Hello readers.  Today I'm doing a little guest post swap with my good friend, Melissa {Press Play}.  Melissa rocks basically & making a friend like her is pretty much the best thing about blogging.  Since we both share a love for music we have written music-inspired posts for each others' blogs today. She is sharing some of her life-changing favorites here and I'm sharing some novel-soundtracks over there.  Be sure to go check them out after you're finished here.  Enjoy!!


Hi everyone! My name is Melissa and I blog over at Press Play about books, music, travel, health and basically all the little bits of my life. I was so excited when Jessica and I decided to guest post for each other this month because she’s awesome! I mean, you obviously knew that if you read her blog and all.
Today I’m taking over her little space on the internet to talk to you about one of the many things we have in common.
You know how sometimes there is something that happens in your life that fundamentally changes who you are? For some people it’s a particular vacation, for others it’s a really great book- for me? It’s music. Actually, it’s all of the above, but today I wanted to talk a little bit about how music changed my life. More specifically I want to introduce you to the albums that changed my life most growing up. And I promise I’m not going as far back as the Backstreet Boys, even though they’re still pretty awesome in my books. (Don’t judge!)
High school was a time of awkwardness, growing up, changing, making friends & losing friends, having silly crushes, and everything in between. This music is what got me through it best.
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Number Five: From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy
 I think I was 16 when this album came out and my burned copy of it stayed in my CD player for six straight months- I kid you not, I listened to NOTHING ELSE- before I finally changed it. FOB was just getting popular when I was in 15 or so, and they were the first band that I REALLY wanted to see live. Music was always my *thing* growing up, but I don’t think I ever realized just how much live music affected me until I heard this CD. I saw them in concert twice before they really made it *big* and to this day, those are still some of my fondest live show memories from those early days.

Number Four: Futures by Jimmy Eat World
 This CD makes me think of the summer before my graduating year, listening to the song “Kill” on repeat with one of my then-best-friends in her room while we talked about boys, friendships and went on random adventures. Although we’re not friends anymore, that song always makes me think of her. To this day, Jimmy Eat World is still one of my favorite bands and the music from this record always reminds me of the good times I had- it was probably my favorite summer throughout high school.

Number Three: Blueprints for the Black Market by Anberlin
 When my taste in music finally started moving away from the usual things you’d hear on the radio (think Avril Lavigne, circa 2005 when she still wore ties and tank tops) I discovered Anberlin. Can I just say that if you don’t know this band, you need to go listen to them RIGHT THIS SECOND? ‘Blueprints’ was their first record and it has my all time favorite song of theirs: Naïve Orleans. That song was the soundtrack to my summers long after high school ended, right up until I finally saw them perform live. I’d like to think of Anberlin as the band that helped me discover my true taste in music.


Number Two: Everything in Transit by Jack’s Mannequin
I think this is still one of my all time favorite CD’s and will remain as such for a long, long time. But to understand my love for this band you need to read Number One below (the bands are fronted by the same singer AKA the love of my musical life)
The one thing I can tell you about Jack’s Mannequin is that my first tattoo, when I have the guts to get it done, will be a lyric from one of their songs. Also off this album, the song ‘The Mixed Tape’ has been my most played song on iTunes since I was 16 years old and heard it on One Tree Hill (yes, I’m an OTH  fan. We’re old friends!)

Number One: Leaving Through the Window by Something Corporate
I bought this album sometime around 2004- I was probably 13 or so- when I had no idea what good music meant, but I still loved going into music stores and browsing what was new. I have NO clue why I picked up this album, but I can say that it genuinely changed my life. I would sit in my room and play the songs over and over again, just soaking them in.
I didn’t understand the meaning of music until a couple years later when the lead singer, Andrew McMahon, created a new band called Jack’s Mannequin. It was then that I really started following music and bands, and I heard all about his amazing story.
Something Corporate will always be THAT band for me. Even though they don’t exist anymore, I saw them perform together once (in 2010 during their reunion tour). I think wherever Andrew McMahon goes I’ll always follow his music; I have him to thank for introducing me to the biggest thing in my life still to this day-music. He’s an inspiration to me.
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What are the albums that impacted your life growing up? What bands do you still follow this day or listen to since you were a teenager?

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