Top 10 Favorite Albums
For my first "real" post I figured I would talk about my top 10 favorite albums. Now these are albums that I always find myself going back to and listening to on long road trips or cleaning my house.
Now the hardest part of this was figuring out where certain albums go in the ranking. The albums in spots 1-5 are in no particular order. On any given day you can ask me what my favorite album is and I will say one of those albums. They are so good that I can't put one of those 5 over another in terms of my favorite. So now that we got that out of the way, here are my Top 10.
10.) Montevallo - Sam Hunt
If you know me, you might be surprised to see this album on my list...but this album is one I listen to all the time. It falls under the country genre but it is very hard for me to call it country because there are elements of hip hop as well in this record. I had not heard of Sam Hunt until I went to his concert when he was touring for the album. He put on an amazing show and ever since then I have been listening it. The album starts off with a slow ballad in Take Your Time. It picks up with high energy hits in Leave The Night On and House Party. Those two songs are probably my favorites from this album. They have that "pool party cooking burgers with your friends" feeling while you are listening to them. The album then continues on with a slower vibe and picks back up with Ex To See (this is where a little bit of hip/hop comes in). Things get deep with Make You Miss Me, which is an absolute heart breaker of a song. Cop Car is on the album and this is the song that Sam Hunt is probably known best for because Keith Urban made it famous. The album rounds out with another high energy song in Raised On It and ends with the way it started with a slow song in Speakers. From beginning to end this album has great songs. I listen to it after every concert I go to on the way home.
Songs To Listen To:
- Leave The Night On
- House Party
- Make You Miss Me
9.) We Will Overcome - Close Your Eyes
This is the first album from Abilene, TX band Close Your Eyes and just might be the best one they have. It has everything that makes a great album, great music and great lyrics. It falls under the hardcore and rock genres. I have seen CYE multiple times and they never disappointed. I am sad to say that they don't tour anymore and have kind of gone silent other than playing a show with their original vocalist, Shane Raymond, back in 2015. The album kicks off with A Proclamation and it is a great start to how the whole album will be. You quickly see the talent their singer, Shane, has. The energy does not stop or let up with Friends Are Friends Forever with an awesome breakdown you do not see coming. The album keeps the energy up with xChet Steadmanx and Digging Graves. They get deep lyrically with The Body ft. Mattie Montgomery of the band For Today. The next song on the album is the bands biggest hit, Song For The Broken. It is a hardcore worship song right in the middle of the album and was a crowd favorite every time they played. Things get going after with songs 17:20, Wake Up! and Bitter Path. Following those songs is Something Needs To Change. Every time I hear this song I get instantly HYPE. It hits hard and has a great worship aspect to the song as well. The worship continues with the last song Arms Raised which is a great end to the album. We Will Overcome is a lot of fun and is great to listen to while working out.
Songs To Listen To:
-A Proclamation
-Digging Graves
-Song For The Broken
-Something Needs To Change
8.) Rise Or Die Trying - Four Year Strong
This album came out in 2007 and very much has that feel to it through out the whole thing. It is the second album from Four Year Strong and set the bar high for them. Rise Or Die Trying falls under the power pop punk genre and is a fun album to listen to. I find myself singing different songs from it all the time. It is raw. It does not have that much production in the album which gives that raw feeling. The Takeover is the intro into the album which feeds right into Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated which then leads into Abandon Ship Or Abandon All Hope. Both songs are fun punk songs to role down the car windows to and sing at the top of your lungs. The fourth song on the album, Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die, just might be my favorite song that FYS has ever recorded. The opening guitar riff is fun to listen to and the energy picks up with the drums coming in hot and fast. Ending with a great pop punk breakdown. The album continues on with more tracks that will get stuck in your head and finishes off with Maniac (R.O.D). It is the song that combines all the elements from the songs that came before it, strong melodies, sick guitar riffs, and happy breakdowns. It's an album you can sing like no one is listening and head bang like no one is watching.
Songs To Listen To:
-Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die
-Bada Bing! Wit' A Pipe!
-Maniac (R.O.D)
7.) Son Of The Morning - Oh, Sleeper
There is not a band that I have seen play live than Oh, Sleeper and their sophomore album Son Of The Morning is a big reason why I have seen them more than any other band. This a metal album, filled with guitar riffs and breakdowns as well as some of the most insane drum parts I have ever heard. SOTM is a concept album. It is about the final battle between God and the Devil. Vocalist Micah Kinard is probably the best lyricists out there. He pulls from all different inspirations and uses vivid imagery for every song on the album. The opening song, which is also the title track, is the Devil calling out God to challenge him, "
I am the lord of air and my dawn will last forever.
