Help! – The Beatles
First of all, I could have filled this entire list with Beatles Albums – It’s almost a given for any pop/rock outfit. While not as ground-breaking or grandiose as say, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, this album is absolutely packed with incredible hooks and great arrangements. The whole thing is overflowing with inspiration and creativity, and it taught me most of what I know about writing in the pop music format. Five stars, would recommend to a friend.
Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
Another iconic album, but one I couldn’t leave out. This record directly inspired The Beatles to write Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and in turn, permitted almost every band on the radio at the time. The sheer vision of the album is awe-inspiring, and the execution is perfect – from the instrumentation to the production – there’s a reason it’s hailed as a masterpiece. My favourite track would have to be Don’t Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder. Brian Wilson’s genius at its most ambitious and vulnerable.
Found Things – Laneous & The Family Yah
If you haven’t heard this Brisbane band yet, do yourself a favour. Seriously. They were described once as “Mike Patton re-making the White Album” and I’m having a hard time coming up with a better analogy. It’s eclectic and unified all at the same time… The sort of thing that, when you listen to it, makes you go “Oh, that’s right, you can do anything you want in music.” Really incredible stuff.
Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers
I struggled with putting this one in here, as it’s much cooler to say “Yeah, I liked the Chili’s up until Californication.” But fuck you! This album has some really cool arrangements, harmonies and sounds. John Frusciante does some amazing things with guitar FX on this record that I think are really tasteful and nice. I listened to this album heaps when I was 16, and I learned heaps about not just songwriting, but tone, timbre, and space.
Obzen – Meshuggah
Coming right out of left-field here, this bone-crushingly heavy record is probably still the most brutal thing to have come out in the past decade. For anyone who’s familiar with these guys, you’ll understand when I say that they totally opened me up to how much one can mess around with timing and groove, and how far that can actually go in taking a song from predictable to incredible. The sheer weight of the sound on this album is pretty stupefying as well. Well done Sweden.
JOHN CITIZEN play at the Prince Public Bar on Friday September 26, alongside Elephant Ego. We’d tell you to get out there and buy yourselves some tickets, but the gig is free. Free!
