What's that you're listening to?

Ben Leyden

Recently I've been listening to a lot of Elliott Smith, the 'XO' album. I'm sure it came out in 2005, it's really mellow but there's some lively tracks on it too. I went to Glasgow last week to see Wolf Parade play. Their new album comes out at the end of this month- from what I've heard it sounds promising but nothing seems to beat their first album, 'Apologies to Queen Mary'. I've also been listening to a lot of Stereolab, Mountain Goats and Neutral Milk Hotel. People should definitely check 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' by them.

Josh 'Manhead' Young

My favourite album of all time is 'Just a Fraction' by Gentlemans Pistols. I pretty much love this album because of the people involved with it and just how rad the music is. No matter how many times I listen to a track off this album it never gets old. Also at live gigs they never fail to entertain, no matter who's attending, they'll all be nodding heads. I first heard of the album and band at an event at the Works skatepark when they put on a small gig for the night. I already knew the bassist (Doug Mcglaughlan) through skating and meeting the rest of the band was cool because they're all comical and rad dudes.

Mike Wright

Basically when it comes to listening to music I like most types from new pop to classical music, classic rock, techno, rap and prog rock... But my tip to skaters- seeing as though this is a skate mag- is to check out and listen to the works of Frank Zappa. He was so far ahead of his time and in my opinion came up with most of what we're hearing today. Even the titles were amazing. 'Who are the Brain Police', 'Heavenly Bank Account' and 'Camarillo Brillo' are a few of my favourites. He was extremely inventive musically, verbally, and in person.  Definitely worth checking out in my opinion.
This user http://www.youtube.com/user/reldditmot has a bunch of live recordings, interviews and anything else you could wish for. Also check out the Zappa website at www.zappa.com

Ben Grove

At the moment, my favourite album is Paul Weller's new one 'Wake Up The Nation', it rules! I don't think I could name an all-time favourite. It's hard to say, but stuff by The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Ian Brown, Oasis, The Jam, The Beatles and The Verve- to name a few- are all up there. Oasis was the first gig I went to, at Maine Road in 1995.

 

Ron Calow

My favourite album of all time is 'De La Soul is Dead'. I got into it in the summer of '91 when I was watching the vert skaters at St Neots, Cambridgshire. They had a boom box and were playing it super loud. I wasn't skating then but when I got back to Darlington I got this album on tape and got a skateboard. The rest is history as they say... I was stoked that Mike Carroll used one of the tracks from it in his Goldfish part, 'Oodles of O's' a few years later. I still listen to this today, however thankfully not on tape.

Nick Zorlac

'Forever Changes', by Love, is my favourite album of all time. The first time I heard it I was having a mellow one at this squat in South London when I had first left home in 1990. Good times. I didn't like or dislike the record to begin with. But she kept playing it, and after I heard it a few times I started to get my head round it. Its complex- there is so much to it- it took me a while to see the light. Or is it the dark?
I hadn't heard anything like it before, I had to adjust. But once I did I was haunted and hooked.
This album flows over you, upbeat and beautiful but with dark and paranoid undercurrents.
I still listen to this, two decades after I first heard it. To me it is timeless.
Seeing Love play is also one of the best gigs I have been to - the music, the atmosphere, everything. I was lucky to see it because Arthur Lee passed away soon after. RIP.

                                              Photo by Styley 

Tom Shimmin

Ok, my favourite album ever would be 'Calypso', by Harry Belafonte. I've loved Harry Belafonte since I heard that song 'Day-O' in Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice is my favourite film of all time, I fucking love Winona. I bought that album as soon as I saw the film. It's the best kind of dance music. That song 'Shake, Shake, Senora', it's just perfect music man. I want to give a shout to Fingers, and say that Mrs. and Mrs. and Mr. kirsten dunst will never die.