Songs that Changed My Life

Blogs and lists go together like bubble gum and my teeth. So here's a list of the songs and albums that changed my life. Some of these are naughty songs, but being bad never felt so good! I wish I could embed all these audio files for you to listen to, but if anyone's interested I can rip you a quick mix tape. So here they are, in alphabetical order (cause nothing's more punk rock than alphabetizing a list for a blog post).

AFI
Black Sails in the Sunset: "God Called in Sick Today"
What can I say about AFI? This band is simply amazing. They started as a straight up punk band and have become so much more. This album introduced me to fast, gothic hardcore punk, and I've loved them ever since.

Atreyu
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses: "Aint Love Grand"
Taylor introduced me to Atreyu. I had always had metal tendencies, and Atreyu kicked open the door to my metal-loving-soul and ripped me out to bask in the glory of all that's metal.

Bane
Holding This Moment: "Both Guns Blazing"
Bane is the epitome of east coast hardcore punk. From the second I heard this song in the back seat of a friends car I was hooked. I went to Budget Tapes and Records and special ordered it that day. This song has one of my all time favorite break downs in it. Bane came to me

Blink-182
Dude Ranch: "Dammit"
Power-trio punk at its finest. What can be said for this amazing piece of music? Dude Ranch put Blink-182 securely in my soul. An album that I can sing every word to every song.



Boy Sets Fire
After the Eulogy: "After the Eulogy"
Oh man. Ok, this band (and this song in particular) is not for the faint of heart. But seeing Boy Sets Fire perform this song live at the Bricks in Salt Lake is one of my fondest concert memories. All I can say is...Rise! Rise! RISE!!

Brand New
Deja Entendu: "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows"
The most beautiful song about a car crash you'll ever hear. Funny story about this song. The first time I heard it, I was making out with my girlfriend (sorry mom). I actually stopped kissing this girl, and turned all my attention to the music video. I knew my life would never be the same. And turns out Natalie and I have the same favorite band and the same favorite song, Brand New, The "Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows."

Brand New - The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

Bright Eyes
Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep your Ear to the Ground: "Waste of Paint"/"Bowl of Oranges"
Carlee gave me this album when I came back from my mission. And it really did change my life. I played this album over and over and over again for a year straight. Not even kidding. "Waste of Paint" hits a very personal note for me (especially the second verse), so much so that the first time I heard it I nearly broke down crying. And "Bowl of Oranges", if I was crashing to the ground in an airplane, this is the song I'd want to listen to. And it would cheer me up, no question.

Bush
Sixteen Stone: "Come Down"
Bush is admittedly a risky move, but hear me out. Before Bush, I was listening to Weird Al Yankovich. Yeah, Weird Al. Bush introduced me to real rock, and gave me a glimpse into the world of indie rock.

Coheed and Cambria
In Keeping Secrets with Silent Earth 3: "In Keeping Secrets with Silent Earth: 3"
I had never heard of Coheed and Cambria until I saw them perform live with Thursday. Andy asked me if I had heard them before. I told him no. And he said, "You're going to love them." He was right. They were the opening band. This is the song they opened with and my mind was freak'n blown. And they have gotten nothing but better since.

Dashboard Confessional
The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most: "This Bitter Pill"
Saying you like Dashboard Confessional is like admitting you still have a Myspace page and you love the way pukka shell necklaces look. When I first discovered Dashboard I was coming off an exclusive diet of hardcore punk and metal. The first time I heard "This Bitter Pill" it gave me goose bumps. To illustrate how much I love Dashboard, and this song in particular, it was the last song I listened to before walking into the MTC and the first song I played when I came home. I'm proud to stand by my love for Dashboard Confessional, and Natalie says I look like Chris Carabba (totally blushing right now).



Deftones
Adrenaline: "Bored"
1993 was a strange year for rock music. Lots of bands thought it was a good idea to mix rap with rock (it wasn't). Deftones got swept up in that group of really terrible bands, but they just served up straight rock. The first five seconds of this song lets you know exactly what you're in for. And it's awesome.

From Autumn to Ashes
Too Bad You're Beautiful: "Cherry Kiss"
I love metal. I do. I can't help it. "Cherry Kiss" is such a freaking good song. It's simultaneously the most beautiful and punishing metal song you'll ever hear. This song made sixteenth notes so cool! I have blown out more than one speaker in more than one car listening to this song.



H2O
H2O: "5 Yr Plan"
Ok, I'm going to try to not get emotional about this song. My good friend Kyle (who is an amazing artist by the way) put this album on one night on our way to a skate spot. I have loved H2O ever since. I actually quoted this song in my farewell talk. Not even kidding. H2O gave words to the way I felt about my friends. They kept me safe and good; they gave me acceptance and love; they are some of the best people I have ever met and I am extremely privileged to call them friends. Here's the first line from this song (you'll see why I fell in love with H2O): "My friends look out for me like family." Beautiful.

Modest Mouse
Lonesome Crowded West: "Bankrupt on Selling"
Modest Mouse is an incredibly talented band. This is one of their more simple arrangements, but I love this song so much I couldn't think of putting up another Modest Mouse song as my favorite.



The New Amsterdams
Never You Mind: "Goodbye"/"Idaho"
A couple of members of the Get Up Kids (Also one of my favorites) decided to drop the punk and go more folk. The New Amsterdams was the result. I sang these two songs over and over in my head while tracting in Texas. They kept me sane while companions were attaching bike tubes to their pants so they didn't have to use someones bathroom (true story).



Radiohead
The Bends: "Street Spirit"
I love Radiohead. They could release an album of nothing but chickens clucking at feeding time and I would love it. The Bends was kind of a transition album. They went a lot more experimental on their next album. But I feel that listening to "Street Spirit" gives you a good idea of what Radiohead is all about.

Radiohead-Street Spirit from Esat Karayağız on Vimeo.

Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine: "Killing in the Name of"
This is another naughty song. In fact, this song started one of the biggest fights I've ever had with my dad (he was right by the way). This band lived up to its name 100%, and nothing was more sweet than hearing these songs of rebellion when you were a 15 year old punk trying to "define" himself.

Refused
The Shape of Punk to Come: Chmerical Bombination In: "New Noise"/"Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine"
Kyle (yeah, that Kyle) introduced me to Refused. The intro to "New Noise" takes you to a different world and then round house kicks you back to reality. And "Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine" has so many amazing lyrics it blows my mind. Here's a taste: "Rather be forgotten then remembered for giving in." Enough said.



Saves the Day
Through Being Cool: "Holly, Hox Forget Me Not"
I don't remember who introduced me to Saves the Day, but I thank them dearly. Emo music has a bad name these days (rightfully so, cause most of it sucks real bad). Saves the Day really started the whole emo thing, and it was awesome. I love Saves the Day. I can listen to this album and it makes me happy. It's the best.



The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Dawn to Dusk: "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
Twilight to Starlight: "X.Y.U"
In junior high there were two CDs I listened to over and over again. Both of them were by The Smashing Pumpkins. They made some of the most amazing ballads and some of the hardest rocking songs around. I love these CDs.

Thursday
Full Collapse: "Understanding in a Car Crash"
This album is so good. Man, it's just so good! Thursday throws out hot chunks of rock laced with soul rending emotion. Sadly, their follow up records couldn't come close to the awesomeness of Full Collapse, but most bands can't even come close to releasing an album this good.


Thursday - Understanding In A Car Crash
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Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law: "Harmonic"
Another Kyle band (I've thanked him, don't worry). I can't really explain why this song is so amazing. You kinda just need to hear it. Sorry.

The Used
The Used: "The Taste of Ink"
The Used came on the scene and totally changed the world (this is a hyperbole). This album opened the door for a lot of good music though (and a lot of really, really crappy music too). Unfortunately their follow up albums were all horrible. At least we have their first effort though, we can all be thankful for that.

Weezer
The Blue Album: "Say It Aint So"
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Weezer. My sister Julie bought this CD and I probably listened to it more than she did. I'm not a poet so I can't really explain how much I love Weezer. But I really, really, really love Weezer. I like them a lot.