Inspired by the most recent Facebook posts going around about personal influential albums, I wanted to write about some albums that have influenced me throughout my journey as a child, growing up with music, as an audio engineer and what inspires me to produce and work with what I currently do.
Personally, I’ve gone through some weird growth when it comes to music. As a child, my dad and mum consistently listened to alt-rock and a ton of new wave. Some bands that frequented the Sunday car-rides to the beach included Powderfinger, INXS, Depeche Mode and Thirsty Merc just to name a few.
This leads me to my first influential album. One that I solely attribute to my love for music and want to pursue it as a career.
Powderfinger – Odyssey Number Five
Featuring Aussie classics such as ‘My Happiness’, ‘These Days’ and ‘My Kind of Scene’, Odyssey Number Five is an album I still listen to at least on a monthly basis. For me, this album inspires relaxation thoughtfulness. When I listen to this album, I’m taken back to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, or Burleigh Heads, body-bashing with my dad while my mum sleeps off the 12 hour night duty she just finished. Reconnecting to that is important to me and I’m glad that this album can do that for me. Honourable mentions also go to Kings of Leon’s ‘Only By The Night’, Thirsty Merc’s ‘Thirsty Merc and ‘Slideshows‘ as well as Bernard Fanning’s ‘Tea & Sympathy‘ for being able to take me back to a simpler time where my whole world consisted of primary school, the beach and my family.
In my opinion, INXS are one of, if not the greatest band to grace the Earth. Not only have they produced some of the most incredible rock songs from their early years, but their transition from a heavier rock style to the New Wave, synth-heavy dream that is their music is truly inspirational. This album, featuring songs like ‘New Sensation’, ‘Need You Tonight’ and ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ bear the soul of Hutchence and his struggles, whilst also appealing to the masses in a way that many artists struggle to do. This was a band of rock stars. They lived and breathed the life and their career showed this, especially considering how relevant some of their songs are, even 20 or more years later.
Bastille, although mostly a pop rock band similar to Maroon 5 or Imagine Dragons really resonated with teenage me with their first album. Although songs like ‘Pompeii’ or ‘Of The Night’ entranced the masses and bounced around the top 40 for months, it was the rest of their album that I truly loved. ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’, ‘Icarus’ and ‘Oblivion’ were songs that I really felt, if that makes sense, as a young teen caught up entirely in my own world of high school woes and all of the drama associated. This album, along with Sam Smith’s first, were probably all I listened to for the entirety of Grade 9, while I built up my Tumblr following of close to 4000 (weird flex but okay).
Hockey Dad’s ‘Blend Inn’ was the first album that started to reconnect me to the surf, alt-rock that I grew up with and really renewed my love for the genre and Aussie music. Before this album, I was generally a shitty Nova 106.9 listener trying to find a music genre that really resonated with me and that I enjoyed. Up until this point I was content with listening to the Pop garbage that was shoved in my on a new rotation every few months. Featuring songs like ‘Homely Feeling’, ‘Join The Club’ and ‘Sweet Release’ this album got me out of the musical rut I was in as a music lover at Uni studying music without an idea as to why or what I wanted to do with it. This band and album re-inspired me and gave me a clear path in music. Record and produce this kinda shit!!! An honourable mention to their other EP’s and songs, especially ‘Seaweed’, coz I think it’s the song I want to get married to.
That’s really it for the most influential albums in my life so far. I say so far coz yeah, I’m only 20. Really want to mention King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Holy Holy, Babe Rainbow, The Murlocs, Pond, PNAU, Skegss and Ocean Alley for putting out some albums that I absolutely love and enjoy as well.
Thanks for reading!
Connor 