Emily Louise

Music has made such a huge impact in my life and I don’t know where I’d be without it. There have been several albums that have really stuck by me over the years but here are my top 5. It was so hard to condense them all into this list. It took a lot of listening and a massive pros and cons list. So here are my top 5 albums that shaped me into the person I am today.

1. Wasting Light – Foo Fighters

Now I know what you’re thinking it’s not “The Colour and The Shape” nor is it “Sonic Highways” but it’s bloody good. I remember when it first came out in April 2011. My uncle is one of them people who buys an album and listens to it for about 3 months straight and then buys another. He bought this and played it every time he dropped me off at school for 3 months and I fell in love. It was the first foo fighters album I’d heard all the way through and I was mesmerized. Dave Grohl’s voice was addicting for my little 11 yr old ears. One of my favourite tracks on the album is “Arlandria” which is a great tune to shout the lyrics to in any setting. “Rope” is also another favourite the guitar absolutely shreds and Taylor Hawkins on the drums just completes the track. “These Days” gives me such nostalgic vibes of rocking out with my uncle and it still gives me goosebumps. I could listen to this album for the rest of my life and not get bored with it. This album was the start of my love for the foo’s and Dave Grohl. I class Dave as one of my many idols and I adore him.

2. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

If you know me then you know I LOVE the Beatles. This is such a classic. I’m not condoning drugs in any sense but they were all high as kites and they created such a masterpiece I can’t even fault one track on this. I first listened to this when I was about 13 and it’s all I listened to for at least a month. I used to just sit in my room with my headphones on and close my eyes and just vibe. I didn’t have too many true friends growing up so music was my escape and when I discovered music like this my little mind was blown. I know this album like the back of my hand. A few notable tracks on this album are “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” its pretty much about a psychedelic experience and that’s how I felt listening to it for the first time, “Within You Without You” I can confidently say why I first listened to this I had never heard music like it and my 13 yr old brain really didn’t know how to process it but its become one of my favourite tracks. Their creativity shone through in this album and I love it. (even though they were drugged up).

3. Teenage Dirtbag – Various Artists

I know this is probably cheating as it’s a compilation album but I don’t care. My little pop-punk heart loves this album so much. Again, my uncle bought it and played it in his car and again I fell in love. By this point, I had already started listening to My Chemical Romance and I’d been a long time Avril Lavigne fan but this album opened up the pop-punk world for me even more. This album is where I discovered my love for Bowling for Soup who is now one of my favourite artists. It has such bangers like “All-Star” by smash mouth, “Sell Out” by Reel Big Fish which is the first ska inspired song I’d ever listened to and “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard (rip they’ve broken up). This album opened my eyes to so many new bands I’d never heard of and I was ecstatic. I still listen to it every week. It is also a banging car album. I cannot count the number of times my uncle and I have sung this album, all the way through on car journeys.

4. 5 Seconds of Summer (Self Titled) by 5SOS

I first listened to 5SOS in my best friends bedroom in 2013 after convincing myself I’d never like them. She showed me some of their earlier songs and music videos and I fell in love. This album came out when I was 14/15 and I feel like that’s a really influential time in anyone’s life. It massively influenced my music taste and fashion too. I started to wear more flannel shirts and ripped jeans and doc martens. I thought I was the shit. 5SOS are still by far one of my favourite artists. They have grown musically since 2014 and their newer stuff is awesome. You can still tell they’re influenced by pop-punk but they adapted to give themselves a more modern sound. Some of my top tracks are “End Up Here” it gives me huge All Time Low/ Blink 182 vibes and I love it. “Amnesia” has me crying every time I listen to it. I’m a sucker for a sad song and this one just hits me right in the feels. (link to my sad song playlist here). “Kiss Me, Kiss Me” feels like it should be in a coming of age movie where they’re doing a montage of a group of teenagers having fun. It’s such an upbeat track and the drums before the chorus always get me hype.

5. Scouting For Girls by Scouting For Girls

Scouting For Girls brings back so many fond memories for me. Me and my sister, Beth, used to sing them all the time with my mum and I hold this album near and dear to my heart. Countless times we’d be dancing around the living room to “She’s So Lovely”. We would change the lyrics to she’s so ugly and point at each other. Beth and I still sing those lyrics now. It feels wrong not to. Their songs are also heavily featured in the hit movie “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” featuring Georgia Groome (who’s now had a baby with Rupert Grint). Whenever I listen to them I just imagine the main character Georgia running through Eastbourne in that massive olive costume. Some of my top tunes on this album are “Elvis Ain’t Dead” mainly because it reminds me of my auntie. She was convinced that Elvis was still alive somewhere and the thought of it makes me chuckle. “I wish I was James Bond” is such a catchy tune and there’s just something about the lead singer, Roy Stride, that makes me want to sing along with his voice.

Some honourable mentions are:

• Intertwined EP – Dodie
• Up All Night – 1D
• The Balcony – Catfish and The Bottlemen
• The Specials – The Specials
• The Seldom Seen Kid – Elbow

Well, there you have it! The top 5 songs that have shaped me into the person I am today. Without these tracks, I really don’t think I’d be the person I am today. They all hold so many memories that I will cherish forever. I cant wait to see this list again in 10 years and see how much my music has changed. Music influences everything in your life from style to the way people act. It’ll be interesting to see if any of these albums will still be on this list by then. This list was really hard to narrow down but I’m happy with my choices.

Here’s a link to the playlist with all the albums on it (excluding honourable mentions)