RECORDS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
by Henry Beguiristain of Aloud
If nothing else, I am creature forever on the run from boredom, so I listen to as much as I can get my insatiable, slowly decaying earholes on. Allegedly, I’ve been listening to music since the day I was born, beginning with McCartney’s Tug of War — and it’s been downhill ever since. It was difficult to whittle 33 years of consumption down to a more potable number, but in the interest of time and space constraints, here are few of the cornerstones which comprise the vessel known as Henry Beguiristain: frontperson/songwriter/guitarist of Aloud not named Jen de la Osa:
The Strokes
Is This It (2001)
Jen and I were 19 and just three months past our move from Miami to Boston when this album dropped. Is This It was the unexpected and necessary breath of fresh air which forever altered the way we think about and approach our guitar parts to this day.
Fiona Apple
Tidal (1996)
Fiona’s debut provided me with a vital lesson on the power of writing solid lyrics, rhymes be damned. Her lyrics are fearlessly meaningful. The musical component to Tidal is nothing to scoff at, either. “Carrion” is among the best album closers I’ve ever heard.
The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Where would any list be without the background radiation of all popular western music? I obsessed over this album during my early teens, particularly focusing on Paul’s bass parts. The album’s spirit of experimentation and screwing with people’s expectations of your work has been a guiding force all these years.
Oasis
Definitely Maybe (1994)
True fact: without Oasis, there’d be no Aloud. My cousin Max hipped me to this album when I was 12. Noel Gallagher’s songwriting’s been woven into my DNA ever since. It was the rock n’ roll album I’d been longing to hear. Definitely Maybe’s loud and doesn’t give a fuck.
Feist
The Reminder (2007)
I fell hard for this album’s use of quiet moments and alternative instrumentation. The Reminder was a very important sonic influence on Exile. Worth it alone for “1234”. Such a joyful, beautiful song. We played this after shows on a particularly stressful tour and it would immediately pick everyone up.
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