Album A Day: American Hi-Fi – American Hi-Fi

Friend and fellow blogger Matt posted to his site last week the 15 albums that changed his life (OK, so it was actually 31, but we won’t fault him for overachieving). Since then other readers, myself included, have shared their lists. I haven’t finished mine yet; it’s gone through a couple different drafts, mostly because I feel like I’m missing something, but every edition I’ve made has included this album.

American Hi-Fi’s self titled debut was the first album I bought, the honored elder in my now 200-plus strong CD collection. I bought it way back in 2001 after hearing “Flavor of the Weak” on the radio and inexplicably falling in love with it. I was in 8th grade, and my love affair with music was just about to bloom. Before this point my music knowledge began and ended with what my older brother was into. American Hi-Fi changed that. At this point I was unaware of the fact that most of the music on this album is a throwback to the straightforward rock and roll of the 70s, while trying to match wits with the modern rock of the early 2000s. Eight years later I realize there’s nothing terribly innovative about American Hi-Fi, but that doesn’t keep it from being a damn fine album, and one that forever shifted the direction of some 13 year old kid back when they had a song on the radio.

American Hi-Fi – Flavor of the Weak [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==