Albums to Learn and Love
A lone toilet in an empty building in Midtown, 2020. Pic is mine!Well, the semester has ended, which is miraculous in and of itself, and it only cost me all of my energy, my few remaining braincells, and my sanity. However, now that it’s done, I can finally come back to all of you, whoever you may be. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write about, and what I thought my readers would want to read. I started to breakdown the recent happenings in my life and in the world, I could have written about Kanye (but why give him a bigger platform), I could talk about Balenciaga or Alessandro Michele leaving Gucci (but that story has been told too many times), hell I could have even written about the Holidays and being with family (but I simply don’t want to). So here I am, breaking down five albums everyone should listen to, at least once. These albums are a mix of ones I know well and ones I have only heard one or two times, they are a collection of music that is so eager to be heard. In the comments let me know some of your favorite albums, and be sure to follow the Spotify playlist I have made for this post!
Becoming X by Sneaker Pimps (1996)
Favorite Tracks:
· “Tesko Suicide”
· “Spin Spin Sugar”
· “Post Modern Sleaze”
· “Roll on”
Initially released on August 19, 1996, Becoming X is the debut album of British band Sneaker Pimps and is still their most popular. It is also the only album of their discography to feature lead singer Kelli Dayton before she was asked to leave the band in 1998. When asked what the title of the album meant, Kelli said “X meaning whatever you want it to mean. Also, like generation X, X as a blank. It's a feeling. So, it's really purposefully ambiguous, like the songs are. We've tried letting people use their imagination to make it more personal to them.” And let me tell you, this description could not be more accurate. I first listened to this album somewhat on accident about a month ago when my dad sent me the song “6 Underground”, track three, and it instantly reeled me in. The album, musically, flows so seamlessly, and yet each song offers something new and a different idea to ponder. Maybe this is because of Kelli’s voice and how she chooses to tell each story, or maybe it’s because of the lyrics, which I find to be applicable to many situations. Whatever it is, it W O R K S. The song I find myself going back to most is “Post Modern Sleaze”, track six, written by band starters Chris Corner and Liam Howe. The song opens with the lyric “She looks ahead, she paints her toenails red. She’s Wet and Wild, a typical 90’s child”. The rest of the song tells the melancholy story of a woman stuck in a life of drugs, sex, drama, and a need to fit in, regardless of the damage it causes. Though the song showcases an experience that may be unique to the woman in the story, it also tells a story that is so mainstream, and that is the need to be someone, to be popular, to find your place in society.
The 1975 by The 1975 (2013)
Favorite Tracks:
· “The City”
· “Chocolate”
· “Sex”
· “Robbers”
· “Girls”
The 1975 are to thank for the revival of Indi Sleaze and the Tumblr ‘IT’ girl from 2013 to now, 2022. The band first came together in their youth and officially formed The 1975 in 2002. Their self-titled debut album came out September 2, 2013, and almost instantly hit number 1 on UK charts. In my opinion, it is one of the best debut albums EVER made. EVER. Written by band members Matty Healy (lead vocals, keyboard, rhythm guitar), Ross McDonald (bass, keyboard, backing vocals) Adam Hann (lead guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), and George Daniel (drums, backing vocals, production) the album tells a heartbreaking, relatable, humorous, slightly unrealistic, and romantic story of growing up and one’s relationship with life. Matty Healy’s lyricism is also something to be celebrated and recognized, his ability to draw from universal human experiences and start musical conversations about people’s deepest desires and secrets is something so unique to the groups sound, and I think the success of the band overall. One of my favorite examples of this is their song “Robbers”, which tells the story of a toxic romance full of lust and a what can only be described as an addiction to each other. The narrator of the story (aka Matty) opens the song with “She had a face straight out a magazine. God only knows but you’ll never leave her”. Though the lyric gives very little away about the story or even the relationship, it gives the listener a taste of how much underlying love there is within the story. Now, four studio albums later, Matty is still able to draw from this same story, and further connect with audience.
