15 Albums That Changed Your Life

I got this from my husband on Facebook and spent too much time filling it out not to post it elsewhere. So, in order to justify the last two hours I spent making this list, I'm going to use it for my blog post today.

FYI - It's listed chronologically, not by any type of preference.

The idea is to fill it out and then tag 15 people. Fill it out if you want and then let me know you did! I love reading everyone else's list.

15. Cake - Fashion Nugget
If I remember correctly, my sister talked me into paying for 1/2 of this album with her. I might have been 12 or 13 at the time. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever heard. I just listened to it last week on my iPod and the bass lines thump so loud when you listen to it on headphones. It's awesome...

14. Annie DiFranco - Little Plastic Castle
I worked at Sam Goody in high school and the store manager was a huge Ani fan. She put this album in the playlist and I thought it was crap. After listening to it probably 40 times I started liking it. This album launched my great love of all things DiFranco and probably is to fault for me eventually letting my boyfriend buzz my head. No joke.

13. The Strokes - Is This It
I saw these dudes on Conan O'Brien and ran out and bought the album the next day. I was a freshman in college and had a 5 hour art class on Monday nights, so I brought it to play during class. The teacher, who I had a major crush on, really liked it and talked to me about it. I swooned. I completely wore this album out over the next couple of years. It's too catchy to shelve permanently though.

12. Scout - It Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time
Again, another band I saw on Conan O'Brien. I bought this album before a road trip to Chicago and listened to it on repeat the entire time. Loud, grungy, full of attitude. It transcends girl rock into just plain rock. And it's awesome.

11. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
What is there to say about this album? It's iconic.

10. Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me
I took this album out of my grandpa's old record collection when I got my first record player. I love to play it when I'm cooking. I pour a glass of wine, throw on an apron, and pretend it's the 1950s. I love a classic crooner and no one does it better than Blue Eyes. I listen to it and I think of my grandpa sitting around with a glass of scotch on his astroturf covered patio.

09. Spoon - Girls Can Tell
I discovered this one in an ex's record collection and staked my claim on it. It's freaking awesome. It's indie rock before indie rock was mainstream rock. Indie rock before there was a haircut associated with it. You can keep your Death Cab, I've got Girls Can Tell. This is one of the best summer albums ever, perfect for driving with the windows rolled down.

08. The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall
I started listening to this band at the same time as The Shins, and these guys ended up being my favorite of the two. There's something about this album that's so fluffy and goofy, yet serious and sort of depressing at the same time. I know every word to every song. It just makes me feel good to listen to it.

07. The Concretes - The Concretes
Another one of those girl rock albums that is just plain good whether you're a boy or a girl. The singer's voice is so bizarrely imperfect that it's beautiful. It's the kind of catchy, poppy goodness that only the Swedish can give to the world.

06. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
I could probably fill this list with just albums from Jack White and Brendan Benson. This is their first album together and they bring it like the rock stars they are. This is what modern rock should sound like. It's a shame that it only got minimal radio play. Everyone should have this album in their lexicon. It reawakened my love of great rock music.

05. Nina Simone - Nina Simone Sings the Blues
She is the High Priestess of Soul. Hers is a voice that will hit you right in the gut. The woman's got it going on. This album is pure 60s soul. It sounds like it was recorded in a hot NYC bar in the middle of summer 1967. She's angry and heartbroken and fighting for her civil rights on this album. It's beautiful in more ways than I can understand.

04. Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
Raw, dirty, rock n. roll. I love it. I love this band. I'm seeing them for the 4th time when we go to Florida. This album feels like so much more than just another band making music. Bonus points for "Soft" containing some of the filthiest sentiments ever set to music. You're missing out if you never listen to this band.

03. The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers
Oh god... what is there to say about Sgt. Peppers that millions of people worldwide don't already know. This album (and band of course) is probably responsible for everything that's happened in music over the last 40 years. Listening to this one in headphones is the only way to go. It's so rich and deep. There's so much hidden back in there. What makes it even more amazing is the way they recorded it. No Pro Tools, no computers. Just a room full of geniuses and 4 tracks. It's mind blowing. I can't pick one Beatles album that I think is the best, but this is one that made me realize how amazing the band became on their later works.

02. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Forget the fun-in-the-sun, surfer bullshit. This is Beach Boys right here. The harmonies are insane. No auto-tune in 1966, remember? I've listened to some of his album with the instrumentals taken off and the vocals alone still make up an incredible piece of work.

01. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
I broke out of the Beatles/Beach Boys zone with this album and started listening to heavier classic rock. Robert Plant sort of sounds like a lady-boy at times, but you know what? He rocks it. Definitely needs to be listened to with the volume cranked up.