Nathan Key

What follows are not my “favorite” albums. Each one of these albums represent a different, and equally important, era of my life thus far. I wanna thank Chris and that silly 15 albums Facebook meme for getting me interested in this.

1. Music Machine I & II by Candle and Agape Force
These (two) albums represent childhood for me. I can remember road trip after road trip with these tunes playing in the background. No, they’re not really well known, but they were well loved by me when I was young.

2. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
Most of my friends were raised on the Beatles. Outside of classical music and the Gaithers, I was raised on folk music and this was the record that I put in the most. Love me some “Cloudy.”

3. Comin' on Strong by Carmen
Yes, it’s true. I had a Carmen tape. And I listened to it OVER AND OVER again. I was young and evangelical. I have no remorse.

4. Go West Young Man by Michael W Smith
I think this was the first tape I bought with my own money. Needless to say, I liked it quite a bit. “My Face in This World!”

5. Ten by Pearl Jam
I’m so glad for this CD. Others were brought into the new music revolution by Nirvana’s “Nevermind” but the first time I heard something I identified with was when the opening chords of Once played. I may have been a hormone raging kid before this moment, but I became a teenager when I heard Eddie Vedder singing.

6. Let's Go by Rancid
I heard Let’s Go for the first time when I got to Orlando and started High School. Punk wasn’t on the radio, yet, so I felt like I had a subculture all to myself. I loved that CD for my entire High School Career.

7. Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
I was finally introduced to Pink Floyd in my freshmen year of college. A friend from down the hall loaned me her CD and I listened to it almost every night as I wrote papers or studied. I actually like The Final Cut a lot better, but this says “college” to me.

8. Blue by Third Eye Blind
I picked up Blue from the record store in 1999 and decided that it was what I wanted my band to sound like. There hasn’t been more than a month or two since then that this record hasn’t been on in the background. Every song is perfection.

9. Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World
I loved this CD and modeled my band after it, basically because I wasn’t talented enough to replicate 3EB’s Blue. ‘Nuff Said.

10. Sonicpraise by Sonic Flood
Ironically, it was my atheist friend who reintroduced me to Christian music when she gave me this CD (she obviously didn't want it). After years of thwarting anything "Christian Music" related, I ended up going to a college ministry and getting involved in a discipleship group because of this album. I say that honestly, because after listening to it one night I decided to head over to church instead of going to a NOFX concert. I truly believe that decision changed my life.

11. Our Love Is Loud by Passion artists Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, & David Crowder
Sonic Praise opened up the door for me to actually listen to worship music, but Passion artists are the only thing that kept me from going crazy when my band broke up. I used to hang out with the kids at S. Orlando Baptist Church on Sunday and Wednesday evenings and we’d sing these songs at the top of our lungs.

12. Facedown by Matt Redman
I listened to these songs for the year that Beth and I were dating. I remember singing them together and playing them for her when we were falling in love. This is probably either my all time favorite album or at least in the top five.

13. Self Titled by Mute Math
I heard this CD playing and I knew that music was good again. It was different. It was fresh. And it also represents the first year of marriage because I’d listen to it on the way to the gym with my wife.

14. Viva La Vida by Coldplay
Got this album in Seattle and it still reminds me of the year and a half we spent there. Other bands like Jeniferever "sound" more like Seattle- but I spent more time listening to this album than the others and it reminds me of driving downtown on the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

15. Self Titled by Vampire Weekend
Almost every morning, my son and I have a little dance party with this album. I’m so glad that I am making memories of our morning play. This is fun music that you can dance to and sing to. Love it!

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