The Final Influential Albums

For this final installment, the albums aren't so much influential  as they simply are great albums.

1. Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (1995) - Bought this on a whim, and boy am I glad I did. All the songs are good, but Smog Moon and We're the Same are the standouts for me.
2. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen (1997) - It's interesting the Brick, their biggest radio hit, sounds very little like their typical songs. There are so many great songs on this album: Fair, Kate, Selfless, Cold and Composed, Missing the War, and Evaporated.
   
3. Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (1997) - The radio play stuff at the front of the album is pretty good. But the last few songs of this album are truly memorable: Background, Motorcycle Drive By, God of Wine.
   
4. Guster - Lost and Gone Forever (1999) - I love the background vocal harmonies these guys use throughout their songs. What You Wish For, Either Way, Happier are notable, but all songs on this album are great.
   
5. Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want (1999) - I'm torn between this album and Go as the better one. But this one came first, and has my favorite of their songs on it, Best I Ever Had. And of course there are the radio songs, which are solid: You're a God and Everything You Want.
   
6. Foo Fighters - There is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) - Won the 2000 Grammy for best rock album, and for good reason. Generator is my favorite song here, but Next Year, Aurora, Ain't it the Life, and MIA are all great.
7. Jason Falkner - Presents Author Unknown (1996) - I Go Astray is outstanding, but all of Jason's song are at their worst, merely good. He's not afraid to veer outside the standard chord progressions, which keeps things interesting.
8. Fountains of Wayne - Fountains of Wayne (1996) - A great debut of a consistently solid band, Leave the Biker is the standout for me here, but the whole album's good.
   
9. McFly - Motion in the Ocean (2006) - Transylvania channels Queen, and they tip their hat to them with a cover of Don't Stop Me Now at the end of the album. They're technically a "boy band", but they've got songwriting chops, that's for sure. They nail the pop hooks in practically every song they write.
10. Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High (2007) - This is about as hard as I like, but boy is it good. Thriller and Ringing in My Ears are the songs I always come back to.
    
11. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs (2008) - I already wrote about this one before. Grapevine Fires and Twin-Sized Bed are the best songs here.