Elton John – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

When I was young, I only knew Elton John as this cheesy pianist who wrote the music for Lion King and for Princess Diana when she died. I found his music a bit boring and thought it was all just some grey easy listening stuff. Many years later I was introduced to his 70's albums and my view of his music changed completely. Elton John's 70's music is closer to glam rock which I've always really liked. He's also a fantastic songwriter. The songs have amazing melodies and they have been recorded with style. There's nice groove on most of his early albums and even the love ballads from around that time don't sound too cheesy. I bought this album on a great fold-sleeve vinyl with only £5 from a market square in Stratford-Upon-Avon. It's one of my first proper Elton John albums, but I feel like I would want to own more of them now that I've found what his music is really all about. The album cover is amazingly detailed and fund to look at.

To Kill a King – Cannibals With Cutlery (2013)

A couple of years ago, I went to see Neil Young at British Summer Time, a series of one day festivals curated around one headliner. There were numerous good bands performing that day, such as The National, Phosphorescent, Caitlin Rose, Lucy Rose and Tom Odell. One of the performers was the alternative folk band To Kill a King. I did my research for the bands performing in advance and To Kill a King was among the artists I wanted to see. But then at the actual day, it became clear that it was virtually impossible to see any of the smaller bands performing in tents, because the tents were way too small for those artists. As a result, the queues were enormous and most of the people, including me, were left out. Later on, I found this album on a CD in a local record shop and it didn't cost much so I decided to buy it. This was only a few months ago, so I haven't yet really listened to this album much.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (1999)

I mostly feel warm nostalgia towards the bands I used to listen to in the 90's. Red Hot Chili Peppers is something of an exception. I don't really listen to them at all anymore and I'm having some difficulties even enjoying them when I hear them on the radio or playing in a pub or something. Part of the reason is that I've started paying more attention to sounds and production of the music I listen to. Californication, especially, is very overproduced. As a result, it sounds very plastic and not very authentic. Another reason is that this album was way too successful which meant that it was playing everywhere all the time. It's difficult to fully enjoy music that has been force fed to you for years and years. I know that record companies have the exact opposite goal in doing this, but I guess it only works for people who are not actively looking for different kinds of music.

Jacco Gardner – Cabinet of Curiosities (2013)

In 2010's there have been quite a few signs of possible return of progressive rock. I have certainly really been thrilled about that idea. I was really into progressive rock as a teenager and I think it would be great to modernise that sound, because, let's face it, most of those 70's prog rock albums sound very old nowadays. Dutch multi-instrumentalist Jacco Gardner has made just that. Modernised progressive rock. His songs are filled with strange rhythm changes and progressive melodies. It's like a combination of prog rock and 60's psychedelia, but the sounds are a lot more modern. I think I first heard this album after I discovered it on some record store's top-100 list of the year 2013. I was thrilled about the sounds right from the beginning, but it took me a while to really start loving the songs. I bought the CD second hand at a local record shop here in London.

Peter Tosh – Bush Doctor (1978)

It would be really interesting to know how this album ended up in my record collection. I know that I got it by going through the vinyl albums at my grandmother's place. May of those albums were previously owned by one of my uncles. Then again, I know my grandmother was a huge fan of Bob Marley, so it might even be possible that I got Peter Tosh's third album Bush Doctor from my grandmother. That thought is just so funny. Tosh is a dedicated promoter of weed and Rastafarian culture. I doubt my grandmother was really aware of any of those things, but it's still pretty funny. I did also get the vinyl version of Bob Marley's Legend from her. I'm quite glad to own this album as it's very different from the other stuff I own. I probably would never have bought an album like this myself, but now I'm glad I can listen to this on vinyl at home.

