Greetings from The Music Bowl! I'm The Wonderfish.
Even though Heard and I have vastly different tastes in music, we do find common ground from time to time. As a matter of fact, you'll notice that we actually agree on one album from the last five years. Compiling this list took a little work, but in the end what you will see below are the five albums that influenced me the most from 2012 through 2016. I strongly suggest you take a listen to the highlights and see what you think.
5) LEMONADE - BEYONCE
What I hear:
This is the musicality I've been waiting to hear from Beyonce. Raw emotion, astounding collaborations, and blunt, powerful, refreshing honesty about what so many women go through. Lemonade is a timely snapshot of our culture in 2016, and I'm not even talking about the "visual album" aspect. I mean the spoken word segments, the lyrics, and the style of the songs. Keep in mind, this is prior to the recent surge of the #METOO movement. Beyonce spoke up and the world listened. I didn't even realize I was missing a voice like hers. Her work made me feel tough, inspired, and ready to tell it like it is in my own songwriting.
Highlights:
Freedom, Don't Hurt Yourself, Hold Up
4) COMA ECLIPTIC - BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
What I hear:
The effort and passion that went into making this album cannot be ignored. These guys are unbelievable musicians. Each time I listen, I'm in awe. The story line of being stuck in a coma - trying to decide if one should stay alive or move on - hooked me immediately without even listening to a song. So, add the music. The intricacies of the instrumentation and the way the band tells the story leaves you mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of your first listen. The journey is well worth it. How can we truly examine life without also examining the possibilities of death?
Highlights:
Dim Ignition, Famine Wolf, The Ectopic Stroll
3) KINTSUGI - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
What I hear:
Songs like these remind me of why I wanted to play guitar in the first place. DCFC's guitar work never fails, and Kintsugi is an exemplary model of stellar mixing. Ben Gibbard was not shy about letting us catch a glimpse of his marriage coming apart. Knowing this album would be the last for Chris Walla made it all the more sentimental. Tears were shed listening to some of these songs.
Highlights:
No Room In Frame, You've Haunted Me All My Life, Black Sun
2) WOMAN - JILL SCOTT
What I hear:
Miss Scott's 2015 studio album reawakened my love of soul music and Motown. I've been a fan of hers since 2000's "A Long Walk," and have come to expect lyrical dexterity along with moments of spoken word/slam poetry. Woman does not disappoint. The second song, "Prepared," is what caught my attention, with its subtly strong and groovy bass line. I kept listening beyond that and by the time I reached the end, I was wishing for a double album. "You Don't Know" is a new classic in neo soul.
Highlights:
You Don't Know, Prepared, Back Together
1) FAMILY DINNER VOL. 1 - SNARKY PUPPY
What I hear:
As a musician, this collaborative effort of an album changed the game for me. Snarky Puppy recorded all of these tracks with a live audience who listened through headphones and, for each track, they showcased a different lead vocalist. This album was introduced to me on YouTube, where all of the video recordings were offered. Dorothy stepping out of her black and white Kansas farmhouse into technicolor Oz is the best description I can give you of what listening to this felt like. Family Dinner Vol. 1 allowed me to meet Shayna Steele, Banda Magda, and Lalah Hathaway among others, not to mention the official members of Snarky Puppy! The fourth track on the album, "Amour T'es La," featuring Magda Giannikou, changed my top ten list of favorite songs of all time! This album is pure magic. Watch just one of the videos to see what I mean.
Highlights:
Gone Under, Amour T'es La, Something
15 Honorable Mentions:
Hamilton - Original Soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Interstellar - Original Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
Cheers To The Fall - Andra Day
Blackstar - David Bowie
Is Your Love Big Enough - Lianne La Havas
Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Plectrumelectrum - Prince (w/3rdeyegirl)
Here - Alicia Keys
City of Cranes - Band of Other Brothers
Let Me Get By - Tedeschi Trucks Band
Hot Thoughts - Spoon
Babel - Mumford and Sons
To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
I Forget Where We Were - Ben Howard
The Colour In Anything - James Blake
There you have it! Take it or leave it and let the countdown to 2018 officially begin. Shark's in the water! See you next week.
________________________________________________
All videos courtesy of YouTube.
Even though Heard and I have vastly different tastes in music, we do find common ground from time to time. As a matter of fact, you'll notice that we actually agree on one album from the last five years. Compiling this list took a little work, but in the end what you will see below are the five albums that influenced me the most from 2012 through 2016. I strongly suggest you take a listen to the highlights and see what you think.
5) LEMONADE - BEYONCE
What I hear:
This is the musicality I've been waiting to hear from Beyonce. Raw emotion, astounding collaborations, and blunt, powerful, refreshing honesty about what so many women go through. Lemonade is a timely snapshot of our culture in 2016, and I'm not even talking about the "visual album" aspect. I mean the spoken word segments, the lyrics, and the style of the songs. Keep in mind, this is prior to the recent surge of the #METOO movement. Beyonce spoke up and the world listened. I didn't even realize I was missing a voice like hers. Her work made me feel tough, inspired, and ready to tell it like it is in my own songwriting.
Highlights:
Freedom, Don't Hurt Yourself, Hold Up
4) COMA ECLIPTIC - BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
What I hear:
The effort and passion that went into making this album cannot be ignored. These guys are unbelievable musicians. Each time I listen, I'm in awe. The story line of being stuck in a coma - trying to decide if one should stay alive or move on - hooked me immediately without even listening to a song. So, add the music. The intricacies of the instrumentation and the way the band tells the story leaves you mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of your first listen. The journey is well worth it. How can we truly examine life without also examining the possibilities of death?
Highlights:
Dim Ignition, Famine Wolf, The Ectopic Stroll
3) KINTSUGI - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
What I hear:
Songs like these remind me of why I wanted to play guitar in the first place. DCFC's guitar work never fails, and Kintsugi is an exemplary model of stellar mixing. Ben Gibbard was not shy about letting us catch a glimpse of his marriage coming apart. Knowing this album would be the last for Chris Walla made it all the more sentimental. Tears were shed listening to some of these songs.
Highlights:
No Room In Frame, You've Haunted Me All My Life, Black Sun
2) WOMAN - JILL SCOTT
What I hear:
Miss Scott's 2015 studio album reawakened my love of soul music and Motown. I've been a fan of hers since 2000's "A Long Walk," and have come to expect lyrical dexterity along with moments of spoken word/slam poetry. Woman does not disappoint. The second song, "Prepared," is what caught my attention, with its subtly strong and groovy bass line. I kept listening beyond that and by the time I reached the end, I was wishing for a double album. "You Don't Know" is a new classic in neo soul.
Highlights:
You Don't Know, Prepared, Back Together
1) FAMILY DINNER VOL. 1 - SNARKY PUPPY
What I hear:
As a musician, this collaborative effort of an album changed the game for me. Snarky Puppy recorded all of these tracks with a live audience who listened through headphones and, for each track, they showcased a different lead vocalist. This album was introduced to me on YouTube, where all of the video recordings were offered. Dorothy stepping out of her black and white Kansas farmhouse into technicolor Oz is the best description I can give you of what listening to this felt like. Family Dinner Vol. 1 allowed me to meet Shayna Steele, Banda Magda, and Lalah Hathaway among others, not to mention the official members of Snarky Puppy! The fourth track on the album, "Amour T'es La," featuring Magda Giannikou, changed my top ten list of favorite songs of all time! This album is pure magic. Watch just one of the videos to see what I mean.
Highlights:
Gone Under, Amour T'es La, Something
15 Honorable Mentions:
Hamilton - Original Soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Interstellar - Original Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
Cheers To The Fall - Andra Day
Blackstar - David Bowie
Is Your Love Big Enough - Lianne La Havas
Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Plectrumelectrum - Prince (w/3rdeyegirl)
Here - Alicia Keys
City of Cranes - Band of Other Brothers
Let Me Get By - Tedeschi Trucks Band
Hot Thoughts - Spoon
Babel - Mumford and Sons
To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
I Forget Where We Were - Ben Howard
The Colour In Anything - James Blake
There you have it! Take it or leave it and let the countdown to 2018 officially begin. Shark's in the water! See you next week.
________________________________________________
All videos courtesy of YouTube.
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