I just recently turned 25, so here is a reflection on albums I consider the essentials in those years. However I define that right now. Probably not my top 10 of right now, I think. Anyway, if you need to know, my first two album purchases were CDs. I bought Weird Al's Even Worse and R.E.M.'s stand in 7th grade. So that's where I started.

Let's get these apologies out of the way. Sorry Cake, Decemberists, Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne, They Might Be Giants and all the rest. You all missed the cut this week. I think Cake, They Might Be Giants and even Weird Al could land somewhere between 6 and 10th places with the right greatest hits album. There are just too many flaws on their current releases.

That's about it. I'll let the picks speak for me. Or rather, I'll do the rest of this introduction by moving through my choices.

	#10. Nada Surf Let Go How do you feel about it helping to reside in New York City to like this album, but not being necessary? This album was discovered thanks to the positive review given by the Rolling Stone magazine. This summer reading material is also responsible for another discovery on this list. That said, their reviews are normally too short to justify me posting a link to them. Instead, I will choose Pitchfork. Interestingly, save for one album on this list, nothing was bought BEFORE reading a Pitchfork review. Perhaps they are normally the way I seek to validate my choices. Well, not here at least. Pitchfork gave it a 3.8. [Read the review]
	#9. Arcade Fire Funeral Obviously, we cannot make a list without worrying about the Primacy and Recency effects. Am I always going to like the first albums I heard? Will one recent album always make the list? Hard to say. Hard to say. Putting this on the list forces me to quote High Fidelty. "Ohhhh. Kind of a new record. Very nice, Rob. A sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a list of old safe ones. Very P*ssy!" Hope that you really do take my recommendation though, I have enjoyed this album enough to give it away at a birthday party. Pitchfork gave it a 9.7. [Read the review]
	#8. Tenacious D Tenacious D First a quote from a Jack Black character and now his musical album? I recall resisting this album at first. But, you see, I hate late 60s, early 70s rock. And this was the perfect send up. It turns out all those rockers needed was a sense of irony. It was a tough call to decide this album should bump Weird Al off the list. It's just that I don't even like Weird Al's greatest hits albums enough-- they were all from the 1980s work, where his best work has been over the last three albums. As an album, Tenaicous D does it right. Weird Al is confined to a more limited format, so perhaps he should be rewarded for such creativity under those circumstances, but I just couldn't do it. Pitchfork did not review it.
	#7. TIE Old 97's Fight Songs If you were thinking this album list wasn't going to include another album Pitchfork hated, you are now officially wrong. The Old 97's opened a door for me into alternative country. Enter Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash's less popular work, and more recently, the Drive-By Truckers. Cracker could never have opened such a door. Yeah, so maybe I heard that Janeane Garofalo liked this band. That couldn't possibly have influenced my decision. The Old 97's other work was also a major factor in earning this particular work a spot on the countdown. (Of note, I have given this album to my mother as a birthday gift.) Pitchfork gave it an 4.0. [Read the review] #7 Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot If you were thinking this album list wasn't going to include another album Pitchfork loved, you are now officially wrong. Wilco opened a door for me into alternative country. This entry is going to mirror the Old 97's entry, because I bought both Fight Songs and Wilco's "Being There" right before my second year of college. In that sense, the Old 97's 1999 release is meant to signal my entry into the world of what some would call 'twang-core' and then Yankee Hotel Foxtrot could be seen as a sort of rational ending point? I don't know how to be deep anymore. Just make something up here. Pitchfork gave it an 10.0. [Read the review]
	#6. Bishop Allen Charm School Part of making these little ego driven lists is that it furthers my ego. This was a band that I was telling people about as soon as I had heard them in a small Rolling Stones write up. I could tell anyone about them, because none of my friends had heard of them. They were, in that sense, mine. The CD is probably bubble-gum pop or something, but it's too clever for me to hate. Really, just think about a really pleased Modest Mouse or something. Pitchfork never gave it a review.
	#5. The Pixies Death to the Pixies A greatest hits album from 1997? Yeah, because I can't make it through any Pixies album without skipping songs. But they have quite a body of work, and this greastest hits and live show compliation is a CD set is one I treasure. Hopefully I didn't pick this just because Nirvana said they liked them a lot. Sorry Pearl Jam, Green Day, No Doubt and all the others! You failed to make the list with your greatest singles releases. Pitchfork gave it a 9.2. [Read the review]
	#4. Weezer Weezer (The Blue Album) Only in dreams is still one of the best buys on a jukebox. Not only is it good, but you get eight minutes for one play. Businesses were fools to put this album on, and customers are fools for playing the Pixies in bars. Sure, Undone (The Sweater Song) was the first song I can remember that made me want to watch MTV, at least, post every young boy's Weird Al phase. Which is an important part of your growth as a fan of the album format, because Weird Al is at heart, just a poor man's comedian. Pitchfork doesn't have a review.
	#3. Steve Martin A Wild And Crazy Guy My drives to high school changed dramatically when I finally made a tape off my CD. Comedy albums are the ultimate live album. If someone does something crazy in the audience, that's going to be on the CD. There is one bit in this one where Steve Martin fumbles, some audience member yells out something about his mood watch, which had been previous mentioned, and Steve Martin, without missing a beat, laughs a little, then goes "Yeah, I remember when I had my first beer." If you don't think it's appropriate for a comedy album to be on this list, we'll EXCUUUSE MEEEE!!!! Pitchfork doesn't have a review.
	#2. Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over The Sea How do I pick the best album? I will solely choose based on timing. If I hadn't spent college listening to Weezer, I don't think I would have been capable of connecting with this album. High school taught me two things: 1) I Rule. And 2) If you like two songs on an album, you buy it, and you will end up liking 4 of the 11 tracks. I finally broke through that sometime in early 1999, I think, and that was solely because I could listen to one album without skipping a song...and if you haven't guessed yet, my top album of all time is still... Pitchfork gave it a 8.7. [Read the review]
	#1. Weezer Pinkerton So you send me your love from all around the world As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams Oh how I need a hand in mine to feel. Pitchfork gave it a 7.5. [Read the review]

That's it. I'll update this tomorrow (2004-12-10) with links to any other people who post their own list.

So far we have... One, Two, Three and that's it.