Friday, January 23, 2015

Fandom Friday: Albums that have Changed My Life!






Friday again! You ready for this one? It's gonna be fun!
I've always loved music, and while there are plenty of songs that evoke memories or have "changed" my life in some way or another, it's mainly been entire albums that have been the most life altering. Back in November, I posted a list of 5 Songs that Always Make Me Feel Better for one of the Fandom Friday posts, so today I'm changing it up and listing my top 5 ALBUMS that have changed my life, instead! And guess what? I included Spotify links below each title in case you'd like to check something out! ;)

**As always, thank you to the Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick for creating these awesome themes! **



While there are a ton of albums I could list, these particular albums I'll be talking about are the most nostalgic. They're the ones that I discovered when I was in high school or my early college years: the years when everyone really starts to get a sense of who they are and what they're into. They each speak to me in a different way and evoke a different, indescribable feeling.









5. Waking the Fallen (Avenged Sevenfold)

**click here to listen to this album on Spotify

I'm starting with this one because it's kind of a random story of how I discovered this band, (and how they tie into two of the rest of the bands on this list)... Since I can remember, I've always had a strong taste for darker/gothic fashion. Naturally, this led to also trying out 'darker' styles of music as a teen. One day while flipping through a heavy metal music magazine there was a feature for a "new" band named Avenged Sevenfold: Not to sound like a shallow fangirl, but what drew me in the most was how these dudes were dressed. While the rest of the bands mentioned in this magazine were all grungy/long haired/dishevelled looking, here were five guys with neat haircuts, neat black nail polish and some (yes) guyliner, and the lead singer even had his black tshirt tucked into black trousers. I was like "WHOA - if their music is anything like their sense of fashion, I think I'm going to love them!" And love them I did. For quite a while.

(The drummer in this particular photo I mentioned of Avenged Sevenfold was also wearing a tshirt of the next band I'm going to list, and back when they were starting out, the band that's number 1 on this list was their opening act. That may not mean anything to you, but it meant EVERYTHING to me, back then).

These guys are still around, still making new music and putting out new albums, but I don't actually listen to them much anymore. A few years ago the drummer passed away, and I did feel really sad about it for a while. This album is my favorite out of all of them, and it willl always hold a special place in my heart, even if it doesn't fit in with my tastes anymore.




4. Sing the Sorrow (AFI)

**click here to listen to this album on Spotify
 
I can't remember exactly, but I think I discovered this one a little bit before Avenged Sevenfold. But it was definitely in the 10th grade!

Do you remember the glory days of MTV and other music channels? Back when they actually showed music videos and music related stuff? This was also back when "rock" music filled the airwaves, (and not teenybopper pop/rap/COUNTRY/whatevertheheck like THIS day and age... Did you ever watch Steven's Untitled Rock Show on FUSEtv?? THOSE WERE THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE, (music-wise...).

Anyways, I remember one day seeing a fun anime-inspired music video featuring one really pretty dude with really pretty long black hair for a song called "Girls Not Grey". The band was AFI, and the album this song appeared on was Sing the Sorrow.

It may have been the album that launched AFI into the mainstream world, (as they had already been around for quite a while before this video), but it is still my all time favorite. Every single song on this album is beautiful.. this entire album is poetry. It spoke to the dark child in me, inspired me in so many ways, and I still listen to this album on cloudy days. It never ceases to take my breath away every time.




3. Origin of Symmetry (Muse) 

**click here to listen to this album on Spotify



I had a super cool friend in high school named Naomi who had the best taste in music. However, it really wasn't until she moved away to another country and I lost touch with her that I went back to all the cd's she had given me and really listened to them. I have to credit a lot of the stuff she introduced me to as helping to create the geek I am today. Muse was one such band - there was a time when this mega superstar/arena-performing band was actually very much unknown, (at least in the States). My friend Naomi knew who they were before they made it big, (that's how cool she was!). Origin of Symmetry is one of Muse's earlier albums, and it's still my absolute favorite of theirs. Not one single song disappoints, from the tinny fairy-like beginning of the opening song, to the hurricane that builds up after it... Words simply cannot describe the genius behind them. And some pretty epic guitar riffs, might I add. 



2. The Alternative (IAMX)

**click here to listen to this album on Spotify
 
IAMX was another artist introduced to me by my friend Naomi, and I am especially grateful for this one.

The discovery of Chris Corner came at a perfect time in my life when I was in need of a male fashion muse, for all the crazy stuff I so desperately wanted to design when I was a senior in high school, anxious to start fashion school the next year. I actually was introduced to IAMX through a song from the album that came before The Alternative, but as a whole, I dig this one just a bit more. Chris Corner/IAMX is still one of my favorite artists, and he will have a new album out soon!



1. The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

**click here to listen to this album on Spotify
 
 Saved the biggest for last. But I actually don't think I can accurately describe what this album means to me or how it changed me. I've talked of My Chemical Romance many times before and they are still probably my favorite band of all time.

I can remember being the most inspired by this album when I was already in my second or third year in college/fashion school. The overall look behind the Black Parade inspired my designs a lot, and I remember I even took the actual cd/album to class one day to show everyone the artwork during a presentation of something I made, and my professor thought it was so great. One of my biggest dreams back then was to one day get hired by MCR to design their stage outfits or something, but alas, the Black Parade is dead, and My Chemical Romance is no more... ;)


If you missed any of my previous "Fandom Friday" posts, check them out here:


October 3rd 2014:  Five Fandoms that have made me Who I am Today

 October 17th 2014: Five Characters I'd love to dress as for Halloween 

October 24th 2014:  My Must See List of Halloween Movies

November 7th 2014: Five Songs that Always Make Me Feel Better

November 21st 2014: Five Characters I Would Invite to my Thanksgiving Feast

December 12th 2014: Presents I Want Santa to Bring Me

January 2nd 2015: New Year's Fandom Resolutions

January 16th 2015: Conventions I Wish to Attend


12 comments:

  1. I love how you used photos of your ipod! It's been fun seeing the different ways people are visually sharing the music!

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  2. Yes Avenged Sevenfold!! I've not listened to them in so long, I used to love them!

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  3. LOVED your first story right out of the gate! I love the entire tie in with the AP cover, I would LOVE to see that!

    GREAT post! I loved it so much, very heartfelt! Which was why I was so excited for this prompt myself! xx

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    1. Thank you so much Megan!! I'm so glad you liked it! :) <3 <3 <3

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  4. Oh, MCR. I am so sad they broke up, love them! Great list! :)

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    1. I know, right? I'll never get over it! ;) Thanks for stopping by, lady :)

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  5. I knew you would have IAMX on your list : ) He is a genius!

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    1. My first IAMX song was "Missile"! It's still one of my favs ;)

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  6. Sing the Sorrow was such a good album! My fave album of AFI's is The Art of Drowning!
    "Days of the Phoenix" would've been in my "top ten" of songs that changed my life list! I remember hearing that song back in 2001 for the first time was actually them playing it LIVE and it blew me away!

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    1. The Art of Drowning is my second favorite! How freaking cool that you got to see them play live in 2001! I never got to see them :(

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