WDIY's summer intern Lewis Gentile is a senior at Kutztown University majoring in professional writing. We had him pick three albums from the WDIY music library that have had an impact on him, and tell us why he chose them. Take it away, Lewis.
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Sonic Youth — Goo
DGC
1990
Goo was the first Sonic Youth album I bought and was one of the bands that helped me get into the noise rock genre in high school. Something interesting about this album is how every song has its own music video on YouTube. Some stand-out tracks are “Tunic (Song for Karen),” “Kool Thing,” “Mote,” and “Titanium Expose.” The songs “Mildred Pierce” and “Mote” are classic examples of how Sonic Youth uses unsuspecting sections of noise and chaos to make their songs a thrilling experience.
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The Beatles — Revolver
Parlophone
1966
I’ve grown up playing Let It Be a lot, but recently, I’ve been digging The Beatles' Revolver album. Revolver acts as a bridge between The Beatles' more straightforward-sounding pop-rock sound and their psychedelic era which was hinted at on the previous release, Rubber Soul. My two favorite tracks are “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” which feature cutting-edge tape experimentation. This album is short but packed with songs that take sharp turns into different moods and sounds.
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Alice in Chains — Alice in Chains
Columbia
1995
Alice in Chains' self-titled record, or as I call it, "Tripod," is my favorite record by the band. This album is known for being weirder and more psychedelic than the albums before it. The song “Heaven Beside You” was the first song I heard by the band, and it is what brought me to the album. The creative drumming by Sean Kinney on the song “God Am” kept me coming back. The fact that this was frontman Layne Stanley’s last album with the band makes his performance more impactful. The blatant lyrics about songwriting in “Nothin' Song” show the struggles the frontman was having during the recording of the album.
If you'd like to read more about Lewis' favorite albums, Lewis runs an Instagram page called Nü Tunes which promises, "Music reviews that are less than 2,200 characters." This page is also where you can stay up-to-date on zines Lewis publishes in his spare time.
