When I really started paying attention to music at the beginning of my middle school years, it quickly took a hold of my life. Soon, I spent every weekend listening to mix tapes with my friends and trying to play musical instruments. While some of the music that I listened to during that time is quite embarrassing to think about, “Mezcal Head” by Swervedriver is one album that has always stuck with me.
I first heard “Mezcal Head” when a family friend left a copy of it at our house. One evening, after exhausting all of the CD’s in my collection, I decided to give it a try. The album’s layered guitars and song arrangements immediately hypnotized me. From the rush of album opener “For Seeking Heat” to the hopeful lyrics of finisher “Never Lose that Feeling,” I felt compelled, listening from start to finish and then starting all over again.
Throughout my teenage years, “Mezcal Head” started to feel like a close friend. I would take it over to friends’ houses, and I would listen to it when I was falling asleep at night. Lyrics about travelling the open road made me dream up adventures of discovering the world. By the end of high school, I had listened to “Mezcal Head” so much that I had gone through four physical copies of the CD.
These days, I find myself coming back to “Mezcal Head” once again because it reminds me of when I first fell in love with music. Swervedriver’s ability to create an album filled to the brim with inventive guitar work, energetic drumming and ambient sounds means that I am able to pick out new melodies hiding in these songs. The songs still give me a warm feeling inside as they bring me back to when I was a young boy. The opening guitar of album highlight “Duel” always leaves me feeling inspired. In fact, it is because of the personal magic that this album holds over me that it is my favorite album of all time — this week.
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Favorite album of all time
