Discussion Question

[Rohan Kohli]

Have any albums changed the way you look at life or changed the way you live your life? If so, we'd love to know which ones; more importantly, let us know why and how the albums affected you--that is, if it's not too personal! Keep in mind, this question isn't asking what your favorite CDs are. It's asking what CDs have impacted you the most.

[StartingLine182]

I cant think of an album but the song "Into the airwaves" by Jacks Mannequin helped me alot when I was freaking out about school. This is a tough question, but a good one.

[Mitch]

My honest answer is---I have no idea if any have actually changed my life at all.

Edit: Well, the first and fourth songs on the new Spill Canvas album actually helped me realize how much I hated some girl I was trying to get with at the time.

[Scott Irvine]

This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About by Modest Mouse

Quite possibly the best album I've ever heard. Never gets old.

[Teddythegr8one]

is this deja vu?

We have the facts and were voting yes. Death Cab

First i heard of them...

[Stereo Therapy]

Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy

and

Northstar - Pollanna

the 2 most influential albums in my life, have helped me through any troubles ive ever encountered (thats the point of life changing albums isnt it?). both are simultaneously so many different emotions. they really amaze me every time i listen to them. inspiring, amazing, not enough adjectives to describe these releases.

[TyroneShoolaces]

Tupac - All Eyez On Me

influenced me to sell my gun, cover up my gang tats, and move to the suburbs.

[Melie]

the everglow - mae

it's by far the most inspirational cd i've ever listened to.

[JHallow]

Bad religion - Generator. I guess this was the first band i ever got into. it was the first album i bought. I never listen to music before it. i was only 12. so life was about video games, comics, cartoons and playing sport. its an album that opened my eyes to a whole new world(being that which was known as punk rock) with out BR i guess i wouldnt be here. i wouldnt be into the music i listen to. i am pretty sure i wouldnt be so open minded. After a while listening to different bands, mix tapes what ever, i guess i looked into the lyrics of bad religion. not really knowing what they meant... i think i was 14 at the time this happened. i decided to read into and research what they were talking bout it. it made me think about certain things. life, religion, government etc.
i learnt to research things before having an opinion. learning that not matter what you find out to take an open mind about it. it also made me i guess question what we had around us, they were things were done etc. i try to apply that to every day life. whether im in the office, home or just hanging out.
i hope that makes sense. im kinda tired and its only 2 in the afternoon here.

[leafsacc]

that's so difficult, i can't really pinpoint one cd, i would say me getting interedsted in music in the first place has had a huge affect. I think great albums may have defined a certain point in my life or helped me understand what i was experiencing, but i don't think one has really "changed" me.

[ThatGirl]

This Day and Age. Honestly it has recently helped me get through a situation that has been monopolizing my life for more than a few months. And as cliche as it may seem, Green Day Dookie. Brought me into punk. Way back when.

[StartingLine182]

Tupac - All Eyez On Me

influenced me to sell my gun, cover up my gang tats, and move to the suburbs.

Im glad you could get some help.

[talaird]

This may be a little too old school for some of the youngens....but the first time I heard Slapstick's "Lookit!" in the mid 1990's, it instantly changed they way I looked at music and everything else. The members of the band were my age, and hearing them play music that was socially motivated and so relateable made them the best punk-ska band in Chicago. They all went on to be important members of the punk rock scene. The lead singer is Brendan Kelly, from The Lawrence Arms. Dan Andriano, of Alkaline Trio, played bass. Peter Anna went on to play trombone for Less Thank Jake, Dan Hanaway was in Honor System, and Rob Kellenberger plays drums for Colassal. For the four years they were together, going to the Fireside Bowl in Chicago to see them were some of the best experiences of my life. Go Chicago Punk Rock (except FOB).

[Rohan Kohli]

Bad religion - Generator. I guess this was the first band i ever got into. it was the first album i bought. I never listen to music before it. i was only 12. so life was about video games, comics, cartoons and playing sport. its an album that opened my eyes to a whole new world(being that which was known as punk rock) with out BR i guess i wouldnt be here. i wouldnt be into the music i listen to. i am pretty sure i wouldnt be so open minded. After a while listening to different bands, mix tapes what ever, i guess i looked into the lyrics of bad religion. not really knowing what they meant... i think i was 14 at the time this happened. i decided to read into and research what they were talking bout it. it made me think about certain things. life, religion, government etc.
i learnt to research things before having an opinion. learning that not matter what you find out to take an open mind about it. it also made me i guess question what we had around us, they were things were done etc. i try to apply that to every day life. whether im in the office, home or just hanging out.
i hope that makes sense. im kinda tired and its only 2 in the afternoon here.

Excellent post...scene points for you.

[thenightlife]

Tupac - All Eyez On Me

influenced me to sell my gun, cover up my gang tats, and move to the suburbs.
thats pretty intense! im going with third eye blinds self titled because it rocks ass and makes me think wow this rocks ass!

[XxLoserDanxX]

SoCo Amaretto Lime

[ben pequeno]

saves the day - stay what you are

during my freshman year my best friend was killed in a car accident and this cd helped me through the whole ordeal of him dying and my ex g/f breaking up with me all in the same week.

[LightUpAhead]

thursday-full collapse.

turned everything upside down.

[FeynmanWannabe]

War All The Time/Full Collapse
Probably the difference between Full Collapse and War All The Time. As much as it bugs me when artists look upon their past work disapprovingly, I can't help respect Geoff (and the rest of the band) when they mention how they weren't really big fans of War All The Time. The reasons seem to be twofold: (a) they did not progress as much musically and artistically as they had wanted, and (b) it sounded like a desperate album; it didn't have as much hope as Full Collapse. When I read that first interview when the second reason was brought up I was filled with so much respect for them. They knew that a lot of times their music may seem a bit bleak but they were so disappointed when they couldn't offer their fans some hope. It was bigger than that to me though, it was recognizing that people, not just band members, are really conscious of their effect on people (sometimes). It just meant a lot to me.

The Moon & Antartica
Honestly, I don't think I'm done with this album yet. I'll let you know when I am.

Individual Songs that changed my outlook:
Iron & Wine: Upwards Over The Mountain (Go listen to that song if you're dealing with sort of separation from your family, especially if it's mother-son thing)
Thursday: Tomorrow I'll Be You
Sufjan Stevens: Vito's Ordination Song, Chicago, Casmir Pulaski Day
The Format: On Your Porch

[starcrossdlovex]

The Spill Canvas- One Fell Swoop & Sunsets and Car Crashes.
They've honestly touched my life. Whenever I'm feeling down or anything, I can always turn on some Spill Canvas & it helps. I just... feel it when it's on. I'm in my own world & I'm safe. The lyrics are beautiful, & I just get lost in it. Ugh, I really didn't wanna sound lame. But, self-conclusion has changed my whole outlook on life. Just the hope in that song. One person can have so much impact on another. it's amazing.
&, it's not just the songs, listening makes me think of Nick Thomas. He's such a nice guy & he truly believes in living life to the fullest & he has hope & love. I don't know, I've just been addicted to his music for so long, & he's helped me out of some hard times. Listening to him gives me hope.

I didn't realize how hard it is to explain how someone & their music has impacted you that much. it just has. It's sort of impossible to put into words.

[MalevolentHoff]

Thrice's Illusion of Safety (most impart to hearing "Deadbolt" for the first time).Before I heard this album, I was sucked into a vortex of Talentless Nu-Metal and Old School Metallica. I always thought things considered "emo" were straight up lame pussy bands whining about how their girlfriends dumped them, so I wouldn't give it a chance. Then I heard Deadbolt; I thought to myself "fuck, these dudes can play." Then I bought the album and listened to in for months on end. The combination of guys who could shred on guitar, but sang about real issues other than bitches and beer made me rethink music. Thrice was the gateway drug that led me to hundreds of talented but smart bands.

[brutusUbastard]

Finch - What it is to Burn

Before I bought this album I was all about radio rock and didn't really buy a lot of cd's. Music was just a thing to pass time by. And then I heard What it is to Burn the song. I immediately downloaded that song along with four others (Project Mayhem, Letters to you, Ender, Untitled). Within a month I bought the album. I had never viewed music as a powerful emotional outlet before. For a 15 year old kid who was used to listen Rap-rock and thought it was great, I was blown away by the lyrics and the passion in the vocals. I was used to hearing poorly written, loosely based lyrics telling people to shut-up. Nothing about personal loss, nothing of the depth of songs like grey matter or what it is to burn. I was spellbounded. I could go home after a long day, fast forward to the final part Untitled, and picture myself screaming every word back at whatever went wrong that day. For an emotionally immature kid, it was amazing. It was my starting point in getting into the music I listen to now.