Go on pouring out because in the end I will have them." The album then continues on with the battle imagery with The New Breed which is a battle cry anthem. The album flows along with the concept of a great battle happening but takes a brief pause in the song Reveries Of Flight. This song is about a man climbing a mountain trying to get to the top which is where God is. He sees all of the people around him with wings flying right up to the top of the mountain to be with God. The man can not understand why he does not have these wings like the rest of them. The song is written by the bands singer, Shane Blay, who is an atheist and who does not have the faith like those around him. Micah comes in and screams over the song which is God's response to Shane's lyrics in the song. It is a beautiful song with God responding with, "
Because I've tried, I've never pulled back my reach, and I've stayed and I've died, but you keep looking for me where I'm not.I won't be just where you want me to be.You've got to believe and just trust that I can be everything." The album picks back up and hits you in the face with World Without A Sun feeding the aggressiveness of the epic battle that continues to the last song, The Finisher. This song is the response from God to the Devil. Kinard does a great job of showing the power God has over the Devil through out the whole song. As you can tell I love this album because lyrics. The music is amazing as well but the lyrics are the reason I keep coming back to this album.
Songs To Listen To:
-Son Of The Morning
-Reveries Of Flight
-World Without A Sun
-The Finisher
6.) Clouded - This Wild Life
Clouded is the first full album from the acoustic duo This Wild Life. They started off as a pop punk band and released two EP's. A turn of events happened leaving the singer and drummer the only ones left in the band. They decided to continue on as an acoustic act, because going from pop punk band to acoustic duo is a natural progression, and debuted with their album Clouded. Even though they play acoustic songs and are far from a pop punk band they still play shows with punk and hard rock bands even playing Warped Tour multiple times. The album is made up of a majority of break up songs and are very catchy and hit right to the heart with their lyrics. They have tear jerker in their song called No More Bad Days which is about the bands singer, Kevin Jordan, mother who had cancer. The album ties together guitars, percussion instruments, as well as string instruments through out the album. The last song on the album, 405, is a full band track that gives a great song to end the album. this being their first album going the acoustic route, they really hit it hard and gave us a great album to listen to over and over again. Almost every song on this album feels like it is a pop punk song, but the acoustic version. Jordan's angelic voice carries over the guitar cords that band mate Anthony Del Grosso lays down on each track. After you give them a listen do a quick google search to see what they look like, you'll be surprised.
Songs To Listen To:
-Concrete
-History
-Better With You
-405
Top 5 In No Particular Order
5.) With Roots Above And Branches Below - The Devil Wears Prada
With Roots Above And Branches Below is the third album from The Devil Wears Prada and by far my favorite album they have come out with. They recently went on a 10 year anniversary tour of the album and played it front to back. It was an awesome night full of nostalgia and breakdowns. The album opens with 4 clicks of drum sticks that brings in a fast paced drum beat into an early small breakdown with vocals from Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster coming in strong leading straight into the second song. The title of the third track is an ode to The Office with the name, Assistant To The Regional Manager. That track starts off with a chilling guitar riff and builds to one of the best chorus' of the album. Dez Moines is the next track and it is one of the most complete songs on the album. It was the first single they released from the album and there is a reason why it was. It's a strong track filled with great vocals and guitar progressions. The intro to the next track, Big Wiggly Style, quite possibly has the best intro to a song. Just go listen to it. With two solid tracks before it Danger: Wildman closes out the best stretch of songs on the album and is the most popular track from the album. The rest of the album continues with some great breakdowns in Ben Has A Kid and Gimme Half. WRAABB rounds out with the very random but very good track Louder Than Thunder. It is a song with the vocals of DePoyster and some keys. It slows down is a slow ballad. The album ends with an epic breakdown in Lord Xenu with heavy lyrics and music. TDWP says that this album was the first time they actually put effort and thought into making an album. The album also debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200.
Songs To Listen To:
-Assistant To The Regional Manager
-Danger: Wildman
-Ben Has A Kid
4.) Forget And Not Slow Down - Relient K
This album seemed to be the turning point for Relient K. This is their 6th studio album, not including their Christmas albums, and it has a different sound than the albums that came before it. Relient K is known for their punk rock sound and high energy songs, which they have done on the albums up until Forget And Not Slow Down. When their singer, Matt Thiessen, started writing the record he went away for three months in seclusion to write the record. This came after Thiessen and his then fiancee broke up in early 2008. This album was made with all real instruments rather than a lot of production to it and was the first album with Ethan Luck as their drummer. They even use a baseball bat as an instrument in the track Savannah. The title track just might be my favorite song by Relient K. The album, as a whole, is about Thiessen moving on and the heartache of a failed engagement. The album is slower overall than what you would expect from a Relient K album. I believe it is the best album lyrically on this list. Thiessen does an amazing job at putting his pain into words while finding comfort in God. FANSD has some intros and outros that flow nicely through out the whole album. Relient K is a Christian band and that influences this album tremendously. Relient K called upon friends Aaron Gillespie, who was recording an album for The Almost at the same time, and Matt MacDonald, from the Classic Crime, to join them on the track Sahara. Sahara is a throw back to the fast paced rock sound that fans were use to. The album debuted at 15 on the top 200 charts and gained recognition in the Christian music world. This album is a great road trip album. I once listened to it 3 times in a row and each time I listen to it I pick up on a different lyric. If you were a fan of Relient K and stopped listening to them, go give this album a listen its different than what you would expect.