CTRL by SZA (2017)
Favorite Tracks:
· “Prom”
· “Drew Barrymore”
· “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”
· “Normal Girl”
· “Doves In The Wind”
SZA’s debut studio album and probably the best work in her discography, CTRL, is a deeply personal and moving collection of thoughts on sex, modern romance, and a woman’s desires. Released on June 9, 2017, the album soon shook the world of R&B as SZA introduced her take on the genre and gave an example of the next generation of rhythm and blues. Upon the albums debut it hit number three on Billboard’s top 200, and all four album singles (“Garden (Say It Like Dat)”, “Drew Barrymore”, “Love Galore”, “The Weekend”) became certified platinum. However impressive this may all be, I find I love the album for far less technical reasons. On track five, “Prom”, SZA sings “Fearing not growing up, keeping me up at night. Am I doing enough? Feel like I’m wasting time”. I remember first hearing this song, with this OPENING LINE, and thinking to myself, “Wow, I really need to listen to what this chick is saying”. This album is not so personal that its unrelatable, but rather so personal it feels like a telling of a REAL life story. The way SZA was able to recount her private and emotional experiences in a way that is easily adaptable to any person, situation, or romantic relationship is more than musicianship; it is true story telling.
Julie Is Her Name by Julie London (1955)
Favorite Tracks:
· “Cry Me A River”
· “I’m Glad There Is You”
· “Can’t Hep Loving That Man”
· “I Should Care”
Yet another debut album, Julie London’s album Julie Is Her Name released in December of 1955. There is not much documented on the meaning of this album, why Julie made it, or what the intention was behind the release. But, the opinions of her listeners and critics have close to nothing negative to say about the work. With remarkably simple lyrics and instrumentals, the album plays smooth, easy, and effortlessly. Featuring Barny Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass, each song is quiet and allows room for Julie’s raspy alto voice to shine through and make songs of heartbreak, moving on, female rage, and romance sound like flirty fairy tales. This collection of songs was only the start to London’s 30 album discography, produced from 1955 to 1969, it is also the most recognized and decorated. It is my opinion that her music has spurred the trend of the soft voice, something we hear among the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray, and Clairo. The songs on this album are also rather modern for their time, reflective of personal, and inner feelings of women and their romantic desires. In a time like the 1950s, when women were viewed as modest and overly emotional beings (not that we’re not STILL viewed as that), Julie’s depiction of a relentless and angry woman who is still in-touch with herself, is impactful; making a large cultural impact amongst women at the time.
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves by Cher (1971)
Favorite Tracks:
· “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”
· “The Way Of Love”
· “Fire & Rain”
· “One Honest Man”
Originally titled Cher, Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves is the seventh studio album from Cher. Released in September of 1971, the album was her first and most successful of the decade, with only two singles (“The Way Of Love” and “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”) which both made the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 list. The album contains a mix of narrative ballads and covers which help to tell a unique story of growing up and maturity through the eyes of multiple story tellers. Cher’s voice also becomes even more iconic within this album, she began to experiment with a more orchestral sound while also staying true to her androgynous and deep alto roots. Featuring collaborations with Sonny Bono, her husband at the time, the album represented her intimate relationships with production, life, and her career as a soloist. To me, this album is a new way of looking at feminism, with songs like the title track, which follows the life of a 16 year-old Romani girl, being raised on the road and surviving in her own scary and unpredictable world. The song touches on themes of teen pregnancy, abuse, sex, racism and prostitution; all were popular topics of discussion among young people, within pop-culture, and in politics at the time, and surely aided in the overall success of the album.
Honorable Mentions:
Nevermind by Nirvana (1991)
Harry Styles by Harry Styles (2017)
Ritual de lo Habitual by Jane’s Addiction (1990)
to hell with it by PinkPantheress (2021)
Frank by Amy Winehouse (2003)
Lust For Life by Iggy Pop (1977)
30 by Adele (2021)