The Cranberries – Bury the Hatchet (1999)

This album is quite topical right now, because the lead singer of The Cranberries, Dolores O'Riordan just died two months ago. Bury the Hatchet, the fourth album of the band, was released after the band's first hiatus when O'Riordan had retreated from the public to take care of her stress related diseases and to have her first child. You can hear the topics related to stress in the lyrics in this album. Compared to the first three albums, the sounds are more polished and as a result, the album doesn't sound as distinctly 90's as the earlier albums. Of course, this was released only just before the turn of the millennium. I really like the very melodic songs on the album that have enough interesting hooks to keep you interested for a long time. O'Riordan's vocals are very original and you can really recognise them anywhere. The world lost an amazing singer when she died.

Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness (2014)

I really like Angel Olsen's music, but I sometimes feel like the lo-fi sounds go a bit too far. This is maybe a strange statement from me, having blamed many other artists for making too polished and overproduced albums. Then again, I feel like Olsen could get a bit more out of her amazing songs with just a slightly better production. Setting the sounds aside, I think Angel Olsen is really cool. Her style of songwriting and playing are really to my liking. She's like a more lo-fi version of Courtney Barnett who I think is one of the greatest songwriters out there at the moment. Olsen's songs range from hypnotic and quiet melancholic pieces to rocking indie songs with great party potential. Olsen is also one of those artists whose music requires a bit longer term attention before the songs fully open up to the listener.

Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011)

Elbow is an interesting band. Whenever I've heard their albums for the first time, I haven't been too impressed, but the more I listen to them, the more I like them. It takes time to discover the hooks and playful sound experimentations in their songs. I started listening to Elbow after their third album Leaders of the Free World and it took me a while to really understand the band at all, but now looking back, Leaders of the Free World and Cast of Thousands are incredible albums. A Seldom Seen Kid which followed those two, in my opinion, greatest albums of the band, was a move away from obscure. The songs were easier, but at the same time, not quite as original. Still, Elbow never lost their touch with the obscure. When I bought Build a Rocket Boys! just after having moved to London, I thought it was a bit boring compared to earlier albums, but when I listened to it more, I discovered that there are some absolutely astonishing songs on it.

The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo (2010)

I don't really know that many bands from New Zealand, but the ones I know tend to be really cool. The Phoenix Foundation is one of them. I think I first heard their music in Spotify's discovery list that is curated to match the bands I frequently listen to. The Phoenix Foundation plays indie pop with some light psychedelia elements. On the more recent albums, they've also used lots of space effects in their sounds, but the main sounds are still made with quite conventional instruments. I bought the album at Fopp here in London about a year ago when the indie record label Memphis Industries albums were there for sale. I haven't listened to this album massively since I bought it, but it's really nice for relaxed moments at home in the weekends. I also have one of their more recent albums which I like more.

Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

I own a couple of albums that I've just found somewhere. Buena Vista Social Club is one of them. If I remember correctly, I just found this CD on the street without the cover, but it was in quite a good condition and it works perfectly when played on a CD player. I don't know if I'm a huge fan of this music, but it's definitely different from the stuff I usually listen to, so I'm really glad to now have this album. Even if it is just the CD without covers. Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians who got together to try and revive the old pre-revolution Cuban musical styles. Ry Cooder had a big role in production of the album. I have never been in Cuba, or really even been really that interested in Cuban music, but listening to this album, I really feel like I already know a bit more about their culture.

Nick Drake – Bryter Layter (1971)

I don't know why it took me such a long time to get acquainted with Nick Drake's music. He's clearly one of the biggest influences on the folky singer-songwriters I have listened to throughout this millennium. Maybe Nick Drake wasn't that well known in Finland. I asked my father whether he had listened to Nick Drake in his youth and he had never even heard of him. Nick Drake makes folk music with beautiful melodies and ambitious orchestrations. His music is quite typical singer-songwriter style, but his albums are accompanied by a range of amazing musicians. On this album for example, he's playing with Fairport Convention, John Cale and some studio musicians that worked with The Beach Boys. The album definitely has some excellent orchestration in addition to Drake's vocals and folky acoustic guitar.

Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms (1985)

I grew up with Dire Straits. My father and all of his brothers were huge Dire Straits fans and in addition to hearing them a lot at home, they were also constantly played on the radio when I was a kid. As a child I kind of liked the sharp electric guitars and the catchiness of their songs. When I grew up to be a teenager, I realised that their music was incredibly cheesy and kind of boring. Now as a proper adult, I can appreciate some of their songs, but mostly I still think their music is way too cheesy and the production is mostly just awful. As I've said many times earlier in this blog, I pre-inherited my parents' vinyl albums about ten years ago. Initially, I didn't even take the Dire Straits albums, because I couldn't really see myself ever listening to them again. Later on, I've realised that they are considered classics, so the collector me wants to own them.

The Black Keys – Brothers (2010)

The year 2010 was quite a significant year for my music listening habits. I had always listened to a lot of music and my knowledge of obscure bands was probably a bit better than average Joe's, but I wasn't actively trying to find new music. I just happened to have lots of friends who were really into indie music and I heard most of my new music from them. In 2010 something changed. I started reading music blogs, going through annual greatest album lists by record shops etc. A whole new world opened up to me. I realised that there is an infinite amount of great music out there if you are just ready to use a bit of time to find it. Of course, getting Spotify around the same time really helped as well, because I was able to listen to pretty much all the music in the world. The Black Keys was one of the bands I found around that time from some of the greatest new albums lists.

Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene (2005)

Canadian band Broken Social Scene is actually more of an indie rock collective than an actual band. Throughout their existence, they've had 27 members, most of which have their own musical projects. This album alone has 22 musicians on it. Most notable people in the band are Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, who write the songs and sing the most vocals. Also, it's worth mentioning that Leslie Feist, who has become quite popular with her solo career is on this album. This album was originally meant to be called Windsurfing Nation. The album includes very varied songs but most of them can be categorised as some form of noise pop. There aren't that many catchy melodies and the instruments are muffled together so even appreciating separate instruments is sometimes a bit difficult. The result, however, sounds quite unique and experimental.

Weeping Willows – Broken Promise Land (1997)

There have always been lots of good Swedish bands. They've been able to produce some of the most successful bands in the world and it's one of the most successful countries in music business overall, let alone per capita. But Sweden isn't just good at coming up with international successes. Sweden also has a very diverse and interesting indie music scene. Back in the early 2000's, one of the most interesting Swedish bands was Weeping Willows, who was making very ambitious indie rock with well-produced instrumentation. Broken Promise Land was their debut album and already this album has really impressive string arrangements, production and songwriting quality. The songs have some country and folk elements and Nordic melancholy. Music on this album sounds a bit outdated now, but I can still hear the ambition in all of the songs.

The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers (2006)

In the early years of my university education, there was probably nothing as cool as The White Stripes. I was such a fan of them that I used to buy only clothes that were either white, black or red at the time. I had also just been introduced to singer-songwriter Brendan Benson, who I also really liked. Then I heard that there was a new superband that included both Jack White and Brendan Benson. Needless to say that I was very excited about that. The first thing I heard by them was the hit song Steady, As She Goes, which I really liked. The rest of the album didn't convince me as much back in the day. It wasn't as cool as the garage rock of The White Stripes and the songs weren't quite as catchy as Brendan Benson's amazing power pop. Later on, however, I have been able to evaluate The Raconteurs as a separate band and there are many things to like in their music.

Broken Bells – Broken Bells (2010)

In the mid-00's, The Shins was one of my favourite bands. Their melodies were absolutely amazing and I really liked James Mercer's vocals. In 2010 James Mercer made this album with Danger Mouse and I was really excited about it. When the album was actually released, it became somewhat clear that this wasn't as good as The Shins albums. The songs had more electronic sounds and more varied instrumentation, but the songs didn't have similar hooks as the songs on The Shins albums. Now, later on when I think about it, this album actually sounds better than The Shins albums that came later on. It was just that this was the first album by James Mercer that let me down a bit. I'm not saying this is not a good album, because it is very enjoyable. I'm just saying that my expectations were really high and this didn't really meet them.