Last year, I asked a zine to publish my top 10 most influential albums. They said yes and then later declined. So, I figured I have a place for it on my own blog. This may become a Somewherecold Records’ staple where artists on the label do the same.

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At 15 or so, I (The Corrupting Sea) picked up the bass guitar. I was drawn to the instrument because I loved drums but my parents didn’t want the noise and electric drums were just meh at the time. So, I was to be the rhythmic glue in whatever I did. I’ve only been in one band. That was a nightmare so I swore off them and then fell headlong into academics, reading, and catching up my education so I could flourish in the academic world. Let’s just say, the academic world in the U.S. is toxic, abusive, and altogether broken. Then I met my friend who founded the original Somewherecold website and I was headlong into shoegaze, ambient, and experimental music. Once I heard Eno’s Music for Airports for the first time, I knew I had finally found a musical language I could understand. It was an epiphany to say the least. It felt like punk rock reborn in that it defied all sense of conformity, lacked form, and pushed so many boundaries artistically. The following 10 albums are huge influences on what I do both from my past and even recently. Some for musical reasons and others are on the list for ideological influence. I have made it clear that my art is both personal and political and this list, I think, embraces all of those things in a very deep way.

10. A Journey of Giraffes: Hour Club – John Lane has been a heavy influence on my sound since I heard the first track of Hour Club. It is a three disc monster of an album and every second is incredible. A  journey of deep, thoughtfully constructed sonic textures and experimental moments, John just blew me away on this first Somewherecold Records outing. Since then, it’s been no different and every album following has had so much in it to digest and sift through that I doubt I’ll ever catch up to his genius.

 

9. autodealer: Conclusions – Yes, every time I hear a new autodealer album, I’m inspired to move forward with my own sound. A discography that is incredibly moving and subtly challenging, autodealer continues to help me better my own work. For transparency, I am in a band called Transverse with Matthew Richter (autodealer) and he pushes me every record but I didn’t feel right using our own work for this list.

 

8. Green Day: American Idiot – An ideological beast that throws the middle finger into the face of power, American Idiot feels like my political home. As I watch the world burn, I know there are a group of three that won’t back down from all the fascist bullshit. They are entirely embedded in my albums Political Shit and both Symphony of a Radical albums. 

 

7. Yellow6: Music for Pleasure – I mean, where do I start? Yellow6, Jon Attwood, has been a giant in my musical life. We’ve become friends since and joined together as The Deep Bells. Prolific as anyone could possibly be, Jon’s work continually pushing my musical ideas to new places. It all started in the early 00’s with Music for Pleasure and I’ve tried to keep up since.

 

6. Stars of the Lid: The Ballasted Orchestra – Well, readers who know me knew this one was going to pop up. I’m not sure there is much to say about these two gigantic artists, but I think every experimental artist I know has been impacted by their work. R.I.P. Brian. The world is a lesser place without your brightness.

 

5. Windy & Carl: Depths – This album was my introduction to this fabulous pair of human beings. Depths is a pinnacle album in all of ambient/experimental music and they went on from there to blow people’s minds for decades. 

 

4. Failure: In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind – What can I say? Matthew Richter pointed me in their direction and I’ve been soaking in them for hours on end. What a powerhouse band that plays by none of the rules. This band should have been as big as Nirvana and I’m glad they are back together and about to release a new album. Their music blows me away and I aspire to be as good as one of the three in the band (It will never happen… they are PHENOMENAL).

 

3. Paris Paloma: Cacophony – Yes, I’m late to the Paris work but damn this album punches a hole into the patriarchal bullshit. From Labour to His Land to As Good a Reason, Paris is not in a pleasant mood when it comes to how the world treats women and girls. Given our current situation in this world of sex trafficking billionaires, it’s a must listen for all humans on the planet, especially men. My anger and drive for justice about this very issue is central to everything on this album and, at the end of the day, this album also speaks to the fight of the LGBTQ+ community in a way only that community will understand. It’s an album that teaches if the man listening will just actually listen.

 

2. Depeche Mode: Music for the Masses – Ok, most people who know me will wonder why this is not the album on the top of the list. Well, there’s a reason for that if you go to number 1 and read about that entry. That said, Depeche Mode has been in my blood since I was young. This was the first album I bought with my own money and I was in there thrawl the second I heard the first guitar phrase from “Never Let Me Down Again” and “Strangelove” is my favorite track of all time. When I was young and defending them against “only guitar bands count”, I would note that they were masters of sound. That should have been a clue to me about how I thought about music. I found my way there eventually.

 

1. Flying Saucer Attack: S/T – This probably makes sense to the people who know Dave Pearce’s work. A master of painting outside the lines, he clearly picked up whatever worked and created these incredibly sonic masterpieces. The self titled album is where I started and then moved through his catalog like a wild fire. Dave taught me to paint outside the lines, use whatever noise, sound, texture, or dissonance I could to create a sonic feeling or image. Visceral in every way, Flying Saucer Attack will always be a north star for my own musical progress.