Have you ever been listening to an album that you have skipped through a few times before but never really liked only to find this one amazing track that makes you rediscover the album?Or have you ever put in an album that you have listened to in full many times before, but because of whatever stage you might be in, in your life it suddenly speaks louder to you? These things happen to me all the time. As I have had more time this summer (ie unemployed and not temping) I'm getting the chance to rediscover albums that I had only previously listened to in parts because I never had the chance to listen to it in full before.
When you find that random track that speaks to you unlike ever before, I call it a game changer. A song that perhaps was previously overlooked, skipped or simply ignored but upon closer inspection (or listening to it all) you find that its amazing, and it makes the whole album that much more relevant. So here are some of my game changers. These tracks made the cd's better, or helped me better understand the album, or hell just really made me like the band, or just redeemed the fact that I bought the album and sometimes even made me respect an artist that previously I had written off. (Title, Band, Album). So here are 9 game changers off the top of my head:
1. Gets it Faster- Jimmy Eat World (Bleed American) - This song, I discovered while sitting on a dock, on a lake, with my discman attached to cheap speakers. My best friend asked me what the creepy stalker song was, and I had honestly never listened to it before. I had owned the cd for months, but had always skipped it. This song soon became the shocker song of the summer, and the album became the go to album in my stereo. I also own all their albums and have seen them live. Would that have happened without the song? Who knows, but I like to think it was a game changer moment.
2. Everything - Lifehouse (No Name Face) - Yet another song that I often skipped. This particular album I purchased because of the success of 'hanging by a moment', and was a little annoyed to find the album a bit of a snooze fest. Slow and melodic, was not what I wanted as a teen, I wanted loud and angry. So needless to say I never gave this one a chance. It's also the last track on the album so it was easy to flip back to the much happier tunes. Its one of those songs that starts of slow and then goes into a bit of a power ballad, surprising the listener and rewarding the patient.
3. Lost Control - Armchair Cynics (Killing the Romance) - I love it when you go to a store, buy an album that you have no idea if you're going to like (as was the case with this album....home town bands, or anything local are my weakness) and then the first song knocks you flat on your ass because its THAT good. This song starts of with the lead singer asking you to come clean in this almost haunting voice and then goes straight into this powerful guitar heavy rift of a song. It made me open to the album and totally changed the band for me. I've seen them live twice, and love that I often see them kicking around town.
4. What She Came For - Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand) - I think I may have sung the praises of this band before so I won't preach too much again, but this song live was what changed this whole album for me. I've always liked the songs that they put on the radio. I never owned their first CD, but had heard it through the internet before, and when the 'no you girls' came out and I liked it I figure why not give the album a go? Well before the concert I hadn't really given this particular album a chance. Heard this live, came home listened to the whole album on loud and in full. Game Changer.
5. Fingerprints - Katy Perry (One of the Boys) - So I have varied taste in music. I will listen to just about anything, and love it when someone can get me interested in a new genre. So I find it a personal feat when I can branch out on my own, get over the 'label' of an artist and give an album a shot. I heard I the infamous 'I Kissed a Girl' and well, didn't really like it but got it stuck in my head one day so I bought the album. Bopping around to the quirky pop tunes I manage to at some point get to the last song ( funny how it turns out most of my game changer are either first or last). I think I mostly like this song because it's about how she wants to live her life, instead of just letting it just pass her by. I also like the concept of how shes going to make her mark by leaving her fingerprints because me as a geeky science nerd thinks that its just so cool.
6. Giant - Matthew Good Band (Beautiful Midnight) - Yet another first track of the album that made me plotz. Heard it. Loved it. Listened to the whole album. Saw the band live. That was the song they played first, setting the mood for the entire concert. Album changer, concert changer. This particular track starts off with cheerleaders telling you to kick ass, and then have the band come in with this really heavy drum rift and when the guitar kicks in you just know that no matter what happens you are in for a great rock album.
7. One and Only - Timbaland feat Fall Out Boy (Shock Value) - So, this was a song that was on someone else's ipod in the car and I had a jaw dropping moment when someone said it was all Timbaland's doing. So this made me purchase the album because I figured anyone who could make Fall Out Boy sound so damn cool, deserved my full attention. Another great and shockingly cool track of this album? Time - Timbaland feat She Wants Revenge.
8. Different People - No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom) - I first listened to this CD while stuck in the back of a rental car touring around PEI. Still in middle school, and annoyed at my parents for thinking that PEI a la rental was a better vacation than Disneyland, stuck with my not so nice sister, I was looking for anything that would distract me from the real world. This song, made me a lot better than life. Its a song about how everyone is different, and we call do things differently, see things differently, and honestly its kind of this amazing song of understanding packed with an awesome reggae back beat. Other songs on the album were mostly about bad relationships ending, or getting over someone, or well ok...not so nice topics. So to have a song about how its great to stick out? Fit right in, made me love the CD and PRESTO fan for life.
9. Fix You Up - Tegan and Sara (So Jealous) - This is just a really lovely song about a one sided break up. You might be thinking what the hell? A lovely relationship song changed your view on this album? Well sort of. A relationship is coming to an end, but mostly because one person is giving up. The woman is saying that shes willing to do whatever it takes to get them into a better place, and that love is all she has to give. She also admits to not knowing her partner as well as she thought, but saying with time she knows she can sort it out. So what I take from this is that the girl is all in...and the partner is giving up. How is this a game changer? Well I'm not really sure what made me love this song. I mean I could have written this song myself. Any girl could have because I happen to believe that these things happen to us all. And a song that can help you express the frustration, and the annoyance that goes on when you realize that you've come to that exact point is ok in my books. Made the album go full circle for me. The album starts off talking about meeting someone and how if they knew the real you they wouldn't like you (as all couples start) and then you fall for them and would go anywhere with them (also pretty standard) the strain every relationship goes to, the fights of a self destructing relationship and then to have someone keep fighting and not want to give up? Full circle and a lovely album to use to help you get through it. (btw thats them up there signing this song live last Christmas)
So there they are. 9 songs that changed albums, and bands and life for me. And maybe, just maybe they will interest you, you random blog readers who stumble on my little slice of the internet. If anything I hope they will teach you to open your ears to music because you never know when four minutes will change years, or will open new musical doors that lead to life doors.
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