Also Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People for helping me learn the power of instumental music. It was beautiful in the fact that it wasn't in your face, yet brought across more emotion, especially in songs like Stop Coming to My House, than most music I listened to at that moment. It was music that was emotionally fulfilling without being loud and brutal.

[btbam > you]

taking back sunday - tell all your friends never have the lyrics of an album reached me in the ways that these did. the way the lyrics are so heart-felt and the raw emotion of the cd just amazes me everytime i listen to it.

[CROMagnon]

I have to say Green Day's Dookie. It's what introduced me into all of this. When it first came out, I was more than hooked. And though Green Day isn't my favorite band anymore, it's that cd...it's just beautiful.

A close second would either be Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness or SDRE's Diary. There's just something about listening to those albums which really puts me at ease, helps my mind work better.

[punkrockcasual]

taking back sunday - tell all your friends never have the lyrics of an album reached me in the ways that these did. the way the lyrics are so heart-felt and the raw emotion of the cd just amazes me everytime i listen to it.


Agreed. Tell All Your Friends, just cause I was just finishing high school when I listened to it constantly.. it was played all the time during parties at senior week, so many memories.

[TomCantSlowDown]

repeater by fugazi. the absolute pinnacle of moral and righteous rock music. helped me shape my own personal politics and beliefs. amazing record by an amazing band. ian mackaye's dedication to DIY is astonishing and admirable. musically, this record draws from so many far reaching influences and becomes something that is completely unique. fugazi's music is living and breathing. it has its own soul. it has a heartbeat and a pulse.

[Boring Pop Song]

blink 182 - dude ranch.

this is the album that made me want to pick up a guitar and learn...

now i'm at a university studying classical guitar, and i get to play acoustic shows with some of my favorite bands aswell. amazing. thank you blink

[Rohan Kohli]

blink 182 - dude ranch.

this is the album that made me want to pick up a guitar and learn...

now i'm at a university studying classical guitar, and i get to play acoustic shows with some of my favorite bands aswell. amazing. thank you blink

Hey, I study classical guitar too =)

[steve-0]

mewithoutYou - Catch for us the Foxes

This album is inspirational and it speaks to me because of the message behind the music. The Christian undertones are obvious, yet they are done so well that it doesn't come across as cheesy or preachy. I think I identify with this CD so much because the struggles of the lyrics are what I struggle with every day with being a Christian. This CD describes the dissappointments of regular life, and the hope that God brings. My favorite line "We don't quite know what else to do/ We have our beliefs, but we don't want our beliefs/ God of peace, we want you". This CD is just flat-out honest. It doesn't skirt around any issues. It describes struggles in our life and doesn't sugarcoat them. I love the line "besides, how else could i confess/ When i looked down like if to pray/ Well i was looking down her dress"
Honesty like that really strikes a chord with me. It really moves me to hear someone be that honest about their shortcomings

[GlassyLight]

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, by leaps and fucking bounds. Hearing Zero on the radio and being literally freaked out by the riff got me playing guitar, and eventually got me to my SG with the EMG-81's in it. It encompasses how I view myself whenever I'm immersed in any situation, be it intrapersonal, romantic, social, whatever. Starts off with this peaceful piano bit that sounds EXACTLY like a sunrise on a fall day (try it if you don't believe me), and immediately rolls into a song that is filled with hope at the possibilities of the future (Tonight, Tonight).

Then inevitably, it seems like something always has to come dick everything up and you get pissed, be it ragingly (JellyBelly) or broodingly pissed (Zero). The moods just sway back and forth with no real reason or logic behind why they're doing so, and that facet of the music is myself in a nutshell.

Plus the solos in the fast songs are freaking ridiculous.

[fourletterword]

So I decided to add my two cents on this subject and when I started writing my answer a lot came out. Therefore, I apologize if you start reading and get bored (I won’t be offended) but this is what came to mind when I started writing. Enjoy!

Dashboard Confessional- The Swiss Army Romance

Back in 2000, I was listening to Blink 182, New Found Glory, Something Corporate and other pop punk bands because they were so easily accessible, seeing that I was living in NFG’s hometown, and I was always hearing about similar bands. Then I heard about Dashboard as if though it was this secret band that not many people knew about and how it was just one guy with his guitar. At this point in my life I was realizing my love for the rawness of hearing just an acoustic guitar and it’s stripped down characteristics. I quickly ran and got a copy of The Swiss Army Romance and immediately fell in love with the openness and emotion that I was hearing. It was the first time when I felt that the person singing was letting me into their life and not holding anything back. It opened my eyes to not just being able to relate to the lyrics of a band and liking the musical aspects of them but feeling emotion through music. I felt the heart break as if I was feeling it myself. I felt the hope and the good times as if I was experiencing them first hand. It showed me to be open about my emotions and not hold back because somewhere there would be someone who could relate to exactly what I was going through. It is still an album that I can listen to all of these years later on any day and completely enjoy it. There are those albums that I listen to when I’m feeling one particular way but this is an album I can always listen to. I can be feeling like complete shit and an emotional mess and there is no one I want to talk to or I can be having a great day.

Even more, this all came at a time where my musical tastes wanted to expand and I started attending shows. The entire community from which the bands I was already listening to came from was opened up to me. I started realizing the way in which the so called “punk” and underground music community worked. One person discovering a new band and falling in love with them and sharing this with their friends, then they would tell some more people, and those people would tell people, and so on. Kind of like a disease in a way. I found that there was a way of discovering new music beyond what was on MTV, the radio, and what dominated your high school. New bands, new music, and new philosophies were being presented to me. I soon discovered so many different types of music that one wouldn’t necessarily see as being related were all centered around these central ideals of community and being a release of emotion. Over the next couple of years I found bands from this community like Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, Acceptance, The New Amsterdams, Thrice, Mae and so on, and some artists that weren’t, Damien Rice for example.

Blink 182 was the first band that I was a fan of after I heard some of Dude Ranch and Enema of the State hit MTV. Blink made me a music fan and for that I will always be grateful. I then moved onto NFG and many of the Drive Thru bands back in 2000. But the biggest impact coming from me wanting more and Dashboard and Swiss Army gave me that and in the process opened my eyes to the world that surrounded the bands I was already listening to and how diverse it really was. It gave me the doorway to walk though that would lead me to having a love for music rather than just being a music fan.

[Rohan Kohli]

So I decided to add my two cents on this subject and when I started writing my answer a lot came out. Therefore, I apologize if you start reading and get bored (I won’t be offended) but this is what came to mind when I started writing. Enjoy!

Dashboard Confessional- The Swiss Army Romance

Back in 2000, I was listening to Blink 182, New Found Glory, Something Corporate and other pop punk bands because they were so easily accessible, seeing that I was living in NFG’s hometown, and I was always hearing about similar bands. Then I heard about Dashboard as if though it was this secret band that not many people knew about and how it was just one guy with his guitar. At this point in my life I was realizing my love for the rawness of hearing just an acoustic guitar and it’s stripped down characteristics. I quickly ran and got a copy of The Swiss Army Romance and immediately fell in love with the openness and emotion that I was hearing. It was the first time when I felt that the person singing was letting me into their life and not holding anything back. It opened my eyes to not just being able to relate to the lyrics of a band and liking the musical aspects of them but feeling emotion through music. I felt the heart break as if I was feeling it myself. I felt the hope and the good times as if I was experiencing them first hand. It showed me to be open about my emotions and not hold back because somewhere there would be someone who could relate to exactly what I was going through. It is still an album that I can listen to all of these years later on any day and completely enjoy it. There are those albums that I listen to when I’m feeling one particular way but this is an album I can always listen to. I can be feeling like complete shit and an emotional mess and there is no one I want to talk to or I can be having a great day.

Even more, this all came at a time where my musical tastes wanted to expand and I started attending shows. The entire community from which the bands I was already listening to came from was opened up to me. I started realizing the way in which the so called “punk” and underground music community worked. One person discovering a new band and falling in love with them and sharing this with their friends, then they would tell some more people, and those people would tell people, and so on. Kind of like a disease in a way. I found that there was a way of discovering new music beyond what was on MTV, the radio, and what dominated your high school. New bands, new music, and new philosophies were being presented to me. I soon discovered so many different types of music that one wouldn’t necessarily see as being related were all centered around these central ideals of community and being a release of emotion. Over the next couple of years I found bands from this community like Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, Acceptance, The New Amsterdams, Thrice, Mae and so on, and some artists that weren’t, Damien Rice for example.

Blink 182 was the first band that I was a fan of after I heard some of Dude Ranch and Enema of the State hit MTV. Blink made me a music fan and for that I will always be grateful. I then moved onto NFG and many of the Drive Thru bands back in 2000. But the biggest impact coming from me wanting more and Dashboard and Swiss Army gave me that and in the process opened my eyes to the world that surrounded the bands I was already listening to and how diverse it really was. It gave me the doorway to walk though that would lead me to having a love for music rather than just being a music fan.

That was awesome, thank you so much for putting a lot of time into that...scene points =)

[mediocrgreenday]

Owen - No Good For No One Now

I was going through some shit with a girl, and this album just made me relize that yeah it sucks, but life goes on and we all go through this shit.

[halfwayXthere]

Probably "Take This to Your Grave" by Fall Out Boy. When I got that album, it was during a time in my life where I was going through the ringer. Horrible break up, all that teen bullshit, everything. The words to this disc helped me get through it all. I figured out the girl was a bitch and needed to be kicked to the curb anyway, and that your friends will stick with you through anything. This album means so much to me.

[Mickey]

the weakend - how everyone ruins everything and vice versa

[bluecrunchy]

mewithoutYou - Catch for us the Foxes

This album is inspirational and it speaks to me because of the message behind the music. The Christian undertones are obvious, yet they are done so well that it doesn't come across as cheesy or preachy. I think I identify with this CD so much because the struggles of the lyrics are what I struggle with every day with being a Christian. This CD describes the dissappointments of regular life, and the hope that God brings. My favorite line "We don't quite know what else to do/ We have our beliefs, but we don't want our beliefs/ God of peace, we want you". This CD is just flat-out honest. It doesn't skirt around any issues. It describes struggles in our life and doesn't sugarcoat them. I love the line "besides, how else could i confess/ When i looked down like if to pray/ Well i was looking down her dress"
Honesty like that really strikes a chord with me. It really moves me to hear someone be that honest about their shortcomings

i was about to post about the same album, but then i saw yours and it pretty much says it all. it helped me through a really tough relationship and showed that other people have the same struggles as i was going through, lame as that might sound. it literally changed my life. so yeah, good stuff.

[xrateddream]

For me, it would be Dude Ranch by Blink 182. I still liked the Spice Girls back then, and I found myself a copy of the album, and it changed my life. I dont even need to explain how it changed my life, it just did after listening to the first song.

Great album.

[You'reMyElixir]

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Up until 5th grade I had no musical taste. I liked the songs on the disney cartoons (like the one that plays when Buzz realizes he is a toy at that punk kids house) or songs that my older siblings like, though I never had any ties to who sang those. Then my oldest brother made a 10-song sampler of MCatIS for my other brother. He didn't take to it as much, so I took the tape. I played that tape until the spools got so rackety they didn't rewind smoothly. I was excited to go home from school because that meant my mom expected me to be in my room until homework was finished, but that was just fine because I had that tape. Bullet With Butterfly Wings became something above all other music. "The World is a Vampire" never made sense to my innocent 5th grade frame, but it still made me pull a Neo "whoa". I quickly became familiar with Billy, Jimmy, D'arcy, and James and felt like I had friends that I couldn't talk to, only listen to. I fell asleep with headphones on, and a Walkman playing that tape. I couldn't keep still in class because I had 1979 stuck in my head and the pencil-tapping sounded just like the opening drum clicks to me. You should have seen my excitement when I realized that those 10 songs weren't the only offerings of the Pumpkins. There was a double CD! 28 songs! I was suddenly exposed to crunching guitars and "cool" piano music. Music became more than background noise, each second had 4, 8, or different 30 layers of goodness. That CD has it all: loud rock, slow rock, intimate acoustic, anthems, interludes, even musical poems! I have tons of favorite CD's, but I have never been changed as a person by any of them except for that one. That one was the one.

[IcedOpethBlind]

Third Eye Blind - S/T

Alot of attachment to my bestfriend with nearly all of these songs. I love this record so much.

Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse

One of the first records I ever owned, again, i love the nostalgic feeling this brings me so much.

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness

Impacted me both emotionally and musically. This made me want to pick up a guitar and create mass havoc with distortion.

The Fall of Troy - The Fall of Troy

This record made me so much better at guitar. I love the reigned-in havoc of it.

Ben Folds Five - Whatever & Ever Amen

Nostalgic record for me again. Brings me alot of joy. I feel like I'm back home, listening to this record over and over like I used to, anytime I give it another spin.

[thebanneryear]

(pre-post: if no one responds to this I'm going to kill myself)

"Broken Star" by the Broadways. I was a freshman in college and I was going through my iTunes listening to random compilation tracks I hadn't given much attention to when I came across "Red Line" by the Broadways from some Asian Man comp, and I said, "Hey, isn't that the guy from Slapstick?" I hadn't heard of Lawrence Arms at the time and had only purchased the Slapstick record because I was a big fan of Dan and Alkaline Trio.

So I went to the Asian Man website and they had a special deal where you get 5 Cds for 25 bucks, so I ordered both Broadways CDs and 4 Lawrence Arms CDs and 2 Honor System cds, because Mike Park said I could have any additional CDs for 5 bucks, too. The first one I put on was "Broken Star" by the Broadways and I was instantly floored. I was going through compulsive eating/pill-popping depressive college freshman problems, sometimes hanging out with the bums on the street by campus, and all the sudden, listening to "Upton" by Brendan and the Broadways ("I'm not angry, I'm a no good piece of shit, look at every day it just rolls off my back... And I sat around watching cars, thinking stupid fucking thoughts about my friends, and my school and my girl and myself..." and I realized that all THREE singers in this band had felt everything I had felt at any point in my life...

I'm kinda drunk but this is THE best album every recorded by man... Anyone who doesn't know the Broadways is SORELY missing out... They turned a whole new page in the book of my LIFE. I don't know where I'd be today without the guiding rock of Brendan Kelly and company...

[minusthejosh]

for me it would have to be two cds. new found glory - nothing gold can stay, self-titled. at the time i was listening to music that i just saw on mtv and stuff like that, trying to listen to what the trend was at the time. as soon as i heard the bass line in the beginning of "sincerely me" and the guitar in at the beginning of "hit or miss" i was hooked. although they weren't extremely punk or anything like that, it was a refreshing change that got me away from crap like korn and limp bizkit. it showed me that you really didn't need people to tell you what to listen to. it was more of how you felt about music and what it meant to you. to me music is a passion that cannot be replaced by anything. without music there would be no soundtrack to life.

[Sumblinksk8er]

The beatles the white album. I heard this album at a friends house when i was 9 years old. I had no appreciation for music but this is what got me into music. The song Back in the USSR singlehandedly changed my life. Before i honestly didnt listen to music at all. After this i started listening to The beach boys, Ritche Valens, Buddy Holly all that good stuff until i was about 11-12 and listened to Dude Ranch thats what got me into the music im into today and is still my favorite album. The White album actually turned out to be my least favorite beatles album as i own them all. Dude Ranch is my favorite album of all time.

[TitoThePoolBoy]

may sound lame but lifehouse - no name face and more specifically the song 'everything'. it's the first album i actually listened to all the way through because of the intense familiaity i found in each song. basically, if my life could play through speakers, it would be in that album.

[agloriousruin]

I'd have to say Further Seems Forever's "How to Start A Fire." It was literally the first "scene" album that I ever heard any of--I actually played "The Sound" on our college radio station and a friend of mine told me that the rest of the album was better than that song. So he bought it for me for my birthday and it continues to be one of the most beautiful, heartfelt albums ever created. Jason Gleason is a natural lyricist and it is so amazing to me to listen to them and just wonder how its possible for these words to flow from Jason's head.

