Welcome
to part three. These five albums were the first couple years of university. It
was full of drama, both on stage and in my love life.
TITLE: August and Everything After
ARTIST: Counting Crows
YEAR: 1993
YEAR: 1993
GENRE: Alternative Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: ‘Round Here;
Omaha; Mr. Jones; Perfect Blue Buildings; Anna Begins; Time and Time Again;
Rain King; Sullivan Street; Ghost Train; Raining in Baltimore; A Murder of One
FAVOURITE TRACK: Anna Begins
WHY THIS TRACK: The
lyrics almost bring a tear to my eye. I think it’s beautifully written with its
subtle changes in the choruses. A heartbreaking song of denying true love until
it’s too late. I love that this song was not released as a single; a hidden gem
just for us.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: This
is the album I think of when I think of university. You could hear the
passionate lyrics belting out of many a dorm window. Angsty emo music with
poetic lyrics is the bread and butter of “higher thinking” university students.
I always felt very in tune with this band and album. Unfortunately, my wife
gets tired of Adam Duritz’ “whiny” voice pretty quickly and doesn’t appreciate
her name being found in a number of songs including the popular “’Round Here”.
TITLE: Bargainville
ARTIST: Moxy Fruvous
YEAR: 1993
YEAR: 1993
GENRE: Pop
ALBUM TRACKS: River
Valley; Stuck in the 90’s; BJ Don’t Cry; Video Bargainville; Fell in Love; The
Lazy Boy; My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors; The Drinking Song; Morphee; King of
Spain; Darlington Darling; Bittersweet; Laika; Spiderman; Gulf War Song
FAVOURITE TRACK: The
Drinking Song
WHY THIS TRACK: I love
the lyrics and the four part harmonies especially when they break into “Goodnight
Irene”. I’m not a drinker at all but I love the story and the sad ending.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: This
band has the quirkiness of Barenaked Ladies with some added eco-consciousness.
An Ontarian in my dorm introduced me to these guys with a demo tape that
included the catchy “King of Spain”. This was the only album I had of theirs.
Unfortunately, one of the group members, Jian Ghomeshi, tainted this band with
his violent sexual scandal in 2014. It’s sadder when I listen to this now.
TITLE: Dookie
ARTIST: Green Day
YEAR: 1994
YEAR: 1994
GENRE: Punk Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Burnout;
Having a Blast; Chump; Longview; Welcome to Paradise; Pulling Teeth; Basket
Case; She; Sassafras Roots; When I Come Around; Coming Clean; Emenius Sleepus;
In the End; FOD; (All by Myself)
FAVOURITE TRACK: In the End
WHY THIS TRACK: This
is a good ‘screw you’ breakup song. Love the energy and the bridge. Gets my
body moving when I listen to it.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: This
album was my introduction to punk. Sure, I had heard songs from Sex Pistols and
The Clash but didn’t buy their albums. I enjoy the shorter punk tracks that are
bursting with energy. This was a breath of fresh air among the gloom of some of
the music I was listening to at the time. I also saw them rock in a couple
concerts. I still enjoy their music, even the new stuff.
TITLE: Jars of Clay
ARTIST: Jars of Clay
YEAR: 1995
YEAR: 1995
GENRE: Christian Alternative Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Liquid;
Sinking; Love Song for a Savior; Like a Child; Art in Me; He; Boy on a String;
Flood; Worlds Apart; Blind; (Four Seven)
FAVOURITE TRACK: Worlds Apart
WHY THIS TRACK: The
lyrics are powerful and relatable. This is my go to song when I hit rock
bottom, especially in my faith. I have often used this song as a prayer during
troubled times. The drums are cool too. It causes my heart to pound.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: Being
at Trinity Western University, this band and album was in constant rotation in
the dorms (along with dcTalk’s Jesus
Freak). The thoughtful lyrics and acoustically driven music pulled me in
immediately. Their use of strings in many of their songs was also a nice touch.
I was proud of them when “Flood” managed to break into the mainstream markets.
When people insult the quality of Christian music, this is one of the bands I
suggest.
TITLE: Congratulation I’m Sorry
ARTIST: Gin Blossoms
YEAR: 1996
YEAR: 1996
GENRE: Alternative Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Day Job;
Highwire; Follow You Down; Not Only Numb; As Long as it Matters; Perfectly
Still; My Car; Virginia; Whitewash; I Can’t Figure You Out; Memphis Time;
Competition Smile; ‘Til I Hear It from You
FAVOURITE TRACK: Not Only Numb
WHY THIS TRACK: I like the poetry in the lyrics. It’s a
song about returning to old haunts and dealing with how things have changed.
This song reminds me of times I felt numb and didn’t want to face truths.
Someone said that this song reminds them of Zach Braff’s film Garden State. I love that movie. Love
this song even more now.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: In my
opinion, this is what mid-nineties music sounded like. The acoustic guitars
mixed with some emo lyrics and a bit of a raspy voice. This is the album I had
in my car for most of the summer of ’96, going from work in the warehouse, to
home, then to my fiancée’s house. Not everything was rosy during this time so a
nice mix of semi-happy tunes and emotional questioning fit the bill.
1 comment:
I loved Counting Crows and listened to this album too much during a dark time in my life, so I doesn’t appreciate my name being found in a number of songs. Some great songs to listen to if I need a cry
Post a Comment