Eli's Super Indulgent Anniversary List Extravaganza--Part II

Next month will mark the one year anniversary of me joining this most revered site.  I've shared plenty of music I genuinely love, and I have found some great things along the way.  However, I would like to share with you, lovely readers, the albums that have changed me the most as a music lover, rather than a music critic.  I'll spread it out a bit to give the due attention to each album, with five separate days of music goodness.

So here is part II.

20. Kidcrash - Jokes

With Kidcrash's Jokes I really cannot say much.  I can't say how influential it has been on my tastes, I cannot speak of its genre defying nature, or its influence on emo as a whole.  Yet what I can say is that Jokes is simply a stunning record by an incredible band.  It's a bold and vivacious record that blends everything that's so great about emotional hardcore into one excellent package.

19. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come

As odd as it may sound, it is almost insulting to have this on here, I mean, it's fucking The Shape of Punk to Come, it's pretty much implied on everyone's list.  Of course that's an exaggeration, but really, few albums are as stunningly influential as this one.  As the all too telling title states, it pretty much shaped every release henceforth.  And that, my friends, is no exaggeration.

18. Tool - Lateralus

No other album has been as influential on my personal tastes as this.  When I first heard Tool's now legendary Lateralus I was coming off of a mid-2000's pop-punk/faux emo binge that made hearing the strange sounds of Keenan and co. a rather cumbersome feat.  But I soon submitted, and Lateralus became a gateway album of sorts, opening me up to all different kinds of metal, progressive rock, and experimental music.  For years it was my undeniable favorite record of all time, but it has since waned.  However, I owe a lot to this little gem and will never forget it.

17. Boris - Akuma no Uta

I could make myself sick talking about Boris.  There's just so much to say that I fear I would become overwhelmed.  Dramatics aside, Boris is a Japanese experimental metal band that has been around for a couple of decades and has released an insane amount of records.  Akuma no Uta stands out amoungst the crowd for its perfect blend of all of those lovely Boris-esque sensibilities.  The fuzzy sound, rocking catchiness, and thick drone like atmosphere.  It's almost like if hardcore existed in the 70s.  That alone should pique your interest.

16. Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness

Intense beauty in bleak ugliness would best describe Have A Nice Life's debut record.  Back in 2008, this album made waves with its bizarre mesh of industrial, post-rock, black-metal, and shoegaze.  And while you could do mental gymnastic trying to catergorize what it is, there really is no point.  This massive double album defies any genre label and is all the better for it.  Add in a stellar concept and you've got one hell of an engrossing record.