Music that takes you back...

duga · 07-07-2010, 09:09 AM

Apologies if this is a duplicate...this seems nearly impossible to search for.

A lot of times there are bands out there that define a certain "period" of my life. For better or worse, they either got me through a rough time, they were the soundtracks to my good times, or they just happened to be on rotation in any other interesting time in my life. Sometimes these are bands that normally wouldn't even get that much attention from me, but since they hold such a special connection in my neurons I keep coming back to them for that good ol' nostalgia trip. Here are a couple of mine with specific albums:

Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas

This album popped up in my life during one of those rough times I was mentioning. My relationship was crap, school was pounding on me, and I lived in what could be considered my personal vision of hell. I needed something to meditate to bad, and this was it. I kind of expected some average sounding guitar pop to be honest since I had heard "Iceblink Luck" before, but when "Cherry Coloured Funk" started I just had this feeling the album would be an immediate favorite. The music was so ethereal and calming...plus the fact that you can't understand 3/4 of what Liz Fraser is singing made this the perfect music to close my eyes and get lost in. Now if I am ever having a bad day, I listen to this album and remember it could be a lot worse and if I got through it once, I can get through it again.

Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

This album takes me back to happy times. I had it on my ipod for years and never really gave it a serious listen. Anyways, this story takes place while I was working in Singapore. After finally getting out of the crappy town I was in before this trip, I was living it up. Work was good, I had good friends, and Singapore is one of the most interesting and fun places on Earth. One day while I was riding home from work on a bus, I randomly decided it was time to give the album another go. At that moment, this playful yet calming little indie rock album became my soundtrack to that wonderful Summer in Asia. I would listen to it nearly every day on the bus and now whenever I listen to it, I am immediately taken right back to my seat as I look out the window at the tropical paradise that is Singapore.

I love how music has the ability to do this. Everyone has their own unique experience with music and I'm amazed the entire population of Earth isn't just as obsessed as I am. If I want to relive a moment in my life, all I have to do is play some music that reminds me of it. Share some of your music and stories!

GravitySlips · 07-07-2010, 01:30 PM

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

I first heard this 5 years ago when I'd just turned 16. I had downloaded it and a bunch of other albums I'd never heard, but had been recommended to me, and put them on my MP3 player for going on holiday. My family and I went to Hawaii, which was the first 'big' vacation we'd ever been on really (and the last, as it turned out)... anyway, I remember listening to the album the first time, lying on the beach, and I was totally baffled by it. This was a time when all I was into was Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, and bands of that ilk. I'd heard nothing like Sonic Youth before, with the clanging guitars and the noise sections in their songs - it was like music from another planet. I got to know the album on that holiday by taking long walks alone at night, down the beachfronts and through Honolulu, and listening to the album. It really blew my mind, I had a little spending money that I'd saved up and I ended up spending it on another Sonic Youth album there... and DDN has pretty much been my favourite album ever since, I still often associate with those walks at night in the tranquil atmosphere of Hawaii. It was the perfect place to discover what would become my favourite band.

Zer0 · 07-07-2010, 03:43 PM

I didn't buy this album until sometime in the beginning of 2003, but it reminds me of some really great times. Every time i listen to it, it brings me back to the good old days of being 16, skateboarding after school on fridays with my friends, smoking cigarettes and joints for the first time, getting drunk in the park at night with girls i'd only just met, and basically just not having to deal with the pressures of adult life.
I got into the band through one of my closest friends who played me a few songs off it in school one day, one song i recognised was 'The Middle'. Even though i've since moved on to far better music i still listen to this album now and again for the nostalgia, and it still sounds good after all these years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravitySlips

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Yeah probably my favourite Sonic Youth album. This probably sounds really strange but whenever i listen to Daydream Nation i'm reminded of the smell of stale vomit in my bedroom. Shortly after i bought the album around exactly 4 years ago i had a bit of a heavy night out and i woke up the next morning to find a pool of vomit on the carpet beside my bed. Even after doing my best to clean it the smell kinda hung around in my bedroom for about a week and in that time i had that album on heavy rotation on my bedroom stereo. But it really is a fantastic album.

ElephantSack · 07-07-2010, 03:50 PM

I still remember the day I got my first copy of this CD. I was in 4th grade, and I had just gotten off the bus. My sister was waiting for me at the top of the hill and said she had a surprise for me, so she had me turn around while she put it in my backpack. I knew by the sound of it landing in the the bag that it was a CD, and there was only one CD that I knew was coming my way, and it was this one.
We used to rip off the "10 CDs for $1" ads from Columbia House all the time when we were kids, and a few weeks before I had put down my pick for Alice in Chains' "Jar of Flies".
The songs on this album still remind me of the autumn in southern Maryland. Or at least how I remember it.

