TOP TEN (in which I prove myself a hypocrite)

Ok, so now that I got that well-thought-out and articulate (not to brag) encapsulation of my stance on the entertainment industry, I shall now proceed to completely go against it in this blog by obsessing over entertainment and letting my taste in entertainment define who I am.

Lets do this!

Ok, so I figured I'd start with a good old-fashioned top ten list. In this case, I'm doing my top ten favorite albums of all time. This is in no way definitive, and will probably change within an hour of it's completion, but I need practice writing about music. So here goes. (Note: Seeing as this will be rather long, I'm splitting it into two parts. Part two will go up either tomorrow or later this week.)

10.) The Pixies- Doolittle
Why It's On The List: The Pixies did one thing, and they did it well: Simple yet interesting songs draped in a sort of detached coolness that James Dean might've admired. You get the sense that they couldn't give two craps about what you think about their music, but you want to listen anyway.
Why It Isn't Higher: There's honestly only so far simplicity can take you. The simplicity doesn't allow for much musical range, either. After a while, everything blurs together.
Standout Tracks: Wave Of Mutilation, Number 13 Baby

9.) Sublime- Sublime
Why It's On The List: Partly for sentimental reasons; This is the first album I ever listened to start to finish. Don't get me wrong, though, it's a great freaking disc. The group brings together elements from so many different genres. There's rock, funk, reggae, R&B, hip-hop, thrash punk, basically everything that was floating around at the time, and it fits together surprisingly well.
Why It Isn't Higher- While market saturation may be fantastic for the record label, it can stink for the fans. So many of the tracks have become overplayed, it becomes impossible to listen to the album regularly without getting bored with it.
Standout Tracks: Under My Voodoo, April 29, 1992 (Miami)

8.) Rilo Kiley- More Adventurous
Why It's On The List: I love Jenny Lewis. Love, love, love Jenny Lewis. She has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard, and it's out in full force on the band's best album. When she sings "With every broken heart/We should become more adventurous," you can hear the heartbreak and hope in her voice.. The music is sweeping and gorgeous, supporting intensely personal and meaningful lyrics.
Why It Isn't Higher: As much as I love the band, they've never struck me as really fantastic. They're consistently great, but they never blow me away.
Standout Tracks: Does He Love You?, Portions For Foxes

7.) Radiohead- The Bends
Why It's On The List: This is the Radiohead album for people who don't like Radiohead. Back before they went off the deep end trying to be the world's weirdest band, before the "pay what you want" schemes and camera-less music videos, they were just a cool rock band. These songs are fun, cool, and most importantly, not weird for weirdness's sake.
Why It Isn't Higher: The same reason as More Adventurous; I've never really been wowed by Radiohead. It's a fantastic album, but I don't take it as divine inspiration the way some people do.

6.) Nirvana- Nevermind
Why It's On The List: Because Nirvana saved rock. I hate to disagree with Mickey Rourke, but Kurt Cobain did us a favor whenhe came along and destroyed Hair Metal. Without Nirvana, there would be no grunge, and without grunge the modern alternative scene would be a hell of a lot different. Nirvana may not have been the first to do what they did, but they did it louder and they did it better, and they demanded you listen
Why It Isn't Higher: When you really look at the album, it's nothing mind-blowing. You can hear the pain in Cobain's howl, but that doesn't make it sound any better. It's incredibly influential and important, but it's no masterpiece.
Standout Tracks: In Bloom, Smells Like Teen Spirit