2. ConstantinesShine A Light

Around the same time I got into The Books, I was listening to Constantines. Their second record, Shine a Light had a huge impact on a lot of people I know. It was a particularly big record for me. It was important because it was really passionate in a way that I needed from music at the time. Also, lyrically it made a huge impression. The two writers in that band, Bryan Webb and Stephen Lambke, were poets even though they played indie-rock with a punk tinge.

The poetry and complexity of their imagery is really incredible. What I love about them and this record is that they wrote very pragmatic poetry that was rooted in physical places and real things. That aspect of their artistry made a really big impression on me lyrically.