If I ever have the misfortune (not fortune, at least not at this stage of my life) of being stranded on a desert island with no access to my Google Music archive to stream music but instead, improbably, a solar-powered CD player and five discs to play, these are the ones I hope to have. Please forgive me if I drift into Pitchforkian levels of hyperbolic nonsense but these are my favorite albums, after all. In no particular order, my top five desert island albums:
Together Alone by Crowded House – I like this Australian/New Zealander band very much. They had one massive U.S. radio hit in 1987 from their first album (Don’t Dream it’s Over) but never hit that level of popularity in this country again. Music lovers know this means absolutely nothing about a great band except that it’s easier to get good seats at their concerts. These guys keep turning out excellent records. This was the band’s last album before announcing a breakup in 1996; they’ve since reunited with the exception of their drummer Paul Hester, who sadly took his own life in 2005. The album was recorded in New Zealand and has songs which are heavily influenced by Maori music, which would make a forced stay on a tropical island much more pleasant, wouldn’t you agree? My favorite lyric from this album fits the venue, too: “your skin is like water on a burning beach / and it brings me relief.”
Stand out tracks: Together Alone, Nails In My Feet, Fingers of Love
Transformer by Lou Reed – I am not even going to explain why this album is on my list except to say that of the list of blatantly obvious choices (The White Album, The Joshua Tree, Dark Side of the Moon), this one made it on.
Stand out tracks: Satellite of Love, Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day … yeah, it just makes sense
Keep It Together by Guster – Guster is a band from Boston that first caught my attention when they opened for Barenaked Ladies. I did not catch any dates on that tour but I did start listening to them pretty regularly. Their third album was the soundtrack for the first six months of my move from Los Angeles to Portland and is bittersweet. I can’t listen to that album anymore without thinking about days where rent was difficult to scrounge up and lunch and dinner were often the same meal of Carl Buddig pressed meat sandwiches and Top Ramen. This one was released a few years later and had heavy rotation at a pretty good time in my life, as I was no longer poor and mostly out of debt and I’d just started college again. Every once in a while, I listen to it to remind myself that things are alright.
Stand out tracks: Careful, Jesus on the Radio, Come Downstairs and Say Hello
Four-Calendar Café by Cocteau Twins – The first Cocteau Twins album I ever listened to, as recommended to me by a coworker at Sears who also played bass in a few bands with my cousin-in-law Brian. I had a particularly good week selling Packard Bell computers (don’t judge; we’ve all done things we regret for the sake of making ends meet) and announced to the sales floor that I was going to purchase a CD at my lunch break and I was looking for something new to me and good. This album was emphatically recommended even if it wasn’t the band’s latest release and I’m glad I got it. It wasn’t long before I owned most everything the band put out since they broke up about two years later. Four-Calendar Cafe is significant in that it’s the second one by the band which features intelligible lyrics, which upset some fans.
Stand out tracks: Evangeline, Bluebeard, Summerhead
Viva Hate by Morrissey – “Mexicans like Morrissey” is a stereotype, damn you. It’s also one which is in my case accurate. This was his first solo album, released the same year that The Smiths broke up and co-written and performed with fellow Mancunian Vini Reilly (of The Durutti Column). Morrissey has had a long career since going solo but for me, and please don’t hate… he simply hasn’t been as good since that first album. I like “Tomorrow” as much as the next Morrissey fan, but come on. Come on.
Stand out tracks: Every single one. If I close my eyes and meditate for 46 minutes and 7 seconds, I can play the whole thing in my head.
There you have it! My top 5 desert island albums as chosen by yours truly. I consider myself a music lover with eclectic tastes and I do realize that these are all “alternative” albums but what are you going to do?
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OK, I will throw in five honorable mentions which might very well be top five material depending on the day/month/second. It’s my list, fuck you.
The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists – Concept album! Shape shifters! Tragic death of the protagonists! Infanticide! One of the best concerts I ever attended, and one of the few where I never listened to a single note of the music before hearing it live. Fact: when you move to Portland, you are obligated to love or loathe The Decemberists. There is no ambivalence. Most of us love these guys.
Breezin’ by George Benson – If you know me in real life, you just did a double take. That was my own reaction when I realized how much I loved this album and I am not a soul/R&B guy. If you think you haven’t heard this, you actually have. Trust me. It’s one of those “oh yeah, I’ve heard this a million times! That’s this guy?” records. One of the tubists in my low brass choir in college introduced me to George Benson and Gustav Mahler, and showed me the folly of disliking The Bee Gees. Thank you, Brad.
Dark Side of the Moon by brrrr bargen barsen yeah screw YOU. It’s my list if I want Pink Floyd on it, I’m allowed. The Wall, what? Can’t hear you. By the way, The Flaming Lips and some fun music friends did this album about 3 years ago and it’s a love letter to the original.
Fahrenheit Fair Enough by Telefon Tel Aviv – Beautiful ambient music. The first notes just wash over me like warm rain and calm me right down.
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis – Again, not a jazz man but I just feel cool whenever I hear this album. Classic.