Albums in My Life: 1998

For most of 1998, I was seven years old. I don't remember a whole lot from this period specifically, though I'm sure I was starting to understand a little bit more of the world around me.



The Barenaked Ladies- Stunt
I remember when the Barenaked Ladies got really big, which was weird to me, since people were now flocking to a band that I had pretty much known of my whole life. My dad was an early adopter and picked up Gordon in Toronto years previously. It was kind of cool to see something I had liked get popular, but just like that, they were back to only being popular in Canada. This is probably their most popular record, and songs like 'One Week', 'Alcohol', and 'It's All Been Done' ensured its success, though 'Never Is Enough' cuts a little too close for me now. The line about Wendy's isn't an exact fit, but substitute a PhD for a Master's and Wendy's for Panera Bread, and that was my life in 2015.



Black Star- Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star
One of my college roommates introduced me to this album and Mos Def's The Ecstatic, and I was hooked. It was so unlike most of the hip hop I had heard at the time, being a pretty new convert to the genre. This album led me to discover a lot more in underground hip hop and is still a great album. Talib Kweli and Mos Def's chemistry on the album is undeniable, their lyrics thoughtful and hard hitting, and it's always a challenge to judge which rapper had the upper hand on a particular track.





Godspeed You! Black Emperor- F#A#∞
The same roommate actually turned me on to this band as well. He first showed me the Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada EP, and I didn't really dig it. It was a little too slow and uneventful for me at the time. A while later, I tried out their debut, heard the opening monologue on 'Dead Flag Blues', and it clicked. I totally understand the power of the drones and glacial dynamic shifts after this and this record now gets pretty regular rotation with me, and I'm probably one of the few that prefers this to Lift Your Skinny Fists. It goes to show that you should give some music a second chance. Maybe it'll hit you that next time.



of Montreal- The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy
This record, probably one of the more underrated in the band's discography, really builds on the whimsical lo fi charm of their debut with a ambitious concept record; essentially tracking a relationship, from sweet beginnings to its bitter end. I really enjoy the very weaving and meandering way that Kevin Barnes writes his melodies. I feel like even when the instrumentation is stripped back like this, there's so many key and time signature changes that it would put some prog rock bands to shame.




The Offspring- Americana
I knew a kid in an after school program that had a copy of this CD, and he used to play it all the time. I felt like such a rebel listening to a record with swear words on it (give me a break, I was 7). Even so many years later, I still remember that, but I've also gained some appreciation for it as just a fun pop punk record. I got into this and other Offspring records all over again in college, when a friend used to play them all the time on his radio show. 'Pretty Fly for a White Guy' may have aged like milk, but 'Get a Job' and 'The Kids Aren't Alright' are still classics to me.



Next time, I'll share five records that came out in 1999 that really had an impact on me.



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