Top Five Albums

This is going to be tough. But here it goes. How to qualify? I'm thinking of it this way: "If I had to throw away all my music except for 5 albums/cds, which would I keep?" This should be a fairly diverse list as I don't want to get bored with only five cds to live with.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders. I loved this when it came out and I think I listen to it just as often. The Tribe at it's best if you ask me. Here are some of my favorite lines. "I skate on your crew, like Mario Lemieux", "my style is kind of fat, reminiscent of a whale", "your style is incomplete, same as vinnie testaverde".

4. Built To Spill - Keep it Like a Secret. Mostly because it contains my favorite bts track "Carry the Zero" But this whole cd is a classic. I used to use this CD to practice guitar to also, that may explain why I'm so intimate with it.

3. The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The first full realease of The Sundays and slightly less polished than their later albums... but an absolute gem. Harriet Wheeler's voice is angelic.

2. Elliott Smith - Either/Or. Yeah it's the most commercially successful of Elliott's library, and probably not a favorite of Elliott's hardcore fans... But I love it. It contains two tracks Elliott seemed to hate to play live, Angeles and Say Yes ( I guess because they got so popular). If you've never heard of Elliott's work, just re-watch Good Will Hunting.

1. Quasi - Field Studies. My favorite band. Field studies captures Quasi in their still ultra pop mode. Their later releases veer more and more towards rock. Field Studies also has contains some great tracks with Janet at lead vocals. Most have never heard of Quasi, but you should. They are a great live band too.

honorable mentions: Mates of State - Bring It Back, Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things, Blake Babies - Earwig, Modest Mouse - This is a long drive.., Pixies - Doolittle.