The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow

I discovered The Smiths after my first real break up. He dumped me the day after Christmas. I thought, at the time, that it was the worst thing to ever happen to me, the worst pain I would ever feel. That night, I went to a friend's house to get my mind off of things. Mostly to cry and scream about it. We ended up in her garage, going through her older brother's music collection. I found a dusty mixtape under a pile of Chicago records and pocketed it. After we called it a night, I drove home and got in bed as fast as I could. I cleaned off the tape and put it in my player, just because I can't sleep without music playing. The first 2 or 3 songs on the tape were 80's hair band ballads.. and they sucked.. a lot.. but, the 4th song was "You've Got Everything Now" by The Smiths. I remember laying there, wondering why the hell this kickass song was in the middle of 80's glam bull shit, then replaying it over and over again. The next morning, I went to Now Hear This, and found a used copy of Hatful of Hollow. I couldn't put it down for months. I was heartbroken and pissed, and this album was my fail-safe. Morrissey gives off that "I don't give a fuck, but I kinda do" attitude that I've always felt existed in myself. His cynicism and humor, with Marr on guitar, had me in a musical trance. I don't know why I'm even attempting to explain what these songs mean to me, because words can't even begin to express it. I still can't musically relate to anything as much as I do with The Smiths. Do yourself a favor and go listen.

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Fang Island - Fang Island

As a former fan of ska, Andrew WK, and Devo, I like to think I’m sorta a ‘fun’ music connoisseur. With that said, this is by far the funest album I’ve heard, so fun that Fang Island actually took their name from an article in The Onion. Fang Island describes their music by as ‘everyone high-fiving everyone’. And, while listening to this record, you can totally see why, it perfectly mixes indie pop and math rock in a really amazing way. And over this incredibly infectious music? Extremely catchy vocals that, at times, almost sound like tribal chants. I would definitely recommend this for anybody wanting loads of fun, or anyone wanting near perfect music for a party.

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Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

If you ever read Alan Moore’s “From Hell”, you should be familiar with his fourth dimension theory, stating that history is like architecture, with all the columns and styles repeating. If that is true, then I believe that 2010’s version of “In the Aeroplane over the Sea” has got be Titus Andonicus’s newest album entitled, “The Monitor”. I honestly can’t remember any other albums that perfectly combine historical direst and honest to god angst as much as these two do. Titus Andronicus does a damn near flawless job painting a backdrop of the American Civil War, from the monologues, read by their high school drama teacher, to the piano accompany almost every song, to the inspirational battle cries sprinkled throughout. So, if you want to listen to something new, you should down a shot of whiskey and check out the pissing and moaning of Titus Andronicus.

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The World/Inferno Friendship Society - Red-Eyed Soul

Up to a few years ago, music, in short, had no real effect on me or my life. That is, until I first heard this album. Maybe it was the huge ensemble of instruments and personalities working so well together, or maybe it was because the band is driven by lead singer, Jack Terricloth's unreal amount of charisma, but for whatever reason, I fell in love with this record. And, at the risk of sounding like your typical high schooler, this album has changed my life. With lyrics focusing on anarchy, angry mobs, and the "velocity of love", it helped shape, not only my love for music, but also my love for all type of punk rock.

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Lemuria - Get Better

A few months ago, I was introduced to this album, and I haven't stopped listening since. It definitely grew on me through time, though. Their pop-punk sound is unlike any I've heard before, topped off with lyrics that are almost too damn relatable. Most of the tracks are sung by Sheena Ozzella, whose voice is incredibly cute and idiosyncratic. Alex Kerns often accompanies Sheena's vocals. The two vocals compliment each other very well; Sheena's being more eccentric and Alex's being more mellow. Definitely an album worth checking out if you're looking for something very original.

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