"On Legendary" is also one of my favorite songs of all times because it really describes how I feel in regards to one of the most important persons in my life. She has really helped me to see where my hope lies and how important it is for me to find my self worth in God, not in others. So I really can say that "I feel I've begun now that we're one." Well, we're not exactly "one" now, but I pray we will be. Its just beautiful instrumentation, the vocals are so desperate and perfect and the lyrics almost make me cry. If Jason Gleason would come sing this at my wedding one day, it would be perfect.

But this is a great thread. I don't often feel compelled to post, but I really felt this one hit me in a way I needed to describe. Excellent idea!

[AsheyLarryRXB]

I bought Rx Bandits Progress the day it came out and it changed the way i look at the world. I would also say MxPx Let it Happen, Nfg's nothing gold can stay and Suicide Machines destruction by definition because they were the first albums(besides Green Day) that got me into punk. Also Brand New your favorite weapon, Coheed STTB, and Pieblad we are the only friends that we have because the came out my senior year of high school and they were the soundtrack too that part of my life.....and they kick ass.

[nicoteen]

I guess I have a couple. Park "It won't Snow Where You Are Going" really helped me through a rough breakup. I had lived with this girl for a year and a half. I was actually considering proposing to her and then I found out she was cheating on me. This CD is so depressing and I guess what I took away from it is there are way worse things that could have happened. I listened to this cd for a long time and I realized that Life Goes On.

On a lighter note I remember buying Take Off Your Pants And Jacket and it making me happy every time I heard it. It was kind of like the soundtrack for the best summer I have ever had.

[WhatSayYou]

I don't think any album has changed my life but the closest would be Blink 182 "dude ranch" especially the song "damnit it" is what got me into music, I was like 12. And Say Anything's "...is a real boy" was the fist cd I listened to and my jaw was on the floor the whole time. Most of the time it take me a while to fully enjoy an album but with "...is a real boy" i knew it was something special right away.

[lostromanticxx]

Well, Green Day's Dookie and Blink 182's Dude Ranch are what brought me to this scene a long time ago so I'd have to say those are definetly two albums that changed a lot of things for me.

Also, I'd like to say New Found Glory's Sticks and Stones because in 2003 they did the Civic Tour and I heard about the tour in February of that year and my grandmother had been real sick in the hospital she was dying. She bought me the tickets for my 19th birthday which was a week after the show would be. She bought the tickets when she was still well enough to understand what was going on, as she got sicker, I started listening to that album more and more particularlly Sonny because it made me think of her and it was a song they wrote when Chad's grandfather died. I could relate well... needless to say she pushed herself to keep going so that I could go to the show and have fun because she knew that it was the last thing she'd be able to give me and I was her oldest grandchild of three.

Another story of death, I hold Mest's song Walking On Broken Glass close to my heart because I had a lot of death in my life in 2004, many friends and family friends including my best friend of 7 years who pretty much lived with me. She had a seziure and drown in her bath tub in January of 2004. That song helped me get through a tough time. I know a lot of people dislike Mest, but their music has definetly been there for me when times were dark.

[lostxinxmotion]

Senses Fail - From the Depths of Dreams e.p.

i think beyond any other cd, this one has spoken to me the most and had the biggest influence in my life. when i was in high school, i bought this CD mostly because i liked Finch. i was going through the Drive Thru roster and i found the song Bloody Romance. i thought it was ok so i checked out the entire album. when i first heard it, every song spoke (and still speaks) to me. at the time, i was going through a rough time and the angst in buddy's voice made me feel justified for all my anger. it was the fact that someone else felt just as angry and confused as i was that really helped me over that period in my life. even today, every time i listen to that CD, i remember how fucked up my life was and what i am today and it makes me feel proud for overcoming everything.

sorry if this got lame...studying is a drag.

[eXcivory]

Tupac - All Eyez On Me

influenced me to sell my gun, cover up my gang tats, and move to the suburbs.

YOU ARE AWESOME.

[motivatedchange]

Atticus - Dragging the Lake, vol.1

I was relatively new to all this when that cd dropped, I picked it up the first week it came out because of the New Found Glory and Blink182 tracks. I ended up discovering so many bands that have gone on to play huge parts of my life, including The Movielife, Midtown, Sugarcult, Finch, and Autopilot Off (who are one of the three bands that mean everything to me). I ended up buying the Autopilot Off self-titled EP almost immediately after getting this cd, and from there just dove in head-first and started picking up albums by almost everyone on the disc and feeling it out from there.

Music has always been my life, but I credit this cd with introducing me to the real soundtrack.

[ishotthepilot]

Punchline - Action, randomly. it took me away from the gross negativity of "emo" and most of the music i was listening to then and was like, what's wrong with being hopeful? thinking towards the future instead of living in the past... it was just a good thing to hear at that point. still is.
Give Up the Ghost's We're Down Till We're Underground in almost the same way.

[redeyes]

shai hulud - that within blood ill-tempered

this record came out two years ago, and i bought it within the first week. it was amazing hardcore, the matts laid down some sensational music, and i thought it was good. a good hardcore cd, and thats about it. i listened to it for a month or two, and then i moved on to something new. but about a year ago i decided to listen to it again. and some of the lyrics jumped out at me in ways they hadn't in my first affair with the record. I sat down with the booklet and read all the lyrics.
at that time i was a pretty unhealthy person. and im not really talking physical, and im not talking about drugs. i had an unhealthy personality and it was damaging to myself. along with the help of some very important people in my life i was able to start to recognize some of these unhealthy habits and correct them. but this disc was also instrumental in that. it helped give me the strength to rally what was wrong with me. and it gave me the hope that i could fix things. for about a week it was THE ONLY cd i listened too.
they're unforgiving intensity is what was truly inspiring. they didn't except excuses, mankind was fucked up, and they were gonna call him out on it. they weren't taking any bullshit. the same way i had to stop taking my own bullshit.
i probably would have mad it through these changes without this record, but goddamn, it certainly turned some embers into a forest fire, let me tell you.

[vote4pedro]

Atticus - Dragging the Lake, vol.1

I was relatively new to all this when that cd dropped, I picked it up the first week it came out because of the New Found Glory and Blink182 tracks. I ended up discovering so many bands that have gone on to play huge parts of my life, including The Movielife, Midtown, Sugarcult, Finch, and Autopilot Off (who are one of the three bands that mean everything to me). I ended up buying the Autopilot Off self-titled EP almost immediately after getting this cd, and from there just dove in head-first and started picking up albums by almost everyone on the disc and feeling it out from there.

Music has always been my life, but I credit this cd with introducing me to the real soundtrack.
same dude, that cd was an amazing compilation, i liked half the bands, so i was wonderring if i would like the other half that i didn't know, and sure enough it opened doors.

I would say "dude ranch" probably changed my life. i'm not saying it was the greatest cd of all time. but when i was in middle school, i didnt know what to listen to, i just listened to what the media told me to, or what my church told me to (i was religious at the time, so newsboyz and the supertones etc.) my neighbor showed me dude ranch and i was just attached, i had no idea who blink was, but the poppyness kept me listening and the punkiness made me feel happy. Dude ranch was my ganja, it opened up the doors for the music i listen to now. After that cd i moved onto listen to bands like mxpx, saves the day, and over the last 9 years create my personal "library" that i'm very happy of. I remember making a copy of dude ranch onto a tape and listening to it as i went to bed on my portable tape player (i didnt have my cd player yet. haha) i could sort of relate to the lyrics to the songs but i was too young to grasp some of the other concepts... dude ranch helped me grow i guess. I still like pulling up the cd on itunes everynow and then and it feels like it was yesterday. one thing i've noticed is that i lose track of time with music. I'm always stunned when i look at the years of the release dates for cd's. it doesn't seem like it was that long ago. "but i guess this is growing up."

[kaskomm09]

And Say Anything's "...is a real boy" was the fist cd I listened to and my jaw was on the floor the whole time. Most of the time it take me a while to fully enjoy an album but with "...is a real boy" i knew it was something special right away.

That's pretty much what I was going to say. While "...Is A Real Boy" may not be my favorite album of all-time (definately top 5 though) I'd say it's probably the only album that made me drastically change the way I view myself and the world around me, not just how I view my relationship with a girl, a friend, etc like a lot of other albums said.

When I bought it, I had only really heard "Belt" numerous times and had seen them play a 7-song set or so as an opener on tour. By the time "Woe" was finished, I was immediately glued to what the rest of the album had in store. As WhatSayYou said, my jaw was simply on the floor.

