Top 25 Albums of All Time - #4

Coldplay's X and Y. Will anyone actually argue against this album being on my list? Highly doubtful.

View my whole list here: http://jaymathes.blogspot.com/search/label/top%2025

More Press for Fundamental!

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Wheaton Leader Newspaper printed an awesome article about my latest record. Check it out HERE. Booyah.

Top 25 Albums of All Time - #3

As you know, I have gotten myself in to a little pickle. I have started a top 25 albums of all time list. The problem is that, over the years, a heck of a lot of music has been recorded and compiled as albums. Just as a bit of a reminder, and maybe even a clarification, I have a few ground rules for this list. The more music I have listened to in my quest to compile this list, the more I have seen a need to be very specific about what this list is. Here are a few guidelines I am following:

1. Pop/Rock genre only. There's way too much music out there, and way too much music that I can humbly say I know absolutely nothing about.
2. Every song on the record has to be great. Every song has to be able to stand on its own, distinctly stand as a part of the whole and compliment it. For my purposes, even a single, bad song on an album will disqualify an album from the list.
3. Popularity is not a pre-requisite. I am not using anyone else's list to make mine. I am trying very hard not to let Rolling Stone magazine tell me what to include.
4. I won't include an album without very recently listening to it all the way through. And when I say listen, I mean that the music has my full attention.
5. Your suggestions are warmly invited! I know I haven't heard everything out there in the pop/rock genre - especially when it comes to classic rock, oldies, or 80's pop. Some historical background: the album "format" didn't really become popular until the mid- to late-1950's, so just as a simple, point of fact, I probably won't have to go back any further than that.

With all of this now said - and said again, in some cases - I'd like to announce album #3 in my list: Acceptance's album Phantoms. I might take some serious criticism for this one. The album is from 2005 - right around the time when all alternative rock music started to sound the same: over-compressed, perfect vocals, unbelievably punchy drums, et al. But, at the end of the day, in my opinion, this might just be the best album you've never heard of.

View my whole list here: http://jaymathes.blogspot.com/search/label/top%2025

Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home. And for different people, it turns out that home is somewhere different. New York City was awesome, but when I saw that Chicago skyline as our plane was landing, I automatically felt more relaxed. Calm. At ease.

Life brings us huge changes all the time; and for me, at least one big one is approaching - maybe even two or three. One thing I can guarantee: Chicago will always be home.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons