27 Albums That Shaped the First 27 Years of My Life, #3: Rise Against - Appeal to Reason

As I quickly approach my 27th birthday (an age, coincidentally, that many musicians met their own mortality), I have been thinking about the role that music has played in my life. I have not played an instrument for nearly sixteen years and have never been in a band, but I would still consider myself an audiophile. The 26000 songs on my hard drive would agree with me as well.

Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.

#3: Rise Against – Appeal to Reason
Release Date: October 7, 2008
When I first heard the album: October 2008

Why I loved it then: Back in the days when people still used AIM, my friend Nick and I would trade music with one another. He’d usually send me off on searches for some odd, obscure song he couldn’t find, and I found it, he’d reward me by sending back a song he knew I’d like based on my tastes. When we did this in October 2008, he sent me back “Savior” from Rise Against. The Sufferer & The Witness had already made me a pretty big fan of the band, but that song was even better than the Rise Against I knew. I immediately searched for the rest of the album online. As my political allegiances began to shift, this album effectively encapsulated my growing disdain for the way our country was handling its affairs. Rise Against has never shied away from sharing their opinions, and they did so in this album with a greater fervor than ever before. The songs hit hard and heavy and their energy meshed well with the energy I was beginning to find within myself. I needed something to energize me for those early morning drives from Orland Park to Oak Lawn for student teaching. This album did the trick.

Why I still love it now: When I first conceived the idea for this blog series, I knew immediately what the top three albums in the list would be. Appeal to Reason and the #2 album on this list dually served as the soundtrack to one of the most important periods of my life: student teaching at H.L. Richards High School. I cannot listen to this album without thinking about the students (who are all now adults) who shaped me into the teacher I eventually became. I would not be who I am today were it not for them. This album actually had a direct effect on my relationship with the students as well. For the first few weeks of the school year, as I was learning and observing under Montes, I was little more than the “creepy guy in the corner” who was timid and exhibited no personality. But as I took over control of the classes, I gradually let that personality come out. As the kids were working on a project, I played “Re-Education Through Labor”. That somehow got the students to realize that even though I was a teacher, I was still one of “them” as far as my interests and tastes. This album always has and always will be tied to one of the greatest periods of my life.

Lingering Lyric: “I won't crawl on my knees for you/ I won't believe the lies that hide the truth/ I won't sweat one more drop for you/ 'Cause we are the rust upon your gears/ We are the insect in your ears/ We crawl/ We crawl/ We crawl... all over you”
Top Tracks: Long Forgotten Sons, Re-Education Through Labor, The Dirt Whispered, Kotov Syndrome, Entertainment, Hero of War, Savior, Whereabouts Unknown

Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
16. Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness
15. We the Kings - We the Kings
14. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
13. New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
12. The Graduate - Anhedonia
11. Hawk Nelson - Letter to the President
10. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
9. A Day to Remember - Common Courtesy
8. Anberlin - New Surrender
7. New Found Glory - Coming Home
6. FM Static - What Are You Waiting For?
5. Yellowcard - Paper Walls
4. Relient K - Mmhmm