For me, it was how brutally honest Max's words were and how distinct I felt the point of view was. I felt as if I had never really looked at things the way Max was looking at them and expressing them through "...Is A Real Boy" and I can definitively say it changed how I viewed myself. It changed the way I perceived myself within my settings, I stopped caring so much about what some people thought and I think it allowed me to put my guard down and understand that everyone has weaknesses and that's what makes us unique and human.

So, yeah, Say Anything's "...Is A Real Boy" for me.

[charly horse]

The Ataris- So Long Astoria


Although the band isn't too revolutionary thier music hit so close to home. When I first heard the Boys of Summer song I fell in love. I picked up the album and listened to the rest of the cd, and realized these guys had something to say. I was sort of going through a tough time with my dad and being away from my boyfriend. I was down in South Carolina all alone, and this cd really made me feel at home. If you listen to the lyrics they sing about some important life stuff. "The hardest part isn't finding what we need to be, it's being content with who we are." I don't really know what it is about them that makes me so happy when I listen to it. It really did help me through what I was going through.
I didn't even realize how much they meant to me until I listened to them for the first time in a year or so the other day. I didn't just listen, I really thought about what they were singing. And, as cliche and girl this may sound, I almost cried. It just made me feel so good, I really connected with them. And I really can't wait until their next cd comes out. I'm excited.

[bluekey]

mewithoutYou - Catch for us the Foxes

This album is inspirational and it speaks to me because of the message behind the music. The Christian undertones are obvious, yet they are done so well that it doesn't come across as cheesy or preachy. I think I identify with this CD so much because the struggles of the lyrics are what I struggle with every day with being a Christian. This CD describes the dissappointments of regular life, and the hope that God brings. My favorite line "We don't quite know what else to do/ We have our beliefs, but we don't want our beliefs/ God of peace, we want you". This CD is just flat-out honest. It doesn't skirt around any issues. It describes struggles in our life and doesn't sugarcoat them. I love the line "besides, how else could i confess/ When i looked down like if to pray/ Well i was looking down her dress"
Honesty like that really strikes a chord with me. It really moves me to hear someone be that honest about their shortcomings

this guy said exactly what i said. the way aaron is so real with his struggles and ideas. presents ideas in new ways i hadnt thought of before and really encouraged me.

also taking back sunday - tell all your friends (and taking back sunday - good enough) really got me through a time of losing a girlfriend and stuff and i could totally relate to them and the songs were speaking what was going through my head.

[Jonathan London]

Punchline - Action, randomly. it took me away from the gross negativity of "emo" and most of the music i was listening to then and was like, what's wrong with being hopeful? thinking towards the future instead of living in the past... it was just a good thing to hear at that point. still is.

You're the man. Wait till you hear the new stuff. I've only heard 2 demos and it made me do a backflip.

I gotta go with Green Day's Kerplunk. I had no idea what was going on when they opened for Bad Religion way back in 1992. God. I'm way too old to be posting on this board. And then NOFX's White Trash Two Heebs and a Bean. I was listening to the song "Bob" when I picked up the phone and found out my older brother had been killed. It's barely even about the song or album I guess. Dude Ranch was my first month at college. Wow. That was a good soundtrack. Anything by Dynamite Boy brings me back home to Austin. And The Mr. T Experience keeps me grounded and happy.

[jessmo]

oasis-"what's the story (morning glory)"

first cd i ever bought, and it turned my 9/10 year old mind upside down. it encouraged me to simply ask "why?" and not be afraid to do so. it also showed me that it was ok to be yourself, even if the real you just happened to be different than all of your peers (and that there was nothing wrong with just saying fuck you to those who looked down on you for it). all this of course then opened up a whole new perspective on the world, human nature, and my own life. "champagne supernova" is the song that really deserves all the credit in even starting my life changing rollercoaster because it was the first song i heard off the album, and was the very reason i decided to purchase it. this album is also the reason that music is more than just music to me. music is my best friend, my support system, my everything, and if it wasnt for this album i may never have discovered music's emotional power.

about 2 years later i took a vaction from myself (dont ask me where i went, because even i dont know) and it was glassjaw (both albums really, but i guess it was "cosmopolitan bloodloss" from worship & tribute which first introduced me to these guys) who brought me back to reality. they were the first ones who got me into going to shows which then got me into "the scene", with a little help from new found glory, and i discovered this supportive and glorious culture which had escaped me for all those years. i had finally found the lost treasure that i desperatly needed and had blindly been searching for without knowing it since the first time i heard "champagne supernova"; i finally knew that i wasnt the only one trying to fight the good fight in individual freedom... i must also say that senses fail "from the depths of dreams" ep was what really got me excited about finding new bands, and the joy in knowing music that no one had ever heard of (this of course was way back when nobody had ever heard of these guys), which just permenently fed that fire which will remain roaring inside of me for the rest of my existance.

individual songs that i feel must also be mentioned:
"tiny dancer"-elton john
"one"-metallica
"memphis will be laid to waste"-norma jean

THANK YOU MUSIC.

[dangets]

before my friend recommended Worship and Tribute over the summer before junior year of high school, i was a trend follower, and never spent any time actively looking for music that i had never heard before. not that being a trend follower is necessarily a bad thing, but it was for me. if i had spent more time with Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water, rather than falling in love with Glassjaw, i'd probably be a giant douchebag, and not know a bunch of my favorite bands.

thanks to steve quinn and daryl palumbo for changing my life. and beck too i guess.

[Sam Kaufman]

Glassjaw - Everything you ever wanted to know about silence
I had heard piano on a roadrunner compliation disc, at the time i was dealing with slutty girl problems, it spoke to me unlike anything i had ever heard. at the time i was into really lame nu-metal bands and it seemed to be more real than any other music i had ever expierenced up to that point in my life. i went out to my local cd store, picked it up, the only copy btw, and became obbsessed. it introduced me to hardcore and put me on the right track with my musical tastes. i later saw them perform at bogarts in cincinatti ohio, which was my first real concert and it was a ephiphany to say the least. thanks for reading.

[theguilt engine]

This Day And Age - Always Leave The Ground

It made me realize a lot of things about relationships. This album helped we me end one and start one.

[monkeyboy14]

Dude Ranch by Blink 182 is the album that got me into punk. It opened my eyes to the world of rock music and set the framework for the music that I listen to now.

[Finch076]

I find it depressingly odd that more people put that senses fail has changed their life than BRIGHT EYES.

Regardless if you like Conor Oberst or not, you must admit his lyrics are, for a lack of a better word, genius.

So, that's why i'm saying that Fevers and Mirrors and Lifted by Bright Eyes are the two albums that have changed my perspective on life completely. I think they changed me so much my ex-girlfriend (who was, at the time, my actual girlfriend) began to hate me for it.

[MakeMeElectrik]

The Process of Relief by Bad Religion. I had been struggling with my religious views for a while, and i got ahold of this album. it totally helped me decide what i did and didnt believe in, and as cliche as it sounds it really taught me alot. it was the first album that ever actually had a huge impact on my life.

[ThatGirl]

This Day And Age - Always Leave The Ground

It made me realize a lot of things about relationships. This album helped we me end one and start one.
most definately. i think i said the same thing.

[matt_rawlings]

Dude Ranch by Blink 182 is the album that got me into punk. It opened my eyes to the world of rock music and set the framework for the music that I listen to now.
I was exactly the same. Dude ranch and blink 182 influenced me to start playing bass and guitar, to get into punk (and by extension, rock/posthardcore et al) music.

Also, at the age I was at I really did relate to the songs...I mean I was about 11 and was just starting to have my first 'issues' with girls and school and shit (as trivial as that sounds). They made me feel like their was music made for me and if I looked I could find it. So from the sleevenotes on Dude ranch and Enema of the state I discovered a whole host of bands which lead on to more bands and so it goes.
Blink 182 may be seen as 'sell-outs' and 'over-popular trite and redundant' in todays music scene but as far as Im concerned they will always hold a place in my heart as a starting point for all the music I listen to, the music I write and generally who I am today. I am a better person and more happy because of the music I listen to and the music I listen to comes as a direct result of this band

[DeadPoetic]

Stabbing Westward - Darkest Days

The first time I heard it, I wasn't really that interested. I was very much into pop-punk (massive NFG fan, cue much eye rolling) and this wasn't particularly my style. However...

