I always think to myself if anyone really wants to get to know me one, thing they could do would check out the music I listen to. I love music, and it’s played such a pivotal role in who I am, so I decided to develop a list of 100 albums that have really influenced me. This is what I would consider my “restful writing,” and it flies in the face of that perfectionistic part of me. This is just me listing out music I enjoy and sharing the love, so without further ado…

100. LP by Discovery: The Grating of the Seasons

You know I recently re-listened to this album, as I was preparing to start this endeavor, and I liked it less than I remember. When I discovered it as a 20 something, I was drawn to the indie sound and the electronic fusion, but honestly listening to it in the midst of my refined, morning routine felt a little grating. BUT, that was somewhat indicative of who I was at that age, various passions grating against one another, as I was finding my way from community college to my four year school. Also, I’m a sucker for a reinterpretation of a classic like I Want You Back. Swing Tree is also a treat as well.

99. Javelin by Sufjan Stevens: Beautiful Melancholy

Man, I just like this album. It brings that vintage Sufjan sound (which is saying a lot because the guy doesn’t stick to one lane), but there’s a sense of melancholy with this album. When I listen to this album, it gives me the sense, I’m walking through a serene garden after war ravaged a country. There’s much to be grateful for, but a sense of mourning. Perhaps, what contributes to this idea is when I heard the backstory to Will Anybody Ever Love Me? If you are curious about that, please look up the inspiration for this entire album, and if it doesn’t make you tear up, not sure what to tell you.

Sufjan’s soft vocals are akin to a butterfly alighting upon a fragile flower. Always appropriate. Never too much.

98. Post by Bjork: Courageous Creation

I am so thankful to Apple’s Top 100 albums of all time. Without it, I would have never given Bjork a try, and although Homogenic wasn’t my cup of tea on the first listen, Post was incredible. The vocals are as varied as the colors on the cover of the album. The production is courageous, and you never quite know what you’re going to get next. This album showed me something: That bringing your own unique voice to something always bears fruit. Also, there’s something beautiful about discordance as well.

97. Interstellar by Hans Zimmer: Everything Can Be Epic

I remember I was sitting at the climbing gym that I typically go to, and I was working on some writing. A friend stopped by to chat, and I really didn’t eat to be bothered at that moment. I can’t actually remember much of what he shared, but I remember he mentioned enjoying movie soundtracks when he worked, and he mentioned Interstellar. This album demonstrated the importance of how music can augment visible experiences because it surely wouldn’t have felt as epic without the score. I approach this soundtrack with great reverence whenever I thumb over the track list, and I prepare myself for whatever epicness awaits me in my day.

96. Seeing Sounds by N.E.R.D. Boombastic

This album is all about being unabashedly yourself. I remember this coming out in high school, and people reciting “All the girls waiting in the line for the bathroom.” I was partial to the “You so anti, don’t nothin matter,” line, but as inane and wild some of those lyrics were. They were liberating. In the words of Ferris Bueller, “To let that which does not matter truly slide.” I feel like this album really got to that. It allowed you to head bang at times, and it also allowed you to groove with Love Bomb. As usual, with this album, you’re going to get that Virginia Beach percussion. ;)