“Mulberry Street” by twenty one pilots, Thursday, March 9, 2023 + My Favorite Album from Every Year I Have Been Alive

Today, I'm going to present an evolving list. Last year, I chose an album of the year. In 2021, it was difficult because so much music was re-releases and nothing seemed dynamic enough to be album of the year. I finally settled on Scaled and Icy by twenty one pilots, but I actually didn't listen to it much in 2021. It seemed that 2021 was a year for good music outside of my immediate band preferences. Like many music listeners, my tastes are evolving, and I'm continuing to discover or just listen to older albums, which may change today's list. However, I'm going to try to present a list of the best albums from every year that I have been alive. I get this rank based on how much I've listened to the album, rather than by critical reception. Enjoy!

1987 The Joshua Tree by U2. This was arguably when U2 became a cultural phenomenon. The first four tracks are the biggest hits from the record. The band always tackled issues of faith and doubt, but The Joshua Tree brought the conversation to pop and rock radio. The album's opener references a blessed hope in "Where the Streets Have No Name," but is immediately followed by doubt in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." I actually first heard P.O.D.'s cover of "Bullet the Blue Sky" before U2's version. The song is one of the best critiques of Reagan's foreign policies, especially giving a liberal Christian view as the Religious Right was beginning to wield power. 

1988 Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul. I actually haven't listened to this record, but of all the music in my Apple Music library, I thought it was "Straight Up" the best. 

1989 Foreign Affair by Tina Turner. Speaking of "The Best," Tina Turner's Foreign Affair was also the best 1989 record in my Apple Music collection. I haven't listened to it or a lot of other music from this time, so it might change. 

1990 Pillow Lips by Modern English. I just know the song "Melt with You." Sorry music fans. I don't know much music from when I was 3.

1991 Out of Time by R.E.M. An indie rock band trades the guitar for a mandolin and writes their biggest hit.

1992 Rockeye by The Outfield

1993 Republic by New Order

1994 Jars of Clay

1995 Lemon Parade by Tonic. I listened to this album the day after a break up in 2015. Other than that, the hit "If You Could Only See" was my only point of reference to the record. "Mountain" is my favorite track.

1996 Take Me to Your Leader by Newsboys. Long before "God's Not Dead" and Michael Tait and the CCM missteps, the then Aussi-American band wrote some weird hits with Steve Taylor. 

1997 Urban Hymns by The Verve

1998 Supernatural by dc talk

1999 Mezzamorphisis by delirious?

2000 Kaleidoscope Superior by Earthsuit

2001 Satellite by P.O.D. This record sparked P.O.D.'s radio career with three massive singles. 

2002 Audioslave 

2003 Fallen by Evanescence 

2004 Crashings by Falling Up

2005 Phantoms by Acceptance. I've written about this record so much and how it influenced my junior and senior year of high school. 

2006 Turn Off the Stars 

2007. Cities by Anberlin

2008. Great White Whale by Secret & Whisper

2009 Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K. This album didn't hit me in 2009 but rather in fall of 2011.

2010 Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

2011 Until We Have Faces by Red

2012 Born to Die by Lana Del Rey. This is probably the foundational album in the sadgirl sub-genre of Alternative pop. I became a fan of this record in 2015 when I was embracing a different lifestyle. 

2013 Heart Throb by Tegan and Sara. 

2014 Lowborn by Anberlin

2015 Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen helped me fully embrace my love for sugary pop music. No shame.

2016 Nothing's Real by Shura

2017 After Laughter by Paramore

2018 Erase Me by Underoath

2019 When We Were in Love by Mike Mains and the Branches

2020 folklore by Taylor Swift

2021 Scaled and Icy by twenty one pilots. Today's track comes from this record. 

2022 Milk Teeth by Tyson Motsenbocker. Enough nostalgia and regret made this the album for sitting around the house as I contemplated the future.