2009 Was A Good Year, Part 2
Relient K, Red, Thousand Foot Krutch & More.
Hi Pal,
Welcome to this edition of Nostalgia Booth, a newsletter where I look back on some of the music I listened to in my formative years. In today’s edition, we return to the year 2009 and the albums that made it special for me. If you missed the first part, you can catch up here.
Editor’s Note: Album links are embedded in titles
Forget And Not Slow Down by Relient K
Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock
I will forever be attached to the pop-punk sound of Relient K’s earlier albums. Mmhmm (2004) and Five Score and Seven Years Ago (2007) have some of the best songs from the band, in my opinion. The reason why Forget And Not Slow Down is so dear to me is because it felt like the band was growing up along with me. As I began to let go of some of my teen angst, I started to appreciate the maturity that came with songs like I Don’t Need A Soul
, If You Believe Me,
and Therapy
. It took a while for the songs to grow on me and usually in situations like that, all I need is a gateway song. Over It
was this song for me. It hit me deeply and I slowly started to fall in love with this record.
Innocence & Instinct by Red
Alternative Metal, Hard Rock, Post-Grunge
When you release a debut album as epic as End of Silence (2006), it’s usually difficult to follow it up without some folks being underwhelmed. As much as its predecessor had more hit singles, I believe that Innocence & Instinct is a far better album. Where the album really shines is in its quieter moments. Ordinary World
remains one of the best songs the band has ever written, in my opinion, and Take It All Away
is the best album closer on their discography.
Welcome To The Masquerade by Thousand Foot Krutch
Hard Rock, Nu-Metal, Alternative Rock
At that point in my life, I was new to concept albums, and it took a couple of years for me to truly appreciate the quality of this one. I had heard some tunes from The Flame In All Of Us (2007) and The Art Of Breaking (2005) but Welcome To The Masquerade was the first album I heard in its entirety. I got attached to the title track pretty quickly but over the years, songs like The Part That Hurts The Most (Is Me)
and Forward Motion
have become the defining tunes of this band in my memory.
In Shallow Seas We Sail by Emery
Post-Hardcore, Emocore, Screamo
Every time I think of this album, I want to cry and of all the albums on this list, it’s the one I still listen to the most. Emery (especially during the early 2000s) is a band whose sound is deliberately crafted to make you feel something. No song on this album is skippable as they all tell compelling stories that attempt to unpack complex emotions. The title track, Curbside Goodbye
and Inside Our Skin
are easy favourites but the one that really got me is Edge Of The World
. Edge Of The World
is a story of regret and later on in my life, I would experience something similar to the story of this tune that completely broke me. I think it’s pretty clear how much I adore this album.
Hello Hurricane by Switchfoot
Alternative Rock, Art Rock
I have a lot to say about Switchfoot in general and over the course of their career, I’ve had my highs and lows with them. Hello Hurricane reminds me of a simpler time and I still love this album dearly. Overall, I think Oh! Gravity (2006) and Nothing Is Sound (2005) will always be my best albums from this band but tunes like Your Love Is a Song
, Enough to Let Me Go
, Yet
and Red Eyes
all have a special place in my heart making Hello Hurricane one of my fondest memories of listening to them.
That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
Do you love any of these albums? Any favourite songs?
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