal Castles usually wouldn't make it to my top songs list (they're certainly fun, but I wouldn't ever count them as quality music.) But the addition of Robert Smith gives this song complete legitimacy in my mind--and I applaud them for creating something so heart wrenching and overpowering--and at the same time--totally fit for the dance floor. 

The Cure: "Signal to Noise"
Speaking of Robert Smith...I love him. I would never deny that he's is one of the cheesiest lyricists after Morrisey (ugh) and all of his songs are still about teenage girls, failed relationships, and thinly veiled sex allusions (I mean...how old is he now?) Despite countless changes within the band, Smith is the heart and soul of The Cure, and you have to hand it to him for keeping it up from 1970 (Boys Don't Cry), to 4:13 Dream in 2008, to the aforementioned collaboration with Crystal Castles.

Fuck Buttons: "Sweet Love For Planet Earth"
Fuck Buttons are masters of creating simple, ethereal, lullaby-esque melodies, and slowly progressing with total precision into the most deafening and raw climax of any band I know. Okay, there's really no way to describe their sound expect for "Fuck Buttons is sex." The pattern of sound mimics sex, and because of that...it's really, truly gorgeous. Listen to it and try to tell me it isn't sex.

Zola Jesus: "Sea Talk"
Zola's music is powerful because it's so damn honest. This is one of the most heartbreaking songs I can think of. She gets grouped with shitty artists like U.S. Girls, and Dum Dum Girls, and Vivian Girls but her music is so above and beyond that it's an insult to her talent and intelligence to even compare her to them.

New Order: "Temptation"
Oh, you've got green eyes oh, you've got blue eyes oh, you've got grey eyes.

My Bloody Valentine: "Sometimes" 
Trying not to let this blog become an "Emma Loves MBV" blog, but come on. No explanation needed here. 

David Bowie: "Helden"
I know all of the lyrics to this...in German. I used to listen to Bowie a lot more and that's fizzled out, but this song sticks around with me.

Grouper: "Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping" 
Incredible. So simple and so so perfect. Clean, gauzy sound--with a dark ambient drone backdrop.