Albums on Repeat, Part 2
My interest in music increased after getting my first part-time job. I didn’t make a lot of money, but it provided me with enough spare cash to purchase albums, as well as attend concerts. Also, thanks to Napster, I was able to listen to music by bands that I had never heard before, even if connecting to the internet using a basic dial-up connection was the equivalent of hell. Reflecting back, although I enjoyed many different music genres, post-hardcore/screamo/emo had the greatest impact in my life during this period of time. Each of the albums listed below are enjoyable to this day and some of them rank higher than they should for nostalgic reasons. |
| 1 |  | The Get Up Kids
Something to Write Home About
I enjoyed emo before it was associated with eyeliner and wearing girl jeans. |
| 2 |  | Incubus
Morning View
I saw Incubus shortly after they released Morning View. They put on a great live show. Afterward, I purchased their entire discography. Although I enjoy songs from each of their earlier albums, Morning View is my favorite and to this day has the best replay value. |
| 3 |  | Saves the Day
Stay What You Are
I have listened to this album countless times throughout my life and it never gets old. I think its strength lies in its heartfelt delivery. |
| 4 |  | Converge
Jane Doe
I didn’t enjoy this album at the time, but the 11+ minute album closer was the longest song I had ever heard at the time. The fact that it demanded and kept my undivided attention helped shape my understanding of music. |
| 5 |  | Something Corporate
Leaving Through The Window
My girlfriend enjoyed this album and so I learned to like Something Corporate as well. |
| 6 |  | Taking Back Sunday
Tell All Your Friends
Albums such as this are a rarity. Countless bands have tried to replicate Taking Back Sunday’s sound and overall success and have fallen short. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that Taking Back Sunday themselves have not been able to reach the same height they achieved with this album. The energy this album captures is hard to describe and the dual vocals fit the music perfectly. Most people say that high school was miserable. I’m sure my high school experience was equally miserable, but at least it included “Tell All Your Friends”. |
| 7 |  | AFI
Sing the Sorrow
A fellow classmate was convinced that Davey Havoc was a girl. Although I had listened to AFI’s earlier albums, Davey’s feminine look during the days of Sing the Sorrow made me question whether I might actually lose the argument. Regardless, I still listen to this album several times each year. |
| 8 |  | Muse
Absolution
A friend made a low resolution copy of this CD for me. They didn’t write down the band or album name and for several years, I simply assumed this album was a Radiohead side project. Years later, I discovered Muse, while playing their song Knights of Cydonia on Guitar Hero. I prefer Radiohead. |
| 9 |  | Story of the Year
Page Avenue
I used to play the game Need for Speed Underground after school with several friends. The game had a good soundtrack as well as better than average graphics and an okay story mode. Many of the bands and songs from that game are still enjoyable to this day. |
| 10 |  | Thrice
The Artist in the Ambulance
Thrice is my favorite band. I don’t care if others think that they are overrated. Each Thrice album is unique and brings something new to the table, whether sonically or lyrically. The Artist in the Ambulance was the first Thrice album I listened to and has tremendous replay value. The Artist in the Ambulance’s overall aggressive tone never gets tiring. |
| 11 |  | My Chemical Romance
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
I would have never thought that My Chemical Romance would become as popular as they did. I don’t understand people’s obsession with the band, but if I’m being honest, this particular album spent many months in my car’s CD player. |
| 12 |  | Underoath
They're Only Chasing Safety
Although I listened to music with a moderate amount of screaming, this album had the perfect balance of melody and harsh elements. Thanks to Underoath, I grew more tolerant and receptive to screamo, hardcore, and mathcore including bands such as Botch, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Norma Jean. |
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