Me in 1997, between Trailer Park and Bambule. The other day, Trotzendorff blogged about important music in his life. He listed ten crucial songs and albums and invited his readers to share their own. Challenge accepted.
To build a little bit of suspense, I thought I would list my ten most important albums here and make a playlist of my 16 most important songs for this year's Christmas Letter (a single-purpose, free of charge, yearly newsletter I send out to friends and readers detailing the highlights of my year; feel free to sign up, if you like!).
1975: The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett Sometimes I just prefer songs without lyrics. 1985: Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits My first ever CD, given to me by mydad.
1991: bloodsugarsexmagic - Red Hot Chili Peppers My boyfriend of the time's favourite album. Hated it at first, but there was no escape and I learned to appreciate it. 1995: Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morrissette Poet, feminist, role model. I also came to really like the acoustic version of that album. 1996: Trailer Park - Beth Orton Major influence on my taste of music. She rarely plays concerts anymore, but I saw her live in Berlin in 2012, at an awesome, intimate gig. Felt like meeting an old friend who has no idea you exist.
1998: Bambule - Absolute Beginner German hip hop at its best. Soundtrack to getting drunk in parked cars before going clubbing. 1998: The Miseducation of - Lauryn Hill On repeat wherever I went. A whole year's worth of music got drowned out by the awesomeness that was Lauryn Hill. 2000: One Touch - Sugababes Teenage angst in musical perfection. I felt so understood.
2003: Frank - Amy Winehouse Amy's best album, because she wrote it all by herself. I stumbled across it when it came out and played it incessantly.
2011: Every Kingdom - Ben Howard I can always listen to Ben Howard. I even hung his album poster in my bathroom.