...as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most hard-hitting albums I've ever heard, let alone ever owned. I was going through a nervous breakdown at the time so songs like the title track really hit home for me and influence a lot of the lyrics I wrote myself at the time. It totally changed my way of viewing everything that was going on in my life at the time and dragged me through it, albeit kicking and screaming.

I guess it's kinda different to what everyone else around here listens to and I've heard SW aren't particularly revered in the US but whatever. I love that album.

[getupkid53]

(pre-post: if no one responds to this I'm going to kill myself)

"Broken Star" by the Broadways. I was a freshman in college and I was going through my iTunes listening to random compilation tracks I hadn't given much attention to when I came across "Red Line" by the Broadways from some Asian Man comp, and I said, "Hey, isn't that the guy from Slapstick?" I hadn't heard of Lawrence Arms at the time and had only purchased the Slapstick record because I was a big fan of Dan and Alkaline Trio.

So I went to the Asian Man website and they had a special deal where you get 5 Cds for 25 bucks, so I ordered both Broadways CDs and 4 Lawrence Arms CDs and 2 Honor System cds, because Mike Park said I could have any additional CDs for 5 bucks, too. The first one I put on was "Broken Star" by the Broadways and I was instantly floored. I was going through compulsive eating/pill-popping depressive college freshman problems, sometimes hanging out with the bums on the street by campus, and all the sudden, listening to "Upton" by Brendan and the Broadways ("I'm not angry, I'm a no good piece of shit, look at every day it just rolls off my back... And I sat around watching cars, thinking stupid fucking thoughts about my friends, and my school and my girl and myself..." and I realized that all THREE singers in this band had felt everything I had felt at any point in my life...

I'm kinda drunk but this is THE best album every recorded by man... Anyone who doesn't know the Broadways is SORELY missing out... They turned a whole new page in the book of my LIFE. I don't know where I'd be today without the guiding rock of Brendan Kelly and company...


That is a sweet album. I remember before broken star came out they played a barn show with a bunch of other bands who went on to be amazing. This was pre dan in the trio... As a matter of fact, this was right around when ALK3 formed (spring '98, I was a junior in h.s.). Regardless Dan was in Tuesday, they performed, as well as the broadways, and appleseed cast (student rick, the eclectics, and 88 fingers louie played too, which made it all the more awesome). Tuesday and Appleseed had both just released their first albums and The Broadways were still recording their's. Anyways, they played like 5th out of 11 bands, and they blew my mind. I know this isn't any album, but this show changed my perspective on music. I've followed most of these bands, and their spawnoffs since. Rob (from slapstick / tuesday) in Duvall, Dan in Alk3, Brendan in Larry Arms, and I adore the appleseed cast. I picked up some cheap comp's at the show and ended up pretty much buying the entire Asain man catalog that summer. Regardless, kudos to you on your album choice.

[dead&broken]

There was a group back in the early 90's called Overwhelming Colorfast their first cd from start to finish is amazing. I play it today and and can smell memories from that time of people i loved and people i lost. Life was so much simpiler then. PS if anyone knows if they went on to form other projects please reply me back of them.

[iloseinterest]

owen's self titled and "i do perceive"

[dropkickromance]

pink floyd's darkside of the moon. to me, it just teaches you to not let anything get to you too much, and to just relax. such a soothing record.

[Bobcat46308]

Disturbed - Believe

It is far from my favorite album of all time, but it just takes me back to my Junior and Senior year in High School. I listened to the first two songs on that album, "Prayer" and "Liberate" before every varsity football game I ever played, so every time I listen to the cd again it reminds me of those fall days driving 8 minutes up the road to my high school. Our team went 19-4 during those two years, so I guess it was kind of like a good-luck charm, as well as a pre-game ritual. High School football was one of the best times of my life, so whenever I listen to this album, it's pretty sweet to be taken back to those fall days in northeast ohio playing football with my friends.

(Brand New - Deja Entendu has done a lot too, but I'm not gonna get into it)

[DroppedUrPocket]

Glassjaw - EYWTKAS

It was recommended to me by some people I talked to from the internet because I was sitting around listening to Korn and they wanted to break that cycle, so to speak. I put it in and it was something raw and something so emotional and so heartfelt it just...my jaw dropped. I couldn't even fathom going through some of the stuff talked about on that record. I was young and I hadn't been through those kind of things yet. I found out years later, that it set a precursor to what I was going to experience in high school. A kind of fore-shadowing, I guess you can say. That album helped me through so much and every time I listen to it, I find something that floors me.

Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit!/Self-titled

I've mentioned these albums once or twice in other threads. While I haven't been listening to the Trio for very long and got into them through a friend who loaned me From Here to the Infirmary a year or two after it came out, these two albums are nothing short of perfection to me. To this day, these albums are the soundtracks of my life. I could go on and on and on about how both these albums resound within me. It's like Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano were in my head. It's really amazing. These records really make me think about the situation I'm in and what I could do about it.

Brand New - Deja Entendu

I'm getting a little off topic with these I think, but it's kinda therapuetic so fuck off. But this CD is another that relates to me phenominally. And I still think Play Crack the Sky is one of the best songs ever written.

[finch425]

this is gonna sound cliche, but matchbook romances west for wishing, and dashboard confessionals the places you have come to fear the most. because i was going thruoght the worst time of my life at that point, and even though the music its self was sad, i could totally relate to it, and that made me feel a little better. to this day, those are my fave albums just for that reason

[Four]

Hmm, some albums that may have changed my life, or are most important to me:


Green day - Dookie

This cd got me into my own music. The only music I listened to before this point was my parents music (which I still listen too, good 'ol classic rock). Than I heard dookie when I was 10 and baught the tape. Since then i've baught the cd three more times and it let me develope my own taste in music. Also, Anytime I was sad, this cd cheered me up, whenever my friends were around, this cd was what we were rocking out too. Made me purchase my first guitar when I finally got the money.


Saves the day - Stay What You Are

This album can help anyone out lyriclly when you just read the lyrics and take the time to understand them.


Sublime - sublime, anything really.


Something about brad's voice can sooth me from the worste nightmare. This album(s) also got me into reggea and opened up doorways to funk and hardcore.


Other bands I used to be nuts over:

Rx bandits, Against All Authority, Unwritten Law, etc.

Also, something corporate helped me out alot when I was in highschool.

[Four]

Hmm, some albums that may have changed my life, or are most important to me:


Green day - Dookie

This cd got me into my own music. The only music I listened to before this point was my parents music (which I still listen too, good 'ol classic rock). Than I heard dookie when I was 10 and baught the tape. Since then i've baught the cd three more times and it let me develope my own taste in music. Also, Anytime I was sad, this cd cheered me up, whenever my friends were around, this cd was what we were rocking out too. Made me purchase my first guitar when I finally got the money.


Saves the day - Stay What You Are

This album can help anyone out lyriclly when you just read the lyrics and take the time to understand them.


Sublime - sublime, anything really.


Something about brad's voice can sooth me from the worste nightmare. This album(s) also got me into reggea and opened up doorways to funk and hardcore.


Other bands I used to be nuts over:

Rx bandits, Against All Authority, Unwritten Law, etc.

Also, something corporate helped me out alot when I was in highschool.

[Four]

shit, how did it double post? can someone delete one? thanks.

[Slaur]

MXPX-the live album.GSF hit my heart hard,and changed my life.

[DroppedUrPocket]

shit, how did it double post? can someone delete one? thanks.
Click the button to the left of the quote button at the bottom of the post. There's an option to delete it in there.

[CHRISRIPPEDOUT]

Harry Chapin - Greatest Stories
In case some of you don't know Harry Chapin is the Singer/Song writer that wrote the song "Cats in the Cradle." This album meant a lot to me for many reasons. First of all, it was probably one of 3 CD's me and my mom could sit in the same car and listen to over and over again. Harry was known for his story songs. The songs would tell these very elaborate detailed stories, which I think had a lot to do with why a 9 year old kid, loved to listen to him. Having a wild imagination, I would close my eyes and imagine the characters he sang about, and the situations he was in. It was like watching movie, but through music. It really gave me a deep appreciation for music that had really well thought out lyrics and things that meant something. Few artists today will probably be around as long as some of these older "founding" musicians.
Also "They're Only Chasing Safety" - Underoath, summed up a lot of emotions i felt boiling up inside the first time I heard it. It's one of the few albums I've ever heard that I could actually listen to and feel and connect with the music, words, melodies, and everything

[johnnybb]

Like Mitch2742 both Spill Canvas albums made me realize how much I didn't really like the girl I thought I liked. Those albums, especially "One Fell Swoop", cover every. single. feeling that a person goes through when liking someone, I think.