Songs To Listen To:
-Forget And Not Slow Down
-Part Of It
-Sahara
-If You Believe Me
-Therapy
3.) Never Take Friendship Personal - Anberlin
The second album from Anberlin in the best album they have come out with. It was released in 2005 on Tooth & Nail records and brought the band closer to mainstream success. Never Take Friendship Personal was named after the events of the band removing their guitarist. The story goes that there was a big falling out between the band their guitarist and at the end of it singer Stephen Christian told the guy, "Well never take friendship personal!" then walked out the room. The album covers an array of topics from death and friendship to relationships and heart break. The album features Demon Hunter vocalist Ryan Clark as well as being produced by very well know producer Aaron Sprinkle. It is a great alternative/rock album filled with great guitar riffs and solid lyrics from beginning to end. NTFP features the biggest song that Anberlin has ever written in The Feel Good Drag. While promoting this album the band felt like the song didn't get the attention they felt it deserved so they rerecorded and put it on their record New Surrender. NTFP has songs that you can rock out and sing and dance to as well as songs that will hit you right in the feels. Christian's vocals on this album are some of my favorite from any album on this list. The music is just as good with guitar riffs as well as fun drum parts to air play.
Songs To Listen To:
-Never Take Friendship Personal
-Paperthin Hymn
-Time & Confusion
-The Feel Good Drag
2.) Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest - As Cities Burn
You ask anybody who listened to hardcore/screamo music in high school they will say that this album is one of their favorites. Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest is the first album from the Louisiana band As Cities Burn and is hands down their best album. It seems like they caught lightening in a bottle with this album because they have not had the same commercial success like they had with this album. The album that came after sold half as many copies. The band has been on a roller coaster of breaking up and getting back together as they have done that multiple times over the years. The band got back together to do a 10 year anniversary tour of the album and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to. The album starts off with a bang and does not let up. They have some deep lyrics about Christianity through out the whole album and really do not stray away from their faith. The song in the middle of the album, The Widow, is a great song about forgiveness. The song is about the singers father walking out on his family. A very powerful lyric from that song, which speaks about forgiveness on a hard subject, "
But I believe there is something here to be learned of grace. 'Cause I can't help but love you. No, I can't help but love you. Even with a heart that breaks, like the promises that you made." SILYAYD ends with my favorite song on the album, Of Want And Misery: The Nothing That Kills. It is a worship song at its core and vocals from, TJ Bonnette, really drive home the message of the song. SILYAYD has great lyrics and great vocals. This album has impacted me in many ways.
Songs To Listen To:
-Thus From My Lips, By Yours, My Sin Is Purged
-Bloodsucker, Pt. 2
-The Widow
-Of Want And Misery: The Nothing That Kills
1.) Define The Great Line & They're Only Chasing Safety - Underoath
Now, I know what you are thinking. These are two separate albums. Yes they are, but I can't mention one album without the other. These two albums come from metalcore giants, Underoath.
They're Only Chasing Safety came out first in 2004. It was the first album with vocalist Spencer Chamberlin and the line up that would go to be what Underoath is known for. It starts off quickly with Young And Aspiring and does not let up. This album contains some of the most liked songs Underoath has recorded in A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White, Reinventing Your Exit, and It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door (shout out to The Lord Of The Rings fans). It is a fast paced album that brought the band a lot of national attention and deservingly so. The follow up album, Define The Great Line, came out in 2006 and debuted at #2 on the Top 200, the highest debut ever for an Underoath album. DTGL is a heavier album with a lot of lyrical content coming from Chamberlain's past struggles with drugs. It has some great drumming from drummer and singer, Aaron Gillespie. Chamberlin and Gillespie cowrote a lot of the lyrics in TOCS and DTGL and really balance each other out well on both albums. DTGL ends with a chilling and heavy ballad which uses choir like singing as well as deep guitar riffs and low screams from Chamberlain. After Underoath called it quits in 2013 they reunited in 2015 and went on tour and played both of these albums in their entirety. I saw them play here in Dallas then 10 days later saw them in Salt Lake City. The crowd was so pumped for Underoath to be back and playing their two best albums back to back. To me, you can't talk about one of these albums without talking about the other.
Songs To Listen To:
-A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White
-Reinventing Your Exit
-Its Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
-In Regards To Myself
-You're Ever So Inviting
-Writing On The Walls
-Everyone Looks So Good From Here
There it is. My Top 10 or 11 if you want to be literal. Would love to hear what ya think!
Here are some albums that just missed the cut:
-The Question by Emery
-Underdog Alma Mater by Forever The Sickest Kids
-Want by 3OH!3
-Messengers by August Burns Red
-Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
