What are The Poly’s favorite albums?

Unlike the days of vinyl and records, modern listeners tend to play artists’ songs at random rather than listening to albums from start to finish. Here are the members of The Polytechnic’s favorite albums to listen to.

Soma Patra:

• Taylor Swift - reputation
• Doja Cat - Planet Her
• Melanie Martinez - K-12

Anna Stubbs:

• Elijah Woods - bright orange everglow
  • Everything in this album is wholesome and sweet. Several of these songs are good ones to listen to during a drive.
• Calum Scott - Bridges
  • Bridges is filled with beautiful songs with clear, soaring vocals that I really enjoy listening to.
• JVKE - this is what ____ feels like (Vol. 1-4)
  • This is a collection of songs that perfectly describe emotions.

Anna Zuniga:

• The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
• Taylor Swift - folklore
• Lizzy McAlpine - five seconds flat

Megan Waller:

• Taylor Swift - folklore and evermore
  • The two sister albums released during COVID-19 are probably my favorite all-time albums. They contain a mixture of Taylor’s personal experiences as well as her masterful storytelling.
• Noah Kahan - Stick Season
  • I love anything by Noah Kahan, but Stick Season is my favorite because it feels the most personal and raw of all his albums.
• Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!
  • I don’t even know what to say about this album. It’s just beautiful.

Angelica Izuwah:

• Caravan Palace - Reverse
  • I love Caravan Palace and their music; this is an album that I have not stopped listening to since it came out.
• Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors (Deluxe)
  • This is an album that has been with me through a lot. It has been seven years since I first listened to it, but I still enjoy every song and the messages behind them.
• A.C.E. - UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD
  • They have such wonderful voices. I love listening to this album while walking around because of how soothing it is.

Eurydice Molina:

• Original Broadway Cast of Hadestown - Hadestown The Musical (Original Cast Recording)
  • This is a nice musical about Greek mythology. It’s amazing to listen to all together and I’d recommend the off-broadway version of the original cast recording.

Andrew Days:

• Hozier - Unreal Unearth
• Laufey - Bewitched
• Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz

John Molloy:

• Nirvana - Nevermind
  • To me, this is the quintessential rock album and my favorite album of all time. I’ve heard all 13 tracks, even versions with instrument isolations, hundreds of times.
• Mac Miller - Swimming
  • Mac Miller released this album a month before he died, and it was the absolute peak of his craft. Swimming phenomenally blends hip-hop with jazz and rap. I’d put Swimming in my top 5 albums of all time.
• Radiohead - In Rainbows
  • To summarize this album in one word: art. This is an album I only discovered recently, but every track has been in my rotation due to the many intricate layers of instruments presented in each one.

Marissa Ho:

• DPR IAN - Dear Insanity…
  • I heard one of the songs once while carpooling and decided to listen to the whole thing.
• OoOo - Citymare, Cityzone
  • I happened upon one of the songs from this album, and ended up enjoying the whole thing after giving it a listen.
• Kang Daniel - REALIEZ
  • I followed this artist for a long time and found this EP he released pretty recently. It sounds nice to me.

Sarah Min:

• Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA
  • I saw her live over the summer and it was life-changing.

Riley Sobel:

• Riley! - Riley!
  • I typed my name into Spotify once, and this is the album and band that came up. The album itself is great, but the main catch for me is that it has my name.
• Green Day - American Idiot
  • This is my absolute favorite album from Green Day.

Ryan Gibeau:

• Reel Big Fish- Turn the Radio Off -
  • Reel Big Fish is definitely my favorite band, so it was a challenge picking my favorite album (Cheer Up and Candy Coated Fury are amazing too). There’s a specific mood that it puts you in. If you love ska or want to try something new, check it out!
• Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
  • The impressive instrumentation and lyrics never fail to put me in a good mood. There’s something about the style that keeps me coming back. That guitar sound is crazy.
• Journey - Infinity
  • It’s hard to pick just one Journey album, but I really love the song “Wheel in the Sky,” so I had to pick this album.

Annelise Eggen-McElmurry:

• Vanessa Bionda - rough sketches
  • This is my roommate! She is terrific, and this is her first album drop! You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Support her on Instagram @vanessasings.
• Peach Tree Rascals - Camp Nowhere
  • I have loved Peach Tree Rascals for years, and this album has a bunch of my favorite songs, like “OOZ” and “Oh Honey! (I Love You).”
• LANY - gg bb xx
  • I saw him in concert, and it was so special. He’s originally from Oklahoma, and seeing him in my hometown was a fantastic experience. This will forever be one of my favorite albums.

Nirav Banerji:

• Maroon 5 - V
  • I have listened to this album since my early childhood. When I think of this album, I’m reminded of my mother and I driving to school, singing the world away. Specifically, “Maps” is a major hit that I listened to a lot.
• The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
  • Again, this album brings back fond memories of my childhood. When I think of this album, I think of myself and my friends in elementary school singing this song. Primarily, “The Hills” is awesome. Now, I listen to this album with a romantic context in mind.

Sophie March:

• The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
  • This recently released album is already a personal favorite of mine, and I find myself enjoying every track. My favorite song from this album is currently “Nothing Matters.”
• Placebo - Without You I’m Nothing
  • I discovered them because of their cover of “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” originally sung by Kate Bush, and stayed for their original music. I 100% recommend listening if you’re seeking to detoxify.
• I Monster - Neveroddoreven
  • This album has a dreamy, moody vibe and almost nonsensical lyrics. I have it on repeat often when I’m studying or driving.