Trying to Forget the Crushing Defeats since 2009

Hey, guys: welcome to week two of my “Desert Island Discs,” the ten albums that changed my life enough that I’d keep them on a LOST-esque desert island. This week is albums 6-10.

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6) “Silent Alarm” by Bloc Party — I’ve always wondered why I got into Bloc Party. I’m pretty sure it’s because I thought I needed to, because it was indie and from Britain and it sounded kind of cool when I sampled it. But somewhere between trying to be cool at 14 and seeing them live, screaming lyrics at the top of my lungs at 17, something clicked. “Silent Alarm” became my anthem CD for when things were out of order, when I needed a pick-me-up, when I needed to be rebellious, or emotional. My take-away is obvious to those who know me: “Like Eating Glass,” my favorite opening track of all time.

7) “Discovery” by Daft Punk — There’s raucus fun, and there’s Daft Punk’s “Discovery” album, which grabs you by the (fist-pumping) arm and dances with you through track after track of electronica/dance excellence. It’s ridiculous fun, and an album that even hardcore indie fans will respect. My takeaway is “One More Time,” the only track I’ve ever played at full volume on my stereo at home. The effect, needless to say, was epic.

“B-Day” by Beyoncé — If “Crazy in Love” was the song that got me interested in the post-Destiny’s Child Beyoncé, “B-Day”, her second album, was more than enough to cement her as my favorite diva ever. Track after track hit the radio after this debuted a few years ago, and for good reason: they’re pretty much all good, killing her R&B vibe (which was only okay) from her first album and moving to where her fans need her: on the dance floor. My takeaway is “Freakum Dress,” partially because the beat is ridiculous and partially because the intro ape’s Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

9) “College Dropout” by Kanye West — I’m saying it right now: it’s okay to like Kanye again. And just in time: While my favorite CD by Kanye West would most definitely be a mixtape of all of his best songs (and he’s got quite a few), “College Dropout” reminded me when I first heard it in 2004 that rap didn’t have to be overly serious. Kanye made money (and lots of it) because he wasn’t afraid to be political, but also because he wasn’t afraid to have lots of fun doing it. A takeaway is really hard here, but I’m going to have to go with his hilarious “Workout Plan” skit and song.

10) “The Black Album” by Jay-Z — I saved this album for last because I can honestly say it’s the most life-changing album I own. I had long known who Jay-Z was before I heard “The Black Album,” and the odd thing is that I actually heard “The Grey Album,” the mash-up of “The Black Album” with the Beatles’ “White Album” before I heard this album all the way through.

Years later, I still listen to “The Black Album” knowing that it was what turned me on to rap music, what leads me to defend the genre when some people say it “isn’t music.” The album, which was originally supposed to be Jay-Z’s last, was created with the kind of attention to detail (and sense of humor) you’d expect of a man leaving the business at the top. In the years following, Jigga returned to the scene, releasing more albums, but even the mighty Blueprint III can’t best “The Black Album” (it comes really close, though).

My takeaway is a tie: “99 Problems” (one of the greatest pieces of rap storytelling of our time) and “What More Can I Say,” my second favorite sample-driven rap song. Behind “Crazy In Love.”