I asked Lee Roehrig, maker of the incredible Mix CD Club mix, “Irony is for Suckers” if he would be so kind as to write an Absolutely Essential piece for us. Here is what he wrote. Thanks Lee!

American Steel “Jagged Thoughts” CD

When you think of Lookout Records surely classic albums by Green Day, Operation Ivy and Screeching Weasel immediately come to mind. However a lesser known band when compared to those standards released an album in June 2001 that I hold in the same company.

American Steel “Jagged Thoughts” cannot only be defined as a great Lookout album or as a great punk rock album; it’s a great album period. While the first two albums the band produced (“S/T” and the equally amazing “Rogues March”) offered a faster yet still melodic approach to Bay Area punk rock, this album slowed down the tempo a bit and showed a more refined, soulful sound.

Make no mistake about it; this was the bands “London Calling” if you will, an album that broadened the definition of what punk rock sounds like. It’s always a fine line when a band decides to change its sound especially when the old sound worked so damn well. However the album isn’t overly ambitious and after one listen you will find yourself singing along and perhaps wearing down the repeat button. The vocals are so genuine and unique, the lyrics thoughtful and beautiful, and the music has a level of warmth and shines so bright.

On a personal level the album represents a growth for me and my tastes musically. As a child music was always playing around my household or on car rides from point a to b. There were no labels or genres to my young ears, just sounds that fascinated me to no end. However as I hit those crucial teenage years I started to listen to things that only fit into a certain category. A certain “punk rock bible” (Maximumrocknroll) was my guide and anyone not gaining the approval of the elite was not worth my time. As I grew older and supposedly wiser, I learned again to trust those child’s ears. It was freeing to enjoy music again for the sake of enjoying music. The teenage version of myself might have scoffed at this album but I know the child in me would have celebrated the contrasting and vibrant sounds offered. I can honestly say this album is in my top ten favorite albums of all time and it never grows old or sounds dated.

No matter what genre or genres of music you enjoy, this album has something for you. If this album were released today it would probably have a huge sticker proclaiming “If you love Against Me!, The Clash or The Police you will LOVE this!” Don’t trust stickers on cds. Don’t trust reviews. Don’t even trust a single word I’ve said. Just listen to this album and trust your ears. The child inside will thank you.

Converge “Jane Doe” CD

Before I heard this record, I was just another standard high school freshman. I loved singing along to Blink 182, scanning the radio and learning Metallica riffs on my guitar. Little did I know that there was an entire world of underground culture, unheard intensity and raging angst that I had yet to tap into. Converge’s “Jane Doe” opened that world up to me, and as cheesy as it sounds, this album changed my life in a profound way. This is kind of a long story with a lot of personal insight, so be prepared.

I was introduced to Converge by one of my best friends at the time, Clay Frickey. We used to spend hours on end with our guitars, reading tabs and trading solos. He was a sophomore in high school when I was a lowly freshman, and while that year difference didn’t actually mean anything, I looked up to him as an older brother of sorts. He went to Lakewood High School, a school with a booming underground music scene (yeah, back when “the scene” didn’t have a label), and I went to Heritage, home of the best High School weight room in the state. Basically, we existed in two different worlds, and I wanted to be in his. While other kids I hung out with went to football games and parties, Clay would drag me to basement shows. Deep in the bowels of Lakewood, I witnessed the glory days of bands such as Humble Ary, The Kindercide and Rivers Run Dry (now known as To Be Eaten– you can find some of their titles on Dead Format). Unitl this point, the only screaming I had ever heard was in nu-metal. These were some of the most raw, musically intriguing, honest bands I’ve seen to this day; these kids put every ounce of energy and emotion they had into every performance. It was around this time Clay let me borrow a mix CD with a bunch of random stuff he had on his media player, and the first track was Converge’s “Concubine”. It was hard to digest at first, butI had never heard anything like it and I began to crave it more and more. It was very reminiscent of the local bands and the culture I was falling in love with. I was shopping at Best Buy one day with my parents and decided to pick up “Jane Doe” on a whim. It was the first Converge record I saw, and I just grabbed it without looking at any of the other titles, mainly because of the artwork. I had no idea what kind of depth lay inside this album.

“Jane Doe” is nothing less than an epic masterpiece, filled with raw emotion, technically astounding percussion, abrasive walls of guitar and lyrical genius. When this record came out, I’m willing to bet that nothing like it had ever been created before. That kind of high-caliber production mixed with such an intense, overwhelming sound was completely unprecedented. It’s the kind of record that when you first hear it, your stomach becomes a little upset… but with the next few listens it makes you feel warm inside and you can’t get enough of it. Anyone who has ever experienced a broken heart will find solace in this album—they will undoubtedly relate to the dark, angry onslaught and pure heartache found in every track. If you’re not an emo kid at all, you’ll still be blown away by the musical integrity. It’s a perfect example of how something so painful can produce a piece of art so beautiful. And if you don’t care about any of that, it’s great for just rocking out.

Jane Doe was the first hardcore record I ever bought, and to this day I will maintain that it’s also the best. The album was one of the most pivotal in my own life; it has shaped so much of my taste thus far. It embodies everything that is still pure, even in today’s increasingly oversaturated music scene. If you have a taste for heavy music, go buy it immediately.

We have just added a new category on the Dead Format blog, AbsEss. AbsEss is short for Absolutely Essential and will feature albums that we think that everyone should own. If you have an album you think needs to be in AbsEss, let us know, we might just post it. My first contribution is Nada Surf’s “Let Go”.

I first heard “Let Go” at a party. Chris Fogal, formerly of the Gamits, put it on and said, you have to listen to this album. From the very first second, I was sold. The record rocks, has hooks, and has that special ingredient you can’t pinpoint, but makes you long to hear the record again. I immediately bought the CD at my local mom and pop record store, Wax Trax, and have listened to this album more than any album I have ever listened to.

I can say without hesitation that Nada Surf is my all-time favorite band. This album hooked me and I now celebrate their entire catalog with the exception of their one-hit wonder album “High/Low” which features their super hit “Popular”. Everything else is top-notch, but I recommend starting with this album. It just starts off so beautifully and is the kind of record that is essential on a road trip. I have put it on with friends and have had every single person in the car singing along.

This album makes you wonder why Nada Surf are not dominating the radio airwaves while so many gimmicky bands are. My son was actually born to the song “Inside of Love” which happened to make my wife’s birth mix which she named “Labor Jams”. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect song for my son’s first song.

If you don’t own this album, stop what you are doing and buy it now. I use this album as a measure of whether or not someone has good taste in music and would seriously reconsider my friendships if I had a friend who did not also love this album!