You ever hear a great new artist and pick up the album only to find out months later that they’re done? Here are some of those albums and what they’ve meant to me:

A Dream Too Late: “Intermission to the Moon” – The title track defines my outlook toward the beginning of college for me, