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For those that weren’t invited to my house party, though I don’t think there were many of you, I recently turned twenty one. In celebration of this fact I did a number of things, quite frankly, a great deal of them were illegal, and a handful are potentially libellous, so I will simply honour the occasion by presenting you with twenty one records that have substantially enriched my twenty one years. Suffice to say, it wouldn’t have been the same without them.

21. Bright Eyes – Letting off the Happiness

An ironic title, don’t expect the happiness to positively drip from this record. Letting off the Happiness is essentially a collection of harrowing recordings nabbed from Conor Oberst’s diary of suicide, dead babies, neuroticism, heartbreak and drugs. It’s probably the most consistent Bright Eyes record and one that I’ve spent many a lonely night screaming along too.

20. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

A supremely confident show of strength, containing no less than six, count them, top forty singles, that sometimes appears as cold as the icy snowscape pictured on the sleeve. However when Bloc Party get it right, there is simply no better band, I never get tired of the beautiful chimes of So Here We Are nor do I tire of Kele’s ‘I’m on Fire’ squeal at the end of Banquet.

19. Arcade Fire – Funeral

So named due to the spate of family member deaths that provoked the recording, Funeral is a refreshing take on the art of making great music, no matter the language, no matter how many instruments, Arcade Fire make it seem effortless. Win Butler’s voice is probably one of the most familiar of the modern age and this album is an often disarmingly pretty mini masterpiece.

18. Interpol – Turn On Bright Lights

There is absolutely nothing I dislike about this album, from start to finish Interpol play cool as fuck Joy Division esque bleak, romantic indie rock and roll. The difference between Ian Curtis and lead singer Paul Banks is that with Interpol the emotion is there, for proof just listen to his falsetto in ‘Obstacle One’ or how sweetly he sings ‘But New York Cares’ in NYC, marvellous.

17. Four Tet – Rounds

Who needs vocals when you’ve got squeaky toys? If ‘Rounds’ proves anything, it’s that Kieran Hebden is a supremely gifted artist. Each track is lovingly constructed, with more layers than a winter walk, his attention to detail is incredible. The fact that even Bruce Springsteen is a fan is just further proof that this is a highly important album.

16. The Strokes – Is This It

Another great debut album, Is This It came along and changed everything, spawning a whole host of inferior bands in the process. The Strokes are a great pop band, and one that sum up being fifteen years old for me perfectly, I only wish I could have seen them live, oh well, I suppose there is still time.

15. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker

There are times when I’ve wanted to end a relationship just to add to the poignancy of this album. Ryan Adams has never bettered this, his first solo album. For proof just listen to ‘Amy’ or ‘My Winding Wheel’. You’ll find yourself with five other of his albums by the end of the month, that’s a promise.

14. Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

What better to have at fourteen than a Siamese Dream, this album, like many in the list, was a teenage favourite, However unlike Appetite for Destruction or Without You I’m Nothing, this is definitely one that I still play and enjoy. The drum roll opening on Cherub Rock sets the scene perfectly for a great rock record, both the Smashing Pumpkins and their sub-genre, grunge, at their respective peaks.

13. Jeff Buckley – Grace

Jeff Buckley’s death by drowning in the Mississippi River, whether intentional or not, was an extremely sad day for music, in his wake he left one classic debut album and a subsequent host of mainly good live albums. His voice contains the range of his Father, Tim’s, opulent octave, but he adds a poignant, emotional tone that typifies a deeply romantic and affecting album.

12. Joanna Newsom – Milk Eyed Mender

Off beat and eccentric, playful and charming, Joanna Newsom’s first full length album is a joy to behold, her fabulous harp strumming and plucking is matched only in brilliance by her childlike and magical voice. Milk Eyed Mender is a poetic slice of avant-garde brilliance and no, there is no shame in discovering an artist via an advert, especially when the music is this good.

11. Elliott Smith – Either/Or

Elliot Smith committed suicide via stabbing himself in the heart, which according to the police, is not a very common way of ending it all, indeed it has prompted calls of a conspiracy, some say he was stabbed by his girlfriend. Either way, for confirmation that his heart once ticked, look no further than Either/Or, Elliott’s finest moment, into which his once fully functioning heart was poured. Its strength lies in understatement, and his silvery wisp of a voice, which is gentle, but utterly convincing.

To find out which other albums have brought joy to my life, look out for the concluding parts of this ‘completely unpretentious’ feature over the coming days and feel free to inform me how much I’ve wasted my time on this planet.