Official Announcement and Official Request

Announcement

I’m starting the Master’s program in computer science at BYU in the fall! That means I will be taking some spring and summer classes in preparation for the program’s beginning in fall.

Request

My dad gave me an Amazon.com gift certificate and I want to use it to broaden my musical horizons. I’d like your recommendations of albums I should purchase to fill in obvious gaps in my collection, to expand upon what I already have, or to send me in totally new directions.

To facilitate your recommendations, below is a list of basically every album I own—just about everything I’ve accumulated since getting my first CD sometime in middle school that hasn’t gotten destroyed or lost or scratched beyond repair before I could rip it onto my computer. It’s listed according to my own self-devised category system, and the artist is listed if I was able to think of it or thought it worth looking up. I’ve bolded music that has been particularly influential over time or that is currently in favor.

Please leave your suggestions as a comment to this post. Thanks!

My Music Collection by Category

Hard To Classify

  • The Decemberists: The Crane Wife, Picaresque
  • Sin Bandera: De viaje
  • Nickel Creek: Why Should the Fire Die
  • Любэ: Давай За… [Lyube: Davai Za…]

Some Kind o’ Rock

  • U2: All That You Can’t Leave Behind, The Joshua Tree, The Best of 1990-2000, The Best Of 1990-2000 – B-Sides
  • The David: Another Day, Another Lifetime
  • Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Parachutes
  • REM: And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
  • Switchfoot: The Beautiful Letdown
  • Maná: Amar Es Combatir, Cuando Los Ángeles Lloran, Dónde Jugarán Los Niños, Falta Amor
  • Greg Simpson: Seven Wonders
  • La Oreja de Van Gogh: Lo que te conté mientras te hacías la dormida
  • Lapdog
  • DragonForce-Through_the_Fire_and_Flames.mp3

Soundtracks

  • John Williams: American Journey, All Star Wars Soundtracks (Episodes 2 and 3 are currently influential), Out of This World, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Far And Away
  • Danny Elfman (and others): Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, Spider-Man 2
  • Back To The Future
  • Klaus Badelt: Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Shine
  • Joe Hisaishi: Spirited Away
  • The Other Side of Heaven
  • Mountain of the Lord
  • The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King, The Two Towers
  • Disneyland The Official Album

Game Soundtracks

  • WorldOfGoo Soundtrack
  • Lode Runner: The Legend Returns

LDS-Specific (Stuff that doesn’t fit elsewhere or just fits better here)

  • Afterglow: A More Perfect Light, Another Witness, The Best of Afterglow Volume 2: Original Favorites, Someone Is Listening, Ever Onward
  • MoTab: A Mormon Tabernacle Christmas; Brahms, A German Requiem; Love Is Spoken Here; Then Sings My Soul; The Sound of Glory
  • Michael Mclean: The Collection, Volume I
  • EFY: Forward With Faith, A Season For Courage, The Best Of Especially For Youth Vol.2
  • BYU Men’s Chorus: Echoes of the Sabbath, Awake My Soul
  • Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Video Soundtrack
  • From Cumorah’s Hill
  • Greater Than Us All
  • Kory Kunz: I Believe

Musicals and Similar

  • Fiddler on the Roof
  • Les Miserables
  • Savior of the World
  • The Garden: An Allegorical Oratorio
  • Light Of The World

Big Band and Other Jazz

  • Swing
  • Swing Kids
  • Wicked Swing
  • The Big Band Era Vol 2
  • Buena Vista Social Club: Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
  • Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
  • Glenn Miller: The Unforgettable
  • Chuck Mangione: Fun and Games, The Best Of Chuck Mangione

Classical and Neo-Classical

  • Beautiful Classics
  • Gustav Holst: The Planets
  • Jay Richards: Journey Home, Passages
  • Hiromi Hyodo: Heaven Sent, Perfume of Flowers
  • Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus: Bravo
  • John Scmidt: August End, To The Summit
  • Josh Groban: Closer
  • Kamiakin High School Instrumental Music Program
  • A Wonderful Taste of the Music Experience [sampler]

New Age / Synthesized / You know…

  • Ray Lynch: Deep Breakfast
  • Vangelis: Chariots Of Fire
  • Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Extraordinaire, Christmas in the Aire, Fresh Aire 1-8 (1-6 especially), Mannheim Steamroller – 25 Years
  • Enya: A Day Without Rain, Watermark
  • Coming Full Circle
  • Innovators

Mellow Stuff

  • Colors: Falling In
  • Jack Johnson: In Between Dreams
  • James Taylor – Greatest Hits
  • Flamenco Music for Acoustic Guitar
  • Like an Old Soldier

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Comments

5 responses to “Official Announcement and Official Request”

  1. Gabe Avatar
    Gabe

    Sufjan Stevens – Come on Feel the Illinois

    Reply
  2. Robyn Avatar
    Robyn

    Congratulations!
    Try some Regina Spektor (different but amazing), more Nickel Creek (“This Side” album is one of their best), Keane (similar to Coldplay), and Reik if you’re into Mexicali pop (maybe it’s juvenile but they’re a current hit with me).

    Reply
  3. Susanna Avatar
    Susanna

    I’ve been a fan of Coldplay for many years now. Perhaps check out some of their newer albums, X&Y and Viva whatever it’s called, can’t remember. I liked X&Y better, but when I talked to David about it he liked the Viva one better.
    Explosions in the Sky. I like them a lot as of late. Listen to some of their stuff on imeem, it might appeal to you.
    I think you should also check out Travis. You may or may not like them, but I like them a lot.

    Reply
  4. Merry Avatar
    Merry

    If I were going to purchase some new music, it would either be the music to Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog (don’t get any songs by Mr. Hammer, though) or the soundtrack to the TV show Avatar. I LOVE Avatar music!

    Reply
    1. Maria Avatar
      Maria

      Wow. I’ve been meaning to comment for a few days but I wanted to make it worthwhile. So.
      My recommendations:
      I’m not so up on the pop and contemporary scene, but I have a decent classical/soundtrack library.
      I suggest any Chopin CD for beautiful, mellow piano music.
      Also, I think you’d really enjoy “Military Suite in E flat Major,” also by Holst (along with “The Planets”).
      “The Moldau” by Smetana is gorgeous program music
      “Swan Lake” is my favorite Tchaicovsky.
      For a Josh Groban-esque but mixed sound, I really like the group Amici. Look for their album “Amici Defined.”
      John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers are another of my favorite groups. Their Christmas CD is excellent, but I also really like “Be Thou My Vision.”
      Hm. I think that’s all I have to say for now. Except maybe the soundtrack to “The Man of la Mancha,” especially since you seem to feel the same way I do about the song “To Dream the Impossible Dream.”

      Reply

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