At the moment, I have nothing to offer, but if you give me a follow, you'll know first thing when my debut sees the light of day. I also have music videos planned, so I realised I needed a YouTube channel for that sort of thing.
My promise to you is that all of my art will be digitally distributed via a "pay what you want" model. Yes, even if the amount you want to give is zero, the decision of how much you value my art monetarily is up to you. As long as you enjoy it! Cheers for the idea, Radiohead.
I'll be honest, this isn't something I give too much thought to - I may update this every so often - but these are the albums right now that when I look at them, I think "yes, this is the best humanity has to offer."
Ween is no stranger to both whimsy and not giving a fuck. The culmination of this unique blend, paired with their most conceptual approach at this stage of their career, brought us this nautical nonsense, if you wish. Speaking of which, it inspired Stephen Hillenberg to create SpongeBob. Say "Thank you, Ween." right now.
"Big Beats are the best, Get high all the time." - The Big Beat Manifesto. In all seriousness, for something so aggressively nineties, I don't know how it manages to sound so fresh. It's probably best I don't find out; some shady occult dealings, maybe.
What made me fall in love with student radio is my discovery of Michael Beach one night driving home from a late shift. "You Found Me Out" breezed out the speakers and it just spoke to me in a way I cannot describe. I was feeling somber, but I can't remember what about, but ever since then did I fall in love with Beach's shit. Given how underground this guy is, there's a chance I would never have heard his music again. Dream Violence is a culmination of sounds and attitudes arranged in a fashion that echoes my own soul, at least for a point in time. For that, I don't think I'd ever grow tired of it.
My early-high school phase was Eminem. He was my first concert, and then the hype died out a year or two later. I never really got into any other rap music since, nothing beyond a passing appreciation of a Kanye track or some old-school stuff that is, but DOOM would be the next time rap ever made me raise a curious eyebrow to the genre. It's not just the rapping, despite how unique DOOM's style is, but the creativity throughout brings about a sense of whimsy, adventure, and a courage to show a nerdier side, turning into his greatest strength for the music was super inspiring for myself.
Davey Jones, also known as David Bowie, is the man who made me "get" music as an art form. He had a way of crafting an album experience that just felt so much more intuitive that anyone else I listened to at the time, which was around the time of his death, mind you. I haven't even heard this album by this point, but to go on and eventually feel the evolution from his Ziggy Stardust era to the Thin White Duke was something that certainly left a mark in my late teens. There's not much left to say about Bowie, but this album is the epitome of his uniqueness.
Hated it at first. Boooooorrriiiiiing!! Where's Creep, huh? I don't know what happened along the way, but the stars seemed to align one day, and it all just clicked so beautifully. I don't know what to say about this album without drowning this page with text. It just is, and it just happens to be one of the best things ever.
This came out the same week as 9/11 and has aged like the fucking finest of wines. Unfortunately, I mean that in the worst way possible. There isn't a single politically-motivated song in this album that does not fit into *insert current year you're living in*. As sad as that is, the anger you feel about the state of capitalism has never felt more validated than the aggressive nu-metal tones and vocal-chord straining lyrics you will hear on this album. It's one thing to capture a moment in time, it's another to move with the times so flawlessly.
This is the best covers album ever. Yes, these are all covers of songs from the early twentieth century. Teensy-Weensy Timothy was as much of a musical archivist as he was a musician, and not only did he bring the most uniquely sober performance during the psychedelic era, but arranged a set of songs that were well-aged then and are well-aged now. Songs about how we destroy nature, anti-war, endless consumption, and how we can work to stop all of that with a love that first starts from within. Tiny has undoubtedly made these songs his own and it's just all so fucking lovely.
My most replayed album. Endlessly catchy and a nerdy appeal that no one else has managed. It's the only album on this list that I would legitimately consider perfect from start to finish. Not a single dull moment, hell, not a single mid moment. It's all amazing. How can you get much better than this, especially if the album after this one isn't considered perfect? Well, it's complicated, but I'll put it this way: Blue represents my good days. Even in times of stress, it exudes an outward positivity that gets you through the day with a smile on your face, a smile that you mean to express that you feel confident in your own skin despite what others may perceive as cringe. I've had hard times accepting who I am because of what others may think, and this album is the one that helped me get there. It's my Yang.
My Yin. I haven't felt more seen than any other album on planet earth. Putting yourself out like this for the world to see is something I don't think I'll ever have the courage for, especially given some of the admissions expressed throughout it. But, at the same time, I will always strive to be this honest in whatever I write, no matter what side of myself I show. What is peak art if it's not as if you're laying out your heart and soul? The emotional risk here is one of my greatest inspirations as an artist and the imperfections of its production are a prime example of how they add to an experience such as this.