Ok, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but just now getting around to it…and what is this mysterious thing? Well, my top five music albums…of all time!! That’s a very lofty statement to make, and really it’s going to probably end up being my top five albums right now. It’s gonna be fun. I know some people who listen to much more music than me…*coughcoughKadycough* have named their top thirty albums, but I seriously don’t know if I can think of that many that I love! Anyways, yes, this format and idea is all stolez from Kady. So props for the sweet idea…and now, how shall I do this?

5. Rhapsody of Fire: Legendary Tales
Favorite Tracks:  Warriors of Ice, Rage of the Winter, Flames of Revenge
Alright, now that is a seriously epic album cover.  Just saying.  I had the hardest time deciding which Rhapsody album to choose, but this one made the cut just because of its all around awesomeness.  A couple of their other albums have some of my fav Rhapsody songs, but listening to this album straight through is just a treat!!  For those of you that haven’t heard Rhapsody(of Fire), they’re a fusion of power metal and orchestral rock and epicness.  Yes, epic in the Tolkien sense of the word…all of their albums are fantasy themed, with heroes and dragons and demons and…well, you get the idea.  This album is one of my favorite music standbys because I can play it and rock out…no matter what mood I’m in.  That’s rare for me…I very much choose my music by my mood.  So hey, give ’em a listen.

4. Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Favorite Tracks: Violet Hill, Life in Technicolor, Cemeteries of London
I have a feeling this is probably going to be the album you all have heard of!  This is a very recent favorite of mine…dating back to when I discovered it listening to someone else’s shared iTunes music in the Christian Study Center!  It helped me dominate writing a paper…and well, I’ve loved it ever since.  Coldplay has such amazing chill music.  So relaxing.  And at the same time…passionate.  Violet Hill is one of my favorite songs of all time and the rest is simply top-notch.  This is an album I can’t really listen to only part of it…I have to go through the whole thing – it’s just that good!!  If you ever need to get some serious homework/paper-writing done…use this album.

3. Nightwish: Dark Passion Play
Favorite Tracks: Poet and the Pendulum, The Islander, Amaranth
It’s going to be hard to explain this album…it’s just amazing.  Nightwish is a sweet power metal band…and I don’t know how else to describe them!  This wasn’t the first album of theirs I heard, but it always touches me the most.  The emotions shown by the songs here is just too real to push away.  One of the first songs of this album I heard was the Islander(on youtube) and it has remained one of my fav Nightwish songs ever.  Just too beautiful.  And even if you don’t like metal, give this album a chance…it’s too gorgeous to ignore!!

2. Muse: Absolution
Favorite Tracks: Apocalypse Please, Butterflies and Hurricanes, Tsp
I didn’t originally think this album would be top five, but as I was listening to it recently, I thought there was NO WAY I could not have this album on my top five.  I originally didn’t know how good this album was until someone(Betsy!) mentioned how it was her favorite Muse album…I promptly went home and listened to it straight through and was blown away.  As I was trying to figure out of my favorite tracks, I started smiling because I realized I wanted to choose all of them.  Seriously, this is good stuff.

And now.

1. Muse: Black Holes and Revelations
Favorite Tracks: Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Knights of Cydonia
Was there any doubt?  I actually wasn’t sure how most of the top five would turn out, but this spot was always going to Black Holes.  I still remember the first time I heard it(in Chris’ car on one of our journeys to Tampa/Gainesville!) and I remember being blown away.  For some reason, I didn’t listen to it again for some time…but when I did, I remember it vividly.  Sophmore year, staying up late to finish a project.  I played this album straight through.  Three or four times.  Starlight has been one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS for a good long time and I really can’t think of any other song that shares the honors.  And listening to this album all the way through is like riding through a an ocean of emotions…sorrowful, powerful, passionate…it has it all.

And there you go.  I know I probably shouldn’t have two Muse albums taking up the top two spots…but I couldn’t help it – they deserved it.  And I feel a little bad I didn’t have any Relient K or Jars of Clay albums up there!  Their problem is that they have great songs, but their albums aren’t meant to flow together…ah well, I still love ’em.

Now, time to get my laundry and then get ready for bed!  Tomorrow’s a work day but the next day is SATURDAY!

Rock and roll, y’all!