Influential Albums

Renee has quickly become my favourite local blogger, and you should all click over to her page pronto. She recently posted her most life changing albums, so I decided to do the same. I've only included albums that were released during my lifetime - really to save myself the trouble of thinking about when, and by whom, I was introduced to older musicians that make my favourites list.

Hanson - Middle of Nowhere 1997

When I was a child I listened to children's songs or my parents' music. Sometimes the radio I guess, but MMMBop was my first introduction to (at the time) current pop music as far as I recall. Hanson was the first band to make me go 'oooer yeah, I'm a fan! Zac Hanson forev's [or the '90s pre-teen equivalent - rocks?]!' etc.

5ive - 5ive 1998

I never got into the Backstreet Boys really, preferred Westlife. But as for dancing around my bedroom and boyband crushes, Scott from 5ive was all I needed. I just had a look back through the track list from that album and the cringe worthy lyrics have come screaming back to me.

Silverchair - Neon Ballroom 1999

I really liked Anthem for the Year 2000 when this album was released, and dubbed the album on cassette from a friend. But really I didn't get into this album until a few years later - closer to the end of high school.

Zed - Silencer 2000

If you're a family member or old friend reading this, you're aware of how intense my Zed obsession was. If you're in neither of those categories, then it's totally best that you don't know. Zed was like New Zealand's early noughties Beatles (am I going to get hate for that statement?) Their musical talent and legacy of course bears next to no comparison. But the mania? From jumpy old news footage it seems rather similar. New Zealand's cheesy teen magazine at the time, Creme, was basically an illustrated love letter to the group for months on end, and girls went batshit for them - myself included.

Rufus Wainwright - Poses 2001

Another album I didn't really get into until a few years after its release, but I chose Rufus' Poses of all his releases because Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk was his first song I remember hearing. I have all his albums now (though am yet to buy a physical copy of Out of the Game for complete-collection's sake) and he's in my top three musicians.

Rolling Stones - Forty Licks 2002

Kind of cheating with this inclusion - but technically this compilation was released in my teens. Dad's a Stones fan, so I did grow up listening to their music, and I believe their Wellington concert in 2006 was my first proper 'headline concert'.

David Byrne - Lead Us Not Into Temptation 2003

I think I watched Young Adam around 2005, and adored the soundtrack by David Byrne - The Great Western Road is probably my favourite song of all time. I do like a lot of Talking Heads songs, but they were one of my ex's favourite bands so I have to admit they've been soured a little for me. I hate how that happens. Fortunately David Byrne's solo work is even more to my taste, and I went to his concert at the Michael Fowler Centre in 2009 - another musician in my top three.

Lostprophets - Start Something 2004

I included this album on my list because Lostprophets was the first group I was introduced to online by some UK 'friends' in my early MySpace days. It seemed to take foreverrr for Start Something to be released in New Zealand - or at least become available in my local Sounds store - but when it arrived I snapped it up, and took great delight in being an 'old fan' when people around me jumped on the Burn Burn bandwagon. Such a wannabe snob.

Hellogoodbye - Hellogoodbye EP 2004

Hellogoodbye was another MySpace introduction, from a friend in California. I bought their imported EP on a Wellington trip at Real Groovy, and used Jesse Buy Nothing... Go to Prom Anyways on my sixth form Media Studies film - mainly because the 'prom' in the song is held on my birthday.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 2005

This album will forever remind me of art class in my final two years of high school. We rotated students' CDs through the player, but whenever no one had anything decent to offer, the teacher's copy of this album was played on repeat. I guess the memory association thing is really effective, because it's still in my 'art time' playlist.

Kate Miller-Heidke - Curiouser 2008

I think my introduction to Kate Miller Heidke was her Are You Fucking Kidding Me? (Facebook Song) video which did the sharing rounds on, well, Facebook - but I can't quite remember. She's now the third musician in my 'top three' list, and while I listened to Little Eve and Curiouser tracks shuffled in together, Curiouser contains my favourite of her songs, No Truck. I have to be honest that I haven't listened to much of her latest release Nightflight yet, but I have a few Fatty Gets a Stylist (collaboration with her husband) songs in my iTunes.

Kimbra - Vows 2011

I still periodically add CDs to my collection when I spot a bargain, but Kimbra's Vows is the first new release physical album I've purchased in years. I distinctly remember the first time I saw the Settle Down video, at our apartment in Boulcott Street (admittedly this was only two years ago), and initially fell in love with her haircut. The Somebody That I Used to Know phenomenon was when I really jumped on board, and I bought her solo album the day it was released here.

Please let me know if you create your own list of influential albums, or let me know some of your favourites below!