We decided to list our Top 10 Albums of music that inspire us or that gave value to us in some way. This is the Album Top 10 of Nadja:

1. And So I Watch You from Afar – Self titled album

And ‘So I Watch You From Afar’ is one of my favourite bands. Amazing musicians. I love the genre post rock, but what I like best is their way of creating strange rhythms which still feel like normal. In every song there is so much going on. I love to listen to it and try to discover all different rhythms and melodies. On top of that, ASIWYFA is an amazing live band. They really live up to what’s on the record. So, in one word: Amazing! I actually like all their albums, but this is the first album I heard, so this one is most special to me.

2. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve enjoyed the music of the Beatles and Paul McCartney by himself. My father and uncle are huge fans also. So, I haven’t got it from a stranger. I really love the backing vocals on this album. Paul McCartney is an unrivalled musician in my eyes. A true inspiration in every way. I can’t name a song that I don’t like.

3. Wishbone Ash – Argus

Another band which I learned to appreciate by my parents. Very good musicians, of which you can learn so much. The dynamics, the rhythms, the harmonized vocals, the dual lead guitars, it’s just a very unique sound. ‘Throw Down The Sword’ is a strong progressive track, which I really like best. Especially the catchy guitar in the beginning. But I also really like the classics: “Time Was”, “The King Will Come” and “Warrior”. In my opinion; Wishbone has a class and style that hasn’t been duplicated by anyone else.

4. Alter Bridge – Blackbird

I think Alter Bridge is the band I’ve seen the most concerts of. I just love the voice of Myles Kennedy. Such an amazing singer, with such a big vocal range. Their music is just the kind of music I really love to play. Energetic, heavy rock music. But I also really like the ballads such as the title song Blackbird. It’s an album with distorted guitar riffs, elegant choruses and brilliant solos. Mark Tremonti is not only a very good guitarist, but he also compliments the voice of Myles with amazing backing vocals. What more is there to say? It’s just an amazing album of an amazing band.

5. The Eagles – Eagles

I’ve loved this band since I was a little girl. We used to listen to different songs when we would drive to our vacation in Spain. It’s a band that I learned to appreciate by my parents. The song I love most is ‘Take It Easy’. It’s a very cheerful song. It just gives you that feeling of a road trip. Sunny weather, driving, vacation. Love it!

6. Agnes Obel – Philharmonics

A completely different genre than most people expect me to listen to. To be honest, I listen to almost every genre there is. Good music comes in many ways! My grandparents were huge fans of classical music. I’ve grown to love it also. I have played the piano for quite some years and I really enjoy the sound of the instrument. So when a friend introduced me to Agnes Obel, I immediately loved it. The first song I heard of her was Riverside. And that’s still one of my favourite songs. Not only do I like the sound of her songs, the lyrics of her songs are also amazing.

7. Jack Savoretti – Before the Storm

I discovered Jack Savoretti by accident. Never heard of him before, but I instantly fell in love with the sound of his voice. It’s a more relaxed album, easy to listen to. A bit of Folk/Pop rock. I mostly listen to bands, not very often to solo artists, but this is a solo artist I really enjoy.

8. Lenny Kravitz – 5

Although I like a lot of Lenny Kravitz, the main reason I chose for album 5 is because of ‘Fly Away’. Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to play the drums. My big inspiration, my hero was the drummer of my fathers’ band. His name was Ben. When I saw the videoclip of ‘Fly Away’ I immediately had another hero; Cindy Blackman. I loved her sound, her way of playing the drums, but I guess I loved her hair even more so! That’s how I wanted to become! So, this album is not particularly one of my favourites because of the music (although I really love the music), but it’s more one of my favourites because it was such an inspiration to me. If I would only look at the music, I’d probably would have chosen a different album of Lenny Kravitz.

9. Anouk – Together Alone

One more trip down to memory lane. This is one of the albums we would always listen to when I was a kid. We would play it at home, we would play it in the car and I’d even had it on my Walkman when we would go on a holiday. I knew the lyrics of every song and I used to sing Nobody’s Wife if my dad played it on the guitar. I even sang it when I was about four years old on a birthday. I think we still have that video. Completely off key off course, but it was touching. I loved the album and I still do. I still think this is the best album of Anouk. I love the sound of this album. True inspiration from an early age.

10. Paramore – Brand new eyes

Last, but definitely not least. Zac Farro is also a big inspiration for me. I really like his fills and his interesting beats. Brick by Boring Brick was one of the covers we used to play in the early days. We don’t play covers anymore, but I really enjoyed playing Brick by Boring Brick. It challenged me! Nowadays I still love to listen to the songs of Paramore and figure out what Zac Farro is playing.

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