Burning Down · 07-07-2010, 04:47 PM

R.E.M. - Monster

This album was released in 1994 and it takes me right back to my childhood. My mom had this album on what seemed like constant rotation. I have a memory that goes along with each song, some good and some not so good. My favourite song off the Monster, "Strange Currencies," always makes me think of being in a tent at summer camp in the late 90's. More specifically, it brings back a memory of a pillow fight that was happening in the tent. The music was being played outside by the councellors who were all in their late teens/early twenties, so in the right demographic for REM music at that time. Monster will always have a special place in my heart because it takes me back to a time where I was carefree and had really no responsibilities. Other music that was popular at that time also brings back memories, as well as music from earlier decades, but none of them make me feel as nostalgic as Monster does.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 07-07-2010, 05:01 PM

I bought all 4 of these albums in the space of a few weeks back when I was 19.

They basically made me realise that most of my entire record collection of crap metal albums was redundant and totally changed how I looked at music.
The fact that I still play all 4 regularly today shows just how much they changed my life & outlook on things.

**Janszoon** · 07-07-2010, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElephantSack

I still remember the day I got my first copy of this CD. I was in 4th grade, and I had just gotten off the bus. My sister was waiting for me at the top of the hill and said she had a surprise for me, so she had me turn around while she put it in my backpack. I knew by the sound of it landing in the the bag that it was a CD, and there was only one CD that I knew was coming my way, and it was this one.
We used to rip off the "10 CDs for $1" ads from Columbia House all the time when we were kids, and a few weeks before I had put down my pick for Alice in Chains' "Jar of Flies".
The songs on this album still remind me of the autumn in southern Maryland. Or at least how I remember it.

I have pretty strong memories of that album too, though not from when it was new or anything. Most of my memories involve hanging out with my roommates, stoned off my ass. It was my first year out of college, working a 40 hour week for the first time in my life and most nights after work me and my roommates would hang out, smoke and listen to music. Jar of Flies was on heavy rotation in that apartment as were The Mollusk and White Pepper by Ween, Moon Safari by Air, and Play by Moby.

ElephantSack · 07-07-2010, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I have pretty strong memories of that album too, though not from when it was new or anything. Most of my memories involve hanging out with my roommates, stoned off my ass. It was my first year out of college, working a 40 hour week for the first time in my life and most nights after work me and my roommates would hang out, smoke and listen to music. Jar of Flies was on heavy rotation in that apartment as were The Mollusk and White Pepper by Ween, Moon Safari by Air, and Play by Moby.

Definitely a good "get high and relax after work" album mix.

GravitySlips · 07-07-2010, 06:37 PM

I've a lot of memories of getting stoned with a group of about 5 or 6 friends every weekend in my pal's flat when we were 17 ish. A constant rotation of The Cure, Shins, Joy Division, Modest Mouse, Pavement, Silver Jews, Animal Collective, Radiohead, Pixies, Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, The Beatles, The Kinks etc etc.... basically music we all agreed was good (to varying extents).

jackhammer · 07-07-2010, 06:49 PM

I was around 19 and had no permanent abode. I left home around a year earlier and spent lots of time out drunk and sleeping on sofas, chairs etc. I spent a night on a friends chair and got woken up around 6:30 am in the summer with this playing.

I had barely heard this sort of ambient music before but it worked brilliantly and never forgot that feeling of peace and a bad hangover! I still love this over 20 years later.

07-07-2010, 09:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	Music that takes you back... Apologies if this is a duplicate...this seems nearly impossible to search for. A lot of times there are bands out there that define a certain "period" of my life. For better or worse, they either got me through a rough time, they were the soundtracks to my good times, or they just happened to be on rotation in any other interesting time in my life. Sometimes these are bands that normally wouldn't even get that much attention from me, but since they hold such a special connection in my neurons I keep coming back to them for that good ol' nostalgia trip. Here are a couple of mine with specific albums: Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas This album popped up in my life during one of those rough times I was mentioning. My relationship was crap, school was pounding on me, and I lived in what could be considered my personal vision of hell. I needed something to meditate to bad, and this was it. I kind of expected some average sounding guitar pop to be honest since I had heard "Iceblink Luck" before, but when "Cherry Coloured Funk" started I just had this feeling the album would be an immediate favorite. The music was so ethereal and calming...plus the fact that you can't understand 3/4 of what Liz Fraser is singing made this the perfect music to close my eyes and get lost in. Now if I am ever having a bad day, I listen to this album and remember it could be a lot worse and if I got through it once, I can get through it again. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One This album takes me back to happy times. I had it on my ipod for years and never really gave it a serious listen. Anyways, this story takes place while I was working in Singapore. After finally getting out of the crappy town I was in before this trip, I was living it up. Work was good, I had good friends, and Singapore is one of the most interesting and fun places on Earth. One day while I was riding home from work on a bus, I randomly decided it was time to give the album another go. At that moment, this playful yet calming little indie rock album became my soundtrack to that wonderful Summer in Asia. I would listen to it nearly every day on the bus and now whenever I listen to it, I am immediately taken right back to my seat as I look out the window at the tropical paradise that is Singapore. I love how music has the ability to do this. Everyone has their own unique experience with music and I'm amazed the entire population of Earth isn't just as obsessed as I am. If I want to relive a moment in my life, all I have to do is play some music that reminds me of it. Share some of your music and stories! __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph... Last edited by duga; 07-07-2010 at 01:38 PM.