Also, if "Everything In Transit" didn't inspire anyone, then I don't know what does.

[theredline]

I don't know if one album has ever change my lifge or the way its lived. I think my life has changed and the music I listen to has changed along with it. I could say Sgt. Pepper was the first album that made me look at music in a different way. It was the first album that made me think of playing music.

[xdosmil]

I have two. The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About & Thursday - Full Collapse .

I was introduced to both of these bands my sophomore year of high school, by an older friend in college. I distinctly remember the first Thursday song I ever heard was Paris In Flames and it just stuck with me forever, every word, every note.

Now before this I was into straight forward punk and ska. Bands like Blink 182, NoFX, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and so on. I'm not putting any of those bands down, or saying I don't still listen to them, but the first time I heard Thursday it was like I found something "real". The pure honesty and raw emotion of his voice alone changed the way that I looked at everything about life. They touched on everything, relationships, friendships, family issues, religion, politics. They basically shaped the way that I look at most aspects of my life, and for that I'm truely grateful.

The Get Up Kids is more so the soundtrack to my highschool career than anything else. For three years I was absolutely obsessed with this disc. It was the first album I played in my car when I got my driver's license, listened to it with my first girlfriend... and so on... Everytime I listen to this cd is brings me back to a time when things were much simpler and alot more hopeful.

[Worry Bomb]

The entire Bill Hicks back catalogue. More than a stand up comedian (although he was the funniest fucking man....ever), he changed my way of thinking and living to an awesome degree. I'm saddened every day that he's not still with us.

[pdiddysong15]

Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
This is my first post on this site. When I was in high school, I was a big fan of Jimmy Eat World. Then one day one of my friends told me about TBS and how they were the best "emo" band. I went out and bought it and immediately fell in love with the album. It helped me deal alot with personal problems with girls and how much heartbreak sucked. It also made me make a connection with some of my friends that I never thought could be made. It made me realize that there is so much more to music than I was hearing. The raw emotion, screaming, pain, and suffering that I heard in TAYF was beyond anything that I had ever heard. It especialy helped me get past this one girl that I was seeing. She and I went to her prom together and she went out and left me for another dude. Every pain, anger, and emotion that I felt was uncontrollable. I would listen to TAYF on all those nights when I couldn't sleep for more than 3 hours just thinking about what she did.

[Troy will Fall]

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but Full Collapse and Tell All Your Friends were the 2 albums that changed the way i looked at music, and in return changed my life. I couldn't pick one over the other, they both are equally important to me.

[Everiggs]

The Postal Service- "Give Up". This CD takes me somewhere I've never been before...It can totally change my outlook on life, and make me feel really good about things. Plus, I play it when I am with women because it sets a really nice mood. In order to fully appreciate it, you need to blare it while driving down a country road at night. Beautiful.

[dutycalls]

Further Seems Forever- The Moon Is Down.

The themes of inspiration, longing, and not being fake go hand in hand with what was going on in my life when i first heard the album. I wasn't really listening to any music that is popular in the scene and i was searching for something heartfelt & real. Further was just that to me. My perspective on life changed so much in a matter of a few months, these songs were the soundtrack to my change. As a christian i was living a very self-righteous and religious lifestyle that looked down on a lot of people instead of caring them and realizing that i'm not better than anyone else. When i think of FSF i think of authenticity. The album does something for me that others cant do.

[andis]

relient k - mmhmm
andrew peterson - behold the lamb of God

[tymsnurmn04]

I remember the first time i read the booklet for "tell all your friends" and half the lyrics were not in the songs (ad-libbed) and there didnt seem to be a cohesive verse chorus verse structure to the writing , it changed the way I go about writing lyrics...before I used to always write around "this will be the verse and this pre-chorus plays twice..."...it seemed as if john and adam just wrote a short prose and then figured out later the structure and melody...lots of bands do this now...Panic! is pretty good at it too.

[lucky_krystle]

Bayside's self titled album. I had only heard a few of their songs before I saw them live, and I was so captivated by their music I just had to buy the album. I searched everywhere and I finally found it in a bookstore downtown Indy. I relate to their songs, and its one of those cds I cant go a day without listening to. Knowing someone else has felt the same way I have in the past, and they wrote songs about them, it just helps me along, thats for sure. Tortures of the Damned and Half A Life are the two songs that speak to me the most.

[duffe]

I have no idea :(

[aloneatlastnj]

i'm glad Rohan made the distinction between favorite cds and cds that have impacted us the most. to me, there IS a difference, though i'm not sure that this list will be much different.

Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends.

This record came at a time around the spring of my sophomore year of high school. Although i was into bands like mxpx, nofx, yellowcard, allister and finch, i was falling into a rut where bowling for soup and simple plan were piquing my interest. Then tell all your friends was released. The way the song titles were so abstract, the smooth and spastic vocals of Adam Lazzara vs. the raw yells of emotion of John Nolan, the way their lyrics were saying things you'd be afraid to say..only have the lyrics to Green Day's Dookie ever reached out to me the ways that these did. The absolute raw emotion of this band (which sadly isn't present anymore in my eyes) showing they have something to prove never ceases to amaze me.


Something Corporate - North.

This band got thrown into the pop-punk mix when they signed with Drive Thru. It's a shame that MCA scooped them up before the release of Leaving Through The Window because Audioboxer was a mediocre EP for DTR. Anyway, the band was loved by the 14 yr olds for Andrew McMahon's looks and lyrics, and North proved to me that this band DOES have promise. Aside from the track 21 and Invisible, the songs on that record are incredibly mature. The record as a whole is a very moody record, having many ups and downs in the music. For me, each song has affected me in a different way. Not only do I associate the record with the love of my life, but the intimate lyrics of As You Sleep, and the beautiful melodies and story telling of Me and the Moon speak to me and show me that the band is much more than kissing drunk girls.


Alkaline Trio - From Here To Infirmary.

In the catalog of the Trio, I find that this record is more of a tranistory record for the band, and the one that, in my eyes, is the most accessible. The imagery present on this record is something that one could find on Maybe I'll Catch Fire, but still not too over the top as on Good Mourning. And the lyrics of getting drunk, smoking cigarettes and overall angst found on Goddammit! are still there, as well. FHTI shows the darker side to pop-punk that at the time I had never witnessed. Every song fits right where it should on this record, and changed the way I look at pop-punk music.


Further Seems Forever - How To Start A Fire

Without a doubt this the most beautiful, hopeful yet desperate, intimate record I own. Like North, this record is associated with the love of my life, and is a record that we fall asleep to when either of us spend the night. It's quiet yet loud at the same time, and Jason Gleason is one of the most amazing singers I've ever heard. The presentation of the themes present in the songs on HTSAF are unparalleled by anything I've heard previously or otherwise. The intricate guitar work in the introductions of the songs is genius. The match strike at the beginning of the record, the jazzy upbeat riffs of Blank Page Empire, gentle descending guitar melodies of I Am(which is one of my ALL-TIME favorite songs for the way the lyrics have provoked deep thought of self), and piano/acoustic guitar duets in On Legendary(the "song" for my significant other and I). It's all perfect. Perfect on the levels of Tell All Your Friends and Deja Entendu. It's just a shame that the band is slowly on its way out. They could have continued to make beautiful music like this for years.

[baysiderocks]

Bayside's self titled album. I had only heard a few of their songs before I saw them live, and I was so captivated by their music I just had to buy the album. I searched everywhere and I finally found it in a bookstore downtown Indy. I relate to their songs, and its one of those cds I cant go a day without listening to. Knowing someone else has felt the same way I have in the past, and they wrote songs about them, it just helps me along, thats for sure. Tortures of the Damned and Half A Life are the two songs that speak to me the most.

Ill have to agree. of course

your in the cult

[theredline]

The Postal Service- "Give Up". This CD takes me somewhere I've never been before...It can totally change my outlook on life, and make me feel really good about things. Plus, I play it when I am with women because it sets a really nice mood. In order to fully appreciate it, you need to blare it while driving down a country road at night. Beautiful.

I would have to agree with that. Being a musician, it opened up some new ideas and the idea that you don't need a "band" to make music. Just a friend, a computer and lots of ideas.

