Albums in My Life: 2002

I have more memories starting around this time in my life. It's not quite as blurry as years previous, but it's getting less and less clear as time inevitably drags forward.




William Basinski- The Disintegration Loops
I probably first heard this album around its ten year reissue, when I first started grad school. I soon became fascinated with Basinski's style and his records were being used by me constantly to study, meditate, etc. He was, and is, one of my favorite ambient or pseudo-ambient composers, and while this isn't my favorite album by him, this was my introduction, and even without the 9/11 baggage this album carries with it, the sound alone produces such an intense melancholic feeling.




Beck- Sea Change
For a long time, or at least until Helplessness Blues came out, this was my go to record to listen to when I was really down. It came to the point where I really can't listen to it without some of that stuff resurfacing. I remember when Morning Phase came out, and everyone was comparing it to Sea Change, and I didn't really see the connection. Sure, both albums are slow, but the amount of emotion put into this album and the palpable mood it creates is on a completely different level.





The Decemberists- Castaways and Cutouts
I heard 'I Dreamt I Was an Architect' on How I Met Your Mother and immediately had to know who the band was. I really enjoyed their theatrical and screwball take on  indie folk music, and Colin Meloy's voice is truly one of a kind. They really tell stories with their songs, and you can really see why Meloy would release a set of Morrissey covers, as he clearly builds on the story telling style he has. The songs almost act as short stories, and create a twisted and quirky little Victorian era world all its own.




Flogging Molly- Drunken Lullabies
Flogging Molly is my favorite Celtic punk band, and this is my favorite album of theirs. All killer, no filler. After doing some research, I found out I had a large percentage of Irish blood that was relatively unknown to me, and this kind of music (along with the traditional stuff of course) helps me feel a little bit closer to that culture. I'm sure I'll find myself listening again in a few days when St. Patrick's comes around again, and probably many years after.





My Chemical Romance- I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
Back in the days when Hot Topic emo ruled the world, I thought I was so cool for knowing this album. I found it at a record store about the time The Black Parade was big, never knowing it even existed. It was so much more raw than Three Cheers, and I played the crap out of the CD. I feel like to MCR fans, this is either the worst album they ever did, or it's their favorite they'd ever put out. I'm probably one of the latter group, since I felt like I had discovered a long lost treasure in that record store.





Check back in for the next installment of the Albums in My Lifetime series. Also, look out for my upcoming review of the new William Basinski album, On Time Out of Time.


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