07-07-2010, 03:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
ElephantSack Man vs. Wild Turkey Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: ATX Posts: 948	I still remember the day I got my first copy of this CD. I was in 4th grade, and I had just gotten off the bus. My sister was waiting for me at the top of the hill and said she had a surprise for me, so she had me turn around while she put it in my backpack. I knew by the sound of it landing in the the bag that it was a CD, and there was only one CD that I knew was coming my way, and it was this one. We used to rip off the "10 CDs for $1" ads from Columbia House all the time when we were kids, and a few weeks before I had put down my pick for Alice in Chains' "Jar of Flies". The songs on this album still remind me of the autumn in southern Maryland. Or at least how I remember it. __________________ OF THE SUN

07-07-2010, 05:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	I bought all 4 of these albums in the space of a few weeks back when I was 19. They basically made me realise that most of my entire record collection of crap metal albums was redundant and totally changed how I looked at music. The fact that I still play all 4 regularly today shows just how much they changed my life & outlook on things. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

07-07-2010, 06:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I was around 19 and had no permanent abode. I left home around a year earlier and spent lots of time out drunk and sleeping on sofas, chairs etc. I spent a night on a friends chair and got woken up around 6:30 am in the summer with this playing. I had barely heard this sort of ambient music before but it worked brilliantly and never forgot that feeling of peace and a bad hangover! I still love this over 20 years later. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

07-07-2010, 01:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
GravitySlips Music Addict Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,578	Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation I first heard this 5 years ago when I'd just turned 16. I had downloaded it and a bunch of other albums I'd never heard, but had been recommended to me, and put them on my MP3 player for going on holiday. My family and I went to Hawaii, which was the first 'big' vacation we'd ever been on really (and the last, as it turned out)... anyway, I remember listening to the album the first time, lying on the beach, and I was totally baffled by it. This was a time when all I was into was Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, and bands of that ilk. I'd heard nothing like Sonic Youth before, with the clanging guitars and the noise sections in their songs - it was like music from another planet. I got to know the album on that holiday by taking long walks alone at night, down the beachfronts and through Honolulu, and listening to the album. It really blew my mind, I had a little spending money that I'd saved up and I ended up spending it on another Sonic Youth album there... and DDN has pretty much been my favourite album ever since, I still often associate with those walks at night in the tranquil atmosphere of Hawaii. It was the perfect place to discover what would become my favourite band.

07-07-2010, 04:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
Burning Down The Music Guru. Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Beyond the Wall Posts: 4,858	R.E.M. - Monster This album was released in 1994 and it takes me right back to my childhood. My mom had this album on what seemed like constant rotation. I have a memory that goes along with each song, some good and some not so good. My favourite song off the Monster, "Strange Currencies," always makes me think of being in a tent at summer camp in the late 90's. More specifically, it brings back a memory of a pillow fight that was happening in the tent. The music was being played outside by the councellors who were all in their late teens/early twenties, so in the right demographic for REM music at that time. Monster will always have a special place in my heart because it takes me back to a time where I was carefree and had really no responsibilities. Other music that was popular at that time also brings back memories, as well as music from earlier decades, but none of them make me feel as nostalgic as Monster does.

07-07-2010, 06:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
GravitySlips Music Addict Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,578	I've a lot of memories of getting stoned with a group of about 5 or 6 friends every weekend in my pal's flat when we were 17 ish. A constant rotation of The Cure, Shins, Joy Division, Modest Mouse, Pavement, Silver Jews, Animal Collective, Radiohead, Pixies, Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, The Beatles, The Kinks etc etc.... basically music we all agreed was good (to varying extents).