Also, I have to agree with TBS, Tell All Your Friends. When I heard the first song on that CD I knew there was more to music than pop punk. from there I started to explore music like never before, from The Refused to emo, hardcore, and even alot of mainstream music that I would never have listened to before. I feel like that record taught me alot about what it is to be openminded and I think that transfered into many other areas of my life.

[itmakesyoufeel]

Someone already said it, but So Long, Astoria probably impacted me the most. It's just so full of hope, of this feeling that makes me love where I'm from and love who I've been and who I'm becoming. It helped me through so much. The actual song So Long, Astoria, has made me cry quite a few times. It makes me miss high school.

[deekismusic]

SDRE - Diary

[Finch076]

7 pages and noone has even mentioned Bright Eyes...
Why?

[quickandsilver]

hoenstly, probably when i heard the album "no signal" by PARK

[The Apollo Kid]

Probably JEWs "Bleed Amerian". First ever rock album i bought and its jam packed with songs that make you believe that the guy has been with you through all those hard times. "If you dont, dont" just totally sums up a small chapter of my life and i just love belting it out of my shoddy vocals of mine. "Your house" is just that simple song that youd just love to send in the post to an aching sweetheart that just needs to know how you feel, and of course the reassuring "the middle". Delicious album

[ForeverInADay]

Armor For Sleep's "Dream To Make Believe" helped me through a few deaths and other personal things and is heald close to my heart...yeah. haha

[CHRISRIPPEDOUT]

i'll agree with "Bleed American"

[pretty_in_punk3]

a.f.i. sing the sorrow was the first punk album i bought (and 2nd TBS- tell all your friends) and it changed my life so much, not because of its content and lyrics, but it sparked my infatuation for punk rock- which in itself has taught me sooo much and helped me get through so many hard times, i don't have any specifics, but now i always have that comfort of music to fall back on when things get tough.

[Negative_Creep]

Nirvana - Nevermind

This album is why Alternative/Punk/Pop Punk/Post Grunge/Emo/Screamo(what a joke), is is popular today. This album changed everyones life in some way shape or form. The death of hair metal and hard rock. Gun 'N Who? I have seen a lot of posts saying Green Day 'Dookie' changed peoples lives and listening, which is awesome and also converted me to 'punk' even though Nirvana brought this to the mainstream. The success of Nevermind opened the flood gates for the Green Days, Soundgardens, Weezers, Offsprings, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Blink 182's etc. Had Nirvana not released Smells Like Teen Spirit and its video those band I mentioned above may never of had a chance to be signed to a major.

Besides the massive change to the music industry, Kurt Cobain produced a teenage angst movement with his deep lyrics, melodic tunes and heavy guitar. He is the last music hero I had. His pain, although greater than mine has made me think and act in a more thoughtful way knowing that every teenager had problems and I wasn't alone. Kurt allowed for Chris Carraba, Tom Delonge, Billie Joe, Rivers Cuomo etc, to write personal, introspective lyrics that you and I could relate too. This type of self-loathing writing is now universal throughout the rock industry. Kurt is probably rolling over in his grave knowing that Good Charlotte is allowed to record music because of him.

The industry is in need of another Nirvana...

Pearl Jam - Ten

Eddie Vedder, while riding Kurt's coat tails, became a cultural icon (not that he didn't deserve it). If you haven't listened to this album, buy it, borrow it, steal it I don't care. The 1st six songs on this record are incredible (I am not saying the rest are bad).

Blink 182 - Dude Ranch

Helped me through my 1st real relationship break-up and through my senior year in highschool

The Tragically Hip - Fully Completely

I know its not punk but its frickin' awesome

[bijibadness]

Enema of the State by Blink-182 was the first CD by a pop group that I ever bought. My old friend and I were sitting in my computer room listening to 'Mutt', and we more or less decided to start a band right then and there. I got a black stratocaster for Christmas, he got the drums, and we've been playing ever since. That was nearly five years ago, and while I prefer The Beatles to blink-style music these days, I realise that there probably will never be another album that could change my life THAT drastically. God Bless Blink-182, man.

[detroitkid91]

I'd actually have to say New Found Glory's self-titled...it helped me get my first kiss and it honestly taught me the ways of being a teenager and what it was like to talk to girls and shit and it helped me develope a social identity in high school and helped me when i was first starting to date and have my first kiss and girlfriends and shit...love that album...it was the perfect album to listen to my freshman year in high school...it gave me the right kick in the pants <3

[Negative_Creep]

Nirvana - Nevermind

Guns 'n Who? Axl Who? This album killed hair metal and hard rock as we knew it!

Allowed for the music we have today (like it or not). Changed the industry including MTV, and the rock n' roll lifestyle. Personal introspective lyrics made poplular by cobain have turned into the industry norm. Musically Nirvana was not immensly talented but they have and will stand the test of time. Who's the biggest 'rock' star in the world today? Who do the youth of America look to? Since Kurt the industry has not had a star ( a few wannabes i.e. Billy Corgan, Gavin Rosdale) but no one grabbed the torch. (Not bashing the smashing pumkins, I own their 1st 4 albums and Siamese Dream is amazing).

Whether the album touched you personally or not is not the reason I post this. Its the indirect effect Nirvana and Cobain have on todays music. Emo/Screamo/pop punk? Kurt's probably rolling in his grave!

If 'Dookie' changed your life you should thank 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', not 'Basket Case'.

I am not bashing Green Day ( I own all there records, even 'Shenanagins' and will be buying there Live disc that comes out next week) they are awesome but Nevermind is what started it all.


Later,

With the lights out
its less dangerous
here we are now
entertain us!

[LitupSTi]

Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

The most eerily beautiful and affecting albums anywhere. Take a bong hit, watch the rain, and let it wash over you.

Elliot Smith - From a Basement on a Hill

Not his best album, but the most emotionally compelling. You always felt the throb in the music, you understood that the pain was there. But the posthumous release of "From a Basement..." makes it all very real. And it feels as unfinished as it was.

Lit - A Place in the Sun

This was the soundtrack for what was probably the peak of my existence. It was so perfectly crafted as what it was. It didn't try to be something bigger and more important, it was just all fucking sunshine and awesome. Every time I hear it I want to cry. It's so fucking good.

[baysiderocks]

Cheshire cat probably opened my eyes, as far back as i can remember

thats when i became all amout music

[CoffeeGirl263]

JEW - bleed american

This was my first rock CD and really got me into music in general. Before this, I was a top-40 girl and didn't listen to music except in the car on the radio. Whenever I listen to JEW, it takes me back to when almost all good music was new to me and I was really starting to relate to what I was listening to.

[cashonthestereo]

the get up kids-something to write home about
saves the day-through being cool
grade-under the radar
the casket lottery-moving mountains
jimmy eat world-clarity
braid-frame and canvas

(in no order)

[Xdbc mikex]

Different phases...different records:

Just before high school, I didn't have much preference for music, mainly lots of rap and Offspring. But, as my freshman year went by, I leaned more toward the rock half of the spectrum. My friend gave me The Fury of The Aquabats....that started me on my path to ska...then to punk....then to HC. It was a nice transition.

Most of High School....it was torn between Reel Big Fish - Turn the Radio Off, and anything by Shai Hulud....depending on my mood. Lots of Goldfinger, UL, LTJ, Hatebreed, Green Day and Blink in there too.

After High School.... Bad Religion - Process of Belief. Helped me figure a lot of shit out about my beliefs and my oncoming denouncement of all gods and religion.

At 20, i went through a bad time where all i listened to was Dark Side of the Moon, Tommy, and IV.

Now (I'm 22, still an undergrad) - Big D and the Kids Table, not so much for their music, but their story. Those poor bastards inspire the hell out of me. They go on with touring and shit despite how poor they are. They do it for the kids. I can relate, not musically, but as far as my education. Steetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb and Say Anything - Is a Real Boy are huge influences on me now. As well as Against Me - Searching for a Former Clarity.

Sorry, its a list, but different records had different influnces at different times.

[oldschool]

OK, I'm going back to the 80's. Billy Bragg "Talking with the Taxman about Poetry" and The Smiths "The Queen is Dead". More recently, Say Anything...is a boy. All 3 are totally amazing. One more for you all to check out (from way back when) any Chameleons UK cd...their influence in today's music is everywhere.