I might not have a great memory regarding subjects like anatomy, but in the instances where I have irked my friends it is razor sharp. After acknowledging a particular band a friend liked (I think it was Simple Plan), I added that I used to listen to them in high school. Her resulting sigh and response was not what I expected. I didn’t mean it in a pretentious way. I just associate music with different times- a product of living with a song always in my head. So what songs and albums have been a part of my soundtrack?

Coldplay- A Rush of Blood to the Head

Yes Coldplay have ‘sold out’ to a degree now, but they were my favourite band the moment I saw Chris Martin strolling down a typically bleak British beach singing ‘Yellow’. Their new release ‘Rush of Blood’ became my first ever CD purchase, and whilst somewhat top-heavy in quality, is still a classic record. The closer ‘Amsterdam’, with its powerful crescendo, has grown on me to be my favourite track of the album.

The Smiths- How Soon is Now?

For some reason, I have overwhelmingly positive memories of pulling ‘all-nighters’ in my year of law. Maybe it was the fact that I actually enjoyed the content, or maybe it was the adrenalin rush of needing to complete 5000 words in one night. Most likely though it was my discovery of the Smiths. I could’ve picked any track, but How Soon is Now was a mesmerising listen in the middle of the night.

The Smiths are rightly defined by Morrissey’s eccentric, soaring lyricism but if you like guitar heavy tracks, let Johnny Marr’s magic wash over you here.

Radiohead- OK Computer

On first listen, I was confused about why this was supposed to be one of the defining albums of the 90s. On my second, I was puzzled as to how Coldplay listed this band as amongst their greatest influences.

But on my third I was blown away. The very definition of a ‘slow burn’, OK Computer is layered beyond belief at times- from the dystopian imagery in ‘Paranoid Android’, to the mellow lead single ‘Karma Police’. But my pick is ‘Climbing up the Walls’. You will be recoiling after two listens, but on the third Thom Yorke’s screeching vocals will send shivers up your spine…in a good way.

Evermore- Light Surrounding You

This may provoke a “wow where did those guys go” in some of you reading this. I don’t know either. But at one point Evermore were producing simple, but stunning tracks like ‘Light Surrounding You’. I will always associate Evermore with my late mum, which gives me mixed emotions listening to this song now. Before Evermore burst into the mainstream, they were playing a small set at my local shopping centre. Mum suggested we go, but I had never heard of them, and was intent on playing with whatever lame toy was occupying my attention. Hindsight is amazing right?

Childish Gambino- Royalty

On the surface an odd choice, but Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino was my gateway drug into the world of hip hop music. With witty bars, fun beats and a silky singing voice, Gambino’s Royalty is a much underrated mixtape. From this, Gambino became more acclaimed as a rapper, produced his own television show, and made a funk/blues/R&B fusion album. I’m keen to see what’s next.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Rotten Apples

This spot marking my grunge/punk/heavy phase could’ve easily gone to Nirvana or Pearl Jam. But there was something in Billy Corgan’s vulnerable, emotional vocals that drew me in. “Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage” (Bullet with Butterfly Wings). What did I have to be angry about? A lot of things actually, but that’s for another article.

Often greatest hits compilations are just a jumbled random assortment, but this one manages to include all the Pumpkins hits in a way that still feels like a cohesive album.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis Bold as Love

I’ve had to take a step back from my Jimi Hendrix obsession in recent years, as I became overly connected to the tragedy of such a transcendent talent, and mind, lost so soon. But this album is what hooked me in the beginning, as with joy I realised that Jimi was so, so much more than just a guitar virtuoso through gems like ‘Little Wing’. If I could time travel, I would bask in the beauty of Jimi’s closing set in the muddy plains of Woodstock 1969.

Green Day- American Idiot

In one rock-opera album, Green Day managed to stir fandom in adolescents and teenagers twenty years after having done the same with Dookie. To connect so strongly to two generations is no mean feat. American Idiot flows beautifully, with enough political punch to give it it’s punk rock edge. A primary school assembly in 2006 was not complete without a Green Day cover band making an appearance.

Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am…

I was late to the party with the Monkeys but this album was the soundtrack to my first year of college. Having come from a sheltered high school, living on campus was a completely new experience, and the lads from Sheffield- with their carefree rockers about parties and having a good time hit the spot. And unlike lead singer Alex Turner, I haven’t grown up and slicked my hair back, possibly to my detriment.

There you have it, the soundtrack to the rollercoaster. I definitely recommend checking some or all of these out, and let me know what you think!