Top 5 Albums.

I love music. To me, music is like a drug. It can excite me, make me feel ready to take on anything. It can soothe me and calm me after a tumultuous day. It can wrap me in it's warm, self-indulgent embrace. I can wallow in my self pity or pick myself up by the boot straps and make something of my day, all depending on what song I'm listening to at the moment.

My friends and I play this game called "Desert Island" in which we pick our top five items (movies, albums, books etc) that we would have to have if we were stranded on a, you guessed it, desert island. I will now detail for you my five desert island albums and why I have chosen them. In no particular order:

1. The Beatles, Rubber Soul: Rubber Soul is by far one of the best albums that the Beatles have put out. Unlike the obvious classics, Abbey Road and The White Album, Rubber Soul has less fan-fare and does not contain any songs that were ever #1 on the Billboard Chart. Yet this collection of ten songs is my favorite collection of all of them. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is probably one of the most simple Beatles songs of all time, but it's just so good. "Michelle" is a classic Beatles song and fun to sing. "Run for Your Life" details just how jealous John can get and I love that about him. Rubber Soul is an album that I truly fall in love with every time I listen to it.

2. Cake, Fashion Nugget: Cake is a band that truly hit their peak in the 1990s. Odds are you've heard a Cake song. Probably "The Distance" which can be found on Fashion Nugget or maybe "Never There" which shows up on Prolonging the Magic. While they are both good albums, Fashion Nugget is one that I can listen to on repeat without skipping any tracks. The guitar riffs are insanely catchy namely in "Frank Sinatra" and "Daria" and the lyrics are golden. "She'll Come Back to Me" has a very twangy, country feel and "Italian Leather Sofa" never fails to get stuck in my head. All of Cake's albums, if they are your kind of band, are worth checking out but to me Fashion Nugget reigns supreme.

3. Cold War Kids, Robbers and Cowards: Cold War Kids are a funky little band. The lead singer has an amazing voice that hits your ears like velvet. Live, he still sounds fantastic, no auto-tune necessary for this guy. The musicians too have real talent. That's so rare to find in a band from "these days" but Cold War Kids are that band. Their lyrics are bleak and sometimes depressing set to, usually, upbeat melodies. "Hang Me Up to Dry" is probably one of their best from that album but, for a slower song "Robbers" is definitely the way to go.

4. Say Anything, ...Is a Real Boy: Say Anything is that band from high school that you just can't let go of. Everyone has that one band that, as they grow and mature, they still listen to secretly. Say Anything is that band for me and ...Is a Real Boy is one of my favorite albums of all time. I know the lyrics to every song on this album and sing them very often. "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" is catchy and fun to listen to but "Yellow Cat Slash Red Cat" is my favorite song on the album.

5. Damien Rice, 9: Damien Rice is the kind of music you want to listen to after a break up. Or, maybe not because he may drive you over the edge. You can just hear the sadness in this guy's voice as he sings. "Accidental Babies" is the best break up song I've ever heard. "Dogs" is a great one for when you're falling in love.

These are my Desert Island albums. What are yours?