Modern Mirror
Darkwave/dream pop
Based in LA, this self-dubbed "tragic wave" band employs lush, 80's-influenced soundscapes paired commanding vocals featuring futuristic and occult lyrical content. Drab Majesty is a fresh take on the best of the 80's synthwave music. This band is one of my all-time favorites, and has influenced my sound significantly.
An interview from 2020 with altvenger.com
Loveless
Shoegaze
Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, MBV is an early influential shoegaze band who created massive walls of dissonant guitar textures and adrogynous vocals, eventually inspiring the likes of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. The first time I heard MBV, I was a teenager who didn't understand the undeniable power of distortion and reverb. My life has never been the same since.
Heaven or Las Vegas
Dream pop
Scottish band Cocteau Twins was a later discovery for me, but one that completely rewired the way I thought about musical form and function. Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, a literal earth angel, uses her voice in the way someone would play a flute or a wind instrument. At times it is harsh and wailing, other times it is undulating and rythmic, while still at other times it is ethereal and floating high above the music. Studying her singing completely transformed the way I approach my songwriting, challenging me to break the mold of what feels "safe".
Disintegration
Gothic rock
Beloved Brits, the Cure, was one of my early loves. Being an angsty teen, I found solace in the anger and anguish of these goth rock gods. Disintegration sticks out as one of the finest masterpieces of the last 40 years. Written in the months leading up to lead singer and guitarist Robert Smith's 30th birthday, and during an extreme low in his life, this album is painted with moments of hope, despair, and even unprecendented silliness. It's truly beautiful and one of the most bittersweet albums I've ever had the pleasure of loving.
A snippet of "A Thousand Years" - Pornography, 1982
Blue Bell Knoll
Dream pop/Ethereal wave
Another Cocteau Twins album, but I couldn't help myself - it's just so gorgeous. This album is ethereal music at its best, in my opinion. The first time I heard the opening track, the shared title of the album, Blue Bell Knoll, I was in tears. There is something very moving and emotive about Cocteau Twins' music: it captures the sadness of the human condition, painting it with all the beauty that comes with it.
A snippet of "The Spangle Maker" - The Spangle Maker EP, 1984
An interview from 2014 with Under the Radar.
So
Pop/Art pop
This is by far one of the greatest pop albums ever made. It holds a special place in my heart because it was the album that my partner and I listened to incessently during our initial courtship (aw) and these songs are burned into my heart as the ones we fell in love to. This album took Peter Gabriel out of the art rock world into the mainstream, but did so in a way in which people could find art rock more accessible. It inspired the likes of The Talking Heads, and more recently Harry Styles and St. Vincent. Peter Gabriel is definitely a boss and sometimes overlooked. This album is a perfect testament to his greatness and invaluable contributions to pop music.
Faith
Post-punk
This was this first Cure album I listened to religiously, and it opened me to a new frontier of punk rock music. It's dreary landscape has tinges of beauty and light, but it is certainly a great album for an overcast day. It retains the best moments of late 70s British punk music while moving into a league of its own, musically-speaking. This album was a defining moment for the Cure, and set the band up for its sonic journey to come. I particularly love the rawness of the vocals and the synthetic snare hits. It captures life in early 80's British industrial suburbia.
Juju
Post-punk
Siouxsie Sioux, frontwoman of the aforementioned band, was my first obsession with punk rock. As a teenager, I had never seen anyone who looked like Siouxsie before, and was immediately drawn to her sense of style and commanding vocals. Seeing this band influence many facets of punk, post-punk and goth-rock music was super inspiring, and I love her musical style as much as her sense of fashion. Siouxsie writes a lot about damage, the human condition, and unearthly energy, things that have inspired a lot of my own songwriting.
The Kick Inside
Art rock/Art pop
For those of you who are not privy to the majesty of Kate Bush, please enter her realm. Rising to stardom at the age of 16, Bush was writing incredibly mature songs from the age of 11. Inspired by British romantic-era novelists, Kate Bush wrote hit song "Wuthering Heights" inspired by the novel of the same name. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd was given one of her demos and helped her to record a professional demo, producing several of the tracks himself. This tape got her signed to EMI records and she became a total legend. I admire Kate because her voice is otherworldly, and also because she is an absolute freak. There was, and still is, no one like her. She was a pioneer for art pop music and has inspired the likes of Lady Gaga, Björk, and even Big Boi from Outkast.
A snippet of "Wuthering Heights" - The Kick Inside, 1978
Rumours
Rock
Who doesn't like Fleetwood Mac? The group harmonies and catchy hooks are undeniably good. I appreciate the witchy women vibe and I also would like to add that Christine McVie (vocals/keyboards) is perhaps one of the most underrated songwriters (Little Lies, anyone?) I just had to put this album in my lineup because every single song slaps. It was an album I've listened to more times than I can count and has surely influenced my pop-rock sensibility and appreciation of harmonized and layered vocals.
Physical Graffiti
Hard Rock
Ah, Led Zeppelin. Both of my parents are massive Zeppelin fans so it was always being played around the house growing up. It's hard to say what my favorite band of all-time is, but Led Zeppelin is definitely a contender for that role. John Paul Jones' keyboard playing inspired me to look beyond the realm of piano into synthesizers. John Bonham's drumming got me interested in heavier music, like heavy metal (which I don't have time to launch into here, but let's just say Led Zeppelin planted the seeds.) Although my music doesn't borrow from LZ stylistically, I appreciate their love of fantasy lore and their dedication to rocking the fuck out.
Hunky Dory
Art pop/Pop rock
I mean, come on. It's David Bowie. A true pioneer of freakdom and bringing androgyny to rocknroll. David Bowie's songwriting was blissful and sexy and gorgeous. He was a great innovator and chameleon of sound.
Abbey Road
Rock
Finally, I am wrapping it up with this gem. As a child, my parents would sing a lot of the songs off of this album to me. They were songs that they grew up listening to, so there is a special inter-generational connection to this music. And it's the Beatles. They are hands-down the most prolific songwriters of all-time. This isn't debatable. I would say that they got my interested in songwriting in the first place. I admire their ability to write catchy hooks and their incredible use of harmony and melody.