Variations on a Theme: Album Openers

This month we are exploring various songs that started albums, or album openers. I didn’t include any albums that are put together after the songs were released, like “Best of” or other variations thereof. To be honest, this is one of my favorite playlists that I have done. I really like it, and thing that it flows amazingly well. Because of the nature of this category, I’m adding the album name as well to each entry.

1. “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” The Beatles (Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band)

Of course I start this off with a Beatles song. Sgt Pepper’s was a groundbreaking album, the first concept album of sorts where the songs are linked by a theme rather than just the band playing the songs. For the Beatles, this concept was that they were another band entirely, the Sgt Pepper’s of the album’s name. As the opening number, it introduces the band and sets the stage for it. It’s a great introduction to the album that it’s from, and for this playlist.

2. “Emoticons” by The Wombats (Glitterbug)

This is one of my favorite songs by the Wombats. It opens their third album and I think it really should have gotten more attention than it did from the fans. The music behind the vocals is more similar to ambient noise than anything else, but it sets the lyrics off perfectly and sets the album up as something completely different from what we’ve heard before from this band. Coming out of the previous song, the fade in works perfectly and makes a great, if unexpected, segue.

3. “Babel” by Mumford and Sons (Babel)

I think it’s impossible to hear the opening of this song without jamming out a little bit. There’s just something about the banjo that makes me excited. The fact that the singer is so clearly pumped as well adds to that. It’s just a song that makes you want to yell along. Somehow it works out really well after “Emoticons,” probably because that song sets you up so well to get excited and this delivers just that.

4. “Dirty Paws” by Of Monsters and Men (My Head is an Animal)

Taking it down a notch, here’s some Of Monsters and Men. There’s still a lot of guitar so it sounds similarly to Mumford and Sons and doesn’t sound out of place. This band has an interesting recurring theme of animalistic features popping up in all of its songs. This album is called “My Head is an Animal” which has it right in the title, and the song talks about paws. Not sure what that means other than the band has a theme, since different songs do different things with it, but it’s fun.

5. “Blowin’ In the Wind” by Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin Bob Dylan)

This is arguably Dylan’s most famous song. Written about the racism and the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, it became a song of social change for the hippies of the day. It sounds similar to Of Monsters and Men, so again flows very well. It’s also probably the slowest song on the list, and fits nicely in the middle here.

6. “Press Restart” by Walk the Moon (What if Nothing)

I saw them live in DC back in February and they opened with this song which was incredible to see live. It’s your standard opener with a slow intro that gradually builds into a high energy song. I thought this fit well as the start of the second half because the slow build segues nicely from Dylan and gets you ready for what’s coming next. Also the title “Press Restart” implies that there was something before that you are now restarting. So on to the second half of the playlist!

7. “FloriDada” by Animal Collective (Painting With)

It’s impossible to feel sad while listening to this song. It’s just so cute and happy, makes you want to bop along with it. Animal Collective is such a strange band, they never stop playing with melody and harmony and what the strangest sound that they can put into a song is. This song is such a great example of that, and how the results of their experimentation can be so great to listen to.

8. “Eraser” by Ed Sheeran (Divide)

Sheeran every once in a while will put out a song like this where he is quasi rapping and talking more than actually singing. I think these songs really don’t get enough attention because he’s literally doing something that very few others are with this. This song in particular has a great beat, but as soon as you start listening to the lyrics you realize what he’s doing. He’s talking about how being in the music industry is so shitty that he’s become a shitty person as a result and has started drinking and doing drugs in order to erase the pain of this. I think it’s bold and brilliant, not to mention the fact that it sounds great.

9. “Nuclear Family” by Green Day (Uno)

Most people know Green Day from the days of their youth and the musical “American Idiot.” I am going to put forward the controversial opinion that this album is just as good as that stuff. In particular, this song is just so much fun to listen to. There’s a bit of wordplay here with nuclear energy and how a nuclear family is the mom, dad, and kids. It’s fun, check out the rest of the CD.

10. “The Phoenix” by Fall Out Boy (Save Rock and Roll)

And we are closing with a solid more recent Fall Out Boy song. You can tell that this was intended to be the opener since he keeps saying “I’m back!” which you wouldn’t normally close with. However, I thought that this was the most high energy song on here and it worked best for the end. Have to end with a bang.

And that’s all of the openers that I have for this week. Like I said, I listened to this playlist myself and thought it was awesome so be sure to do that if you haven’t. For next month, I’ll be doing the opposite of this and making a playlist of album closers. So keep an eye out for that!