#29 Outtacontroller - Don't Play Dumb

P Trash, 2012

Genre: Halifax Power Pop

Damn, this album holds up.

It's been a long time, but I'm always pumped to see Outracontroller. Their tunes are catchy as hell, and that power pop energy has no contest.

This record was released in 2012, just as I was wrapping up my second uni degree and about to move to the country. It had been a tumultuous couple years, and going to see Outtacontroller was one wicked way to release some of those energies. I am pleased to say that the same energy is captured on the recording, and the sound quality is excellent. It's murky and loud where it should be, but everything is balanced and easy to hear and appreciate. Oh, and a decade later, the songs are still catchy as Hell. I'm pumped to have this one in my collection.

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#71 The Stooges - Raw Power

Columbia Records, 2010 (remastered); original 1973 Early Punk, Hard Rock This album was a gift from Stu, and a most welcome one. I love this album, and listened to it regularly for years. Search and Destroy was my softball entrance music when I briefly played for the Gus' Pub Patties. When I lived alone in the woods I would plug in my IPad Mini and play the mp3s at high volume in the car after a rough teaching day, and feel like I'd vented to pals. For me, this album is the perfect mix of high spirits and cathartic emotional expression. It taps into the feelings of unbeloging that often punctuate human existence, and transmutes that doubt to power. Raw power. Perfect title.

#66 Harmonium - Les Cinqs Saisons

Celebration, 1975 Quebeqois folk-prog I had to include the full gatefold for this album, because it's so enticing. One thing I love about vinyl is how many ways a record can function as an art piece. The visual art is so much more satisfying than on a cd. This record was given to me by my dad. It's groovy, and interesting from a compositional standpoint. It's a record that I always enjoy while I'm listening to it, but which doesn't stick in my mind the way some others do. It's a solid piece, and worth many more words than I am offering right now. I also love having some representation for La Belle Provence in my collection, so it will definitely be staying.

#21 Blondie - Autoamerican

Chrysalis, 1980 Genre: New Wave Blondie is another CBGB band that walks a line between genres. I've always enjoyed listening to them, and this album. Debbie Harry was a bit of an idol for me in my younger years, because she was super cool and super gorgeous and fronted a band. I didn't really emulate her style-wise, but I WANTED to emulate her. My friend Megan was much better at harnessing her inner Debbie Harry, as she was generally more confident with clothes than me. I did allow Megan and Juele to convince me to bleach my hair blonde at one point, but as it was super long and quickly turned brassy, it didn't really have the desired effect. This is a standard for my collection. A good, reliable crowd pleaser, or enjoyable solo listen.

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