Does anyone else remember Facebook notes? Back in the early 2010s they were all the rage in my friendship group. People would tag their friends in questionnaires about inane topics like their favourite colour, and I probably filled out about 4 notes a week at my peak.
Nowadays I know that kind of thing is pretty cringey, but in 2010 I was merely an annoying little 15 year old with too high an opinion of herself, so I was under the impression that literally EVERYONE wanted to know all about whether I’d kiss the last person I sent a text to. (Note: usually the last person I’d sent a text to was my Mum, just to demonstrate how thrilling my answers were.)
Well, earlier this week I was reminded about the existence of notes, when a note I had written back in 2010 popped up in my Memories page on Facebook. The title read 15 albums ❤️, and the ‘rules’ that invariably came along with a Facebook note read as follows:
The rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you’ve heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me, because I’m interested in seeing what albums my friends choose.
When I read over the list of albums I’d chosen, I laughed to myself. Most of these albums didn’t stick with me for much more than a couple of years, let alone a lifetime. So today I thought I’d show you my list of 15 albums from 2010, and compare with albums I’d choose today.
2010:
- Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
- This is War – 30 Seconds to Mars
- The Flame in All of us – Thousand Foot Krutch
- One-X – Three Days Grace
- Infinity on High – Fall Out Boy
- Streets of Gold – 3OH!3
- Betrayed – Lostprophets
- The Defamation of Strickland Banks – Plan B
- In Your Honour – Foo Fighters
- Meteora – Linkin Park
- Black Holes and Revelations – Muse
- Only Revolutions – Biffy Clyro
- 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
- Curtain Call – Eminem
- In Silico – Pendulum
Well, isn’t this list a throwback? It really demonstrates how little my music taste has changed in seven years, as to be honest I still listen to tracks from 11 out of these 15 albums on a regular basis.
The four I’ve left behind? Lostprophet’s Betrayed, for obvious reasons – after Iain Watkins was convicted of being a paedophile, I deleted all of their music from my iTunes account and I’ve never listened to them since. The knowledge that Watkins had been doing unspeakable things to kids whilst making that music makes me sick to my stomach.
I’ve also moved on from Eminem’s Curtain Call and Plan B’s The Defamation of Strickland Banks. I’m not massively into rap any more, and besides, I’ve grown out of Eminem spitting bars about how he’d like to murder his mother, ex-girlfriend Kim, or any other lady who takes his fancy – violence against women isn’t my favourite genre.
Plus, Streets of Gold by 3OH!3 is essentially a 2010 time capsule. It perfectly captured the music and sentiments of the moment, so I honestly feel like I’m 15 again every time one of its tracks comes on shuffle, and it’s all just a bit cringe. To be fair, though, the line “tell your boyfriend, if he says he’s got beef, that I’m a vegetarian and I ain’t fuckin’ scared of him” is still lyrical genius.
To be fair to my 15 year old self, the rest of the albums on this list still hold up today. Meteora is still an amazing Linkin Park album 14 years since it was released, and if I ever feel the urge to listen to some drum and bass, In Silico is usually the record I turn to. I don’t listen to Thousand Foot Krutch or Three Days Grace very often any more, but I still feel pretty nostalgic for those albums, so I don’t feel bad at having included them. Plus, my first ever proper gig was to see Green Day on their 21st Century Breakdown tour, so that album will always have a special place in my heart.
But with no further ado, what are the 15 albums that will stick with me forever – 2017 edition?
2017:
- Blossom – Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
- Puzzle – Biffy Clyro
- Ceremonials – Florence & The Machine
- All Hope Is Gone – Slipknot
- Minutes to Midnight – Linkin Park
- Toxicity – System of a Down
- Bones – Young Guns
- Wasting Light – Foo Fighters
- A Flash Flood of Colour – Enter Shikari
- Folie à Deux – Fall Out Boy
- Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow – We Are The Ocean
- Royal Blood – Royal Blood
- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not – Arctic Monkeys
- Black Holes and Revelations – Muse
- Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold
I’ve gotta say, this was a seriously difficult list to compile. The thing I found hardest was trying to discern in my mind between albums I’m obsessed with right now, and albums that hold a special place in my heart, and I’ll likely love for a long time.
For that reason, records like If I’m The Devil… by Letlive., Bad Vibrations by A Day to Remember and Asymmetry by Mallory Knox didn’t quite make the cut – whilst I love those records, I’m not 100% convinced that I’ll still love them as much in years to come.
You’ll notice that only one album is still on this list: Black Holes and Revelations by Muse. I struggled with choosing a Muse album, because I love all of their records for different reasons, but Black Holes and Revelations is one I always go back to without fail.
There is a fair bit of repetition of artists on this list, though: Foo Fighters, Muse, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park and Biffy Clyro all make a reappearance, even if my favoured records on their discographies have changed a bit. In fairness, most of these bands have put out at least two records since 2010, so I had a broader spectrum of choice.
And what of the new appearances on my list? About a year after I wrote this note, in 2011, I started listening to bands like Avenged Sevenfold, System of a Down, Young Guns and Slipknot. Without being too sappy, they honestly changed my life and the way I listen to and interact with music, and now a lot of my music taste revolves around these three acts.
Whenever any of the tracks from the above 15 albums come on shuffle, I feel relieved that my iPod has come up with a good shuffle, for once, and ignored the many years worth of crap music which still resides in my iTunes library. (Note to self: clear it out, you’ll feel better for it.)
I know the premise of the 15 albums note is flawed, because there’s truly no way of knowing how you’ll feel about an album or artist in years to come. Hell, nobody could predict that Iain Watkins would turn out to be a paedo. So maybe in another seven years, in 2024, I’ll take on 15 albums ❤️ round three, and we can see how my tastes have evolved – or not – yet again!
What are your 15 albums that will stay with you forever? What do you think of my selection? Facebook or Twitter page, or in the comment section below this post.
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