Everything is better at night, especially music. The moon is out, the breeze is blowing and the day is finally over. And for some odd reason, when it's a full moon, everything turns into a blur and I get really hairy. Then, I turn into a really good basketball player. Kind of like "Teen Wolf". And when I'm engaging in hooliganism and surfing the tops off vans donned the "Wolfmobile" as I air guitar, there are certain albums I enjoy listening to. And here it is folks, my first listicle since that last time I wrote a listicle. Here are the top albums I like to listen to (on the record player of course, because my midnight hooliganism involves a bean bag chair and a book) at midnight and beyond.
1. "Born in the U.S.A."
To be perfectly honest I used to hate this album. Maybe it was the overbearing nationalism... ahem, uh, patriotism... which put me off. But then there was that one time when I threw it on the turntable when the night was quite late. Springsteen's use of the synthesizer through the course of the album gives it the midnight sound of driving with the top down as you barrel down the highway. And then there is "I'm on Fire," a very breathy and 80'sesque love ballad, which makes you feel like the night won't ever end and the angst level is at an all time high.
2. "Bloom"
Beach House's latest effort is once again another dream pop album taking you on a sonic and airy journey. The double LP sings and soothes you away into a dreamy world, making you wonder about heaven and life afterwords. Victoria Legrand's vocals stand out (when don't they?) in a very soothing and peaceful way. This band is almost like a dream with their music and the poppy sound they've captured so well. I find myself pinching my arm whenever I listen to this album on my set up, as it blares away into the lonely night, and I sink away into a dream-pop paradise.
3. "Kind of Blue"
And now the night is nearing 3 in the morning and Miles Davis' classic album is set to close out the final inning. My eyes are heavy, but the jazz has so much soul. Unfortunately my copy of the quadruple platinum album was bought in an Urban Outfitters (last time I saw a used copy of this album it was running for $90 wow!) But the re-issue sounds wonderful. Pressed on 180 grams the album pops, wows, and dazes as you snap your fingers and tap your toes like some sort of jazz cat. Music is good, but Jazz is better and this album has the midnight feel as though it truly was 1959 inside of some New York club. You're eying the attractive guy or gal from across the bar and the night is still young as Davis' trumpet touts away. Dreamy!
"Teen Wolf" video for reference:
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Reach the writer for suggestions, comments, or angry lofty demands via twitter @jesse_millard or at jamillar@asu.edu.
Jesse Millard, junior, is a journalism major at the school where everyone wears gold “a bit too much.” He spends his time going to class, drinking coffee, listening to records, reading, writing, etc. Also, he finds himself writing quick 2-3 sentence long bios in the third person, more often than not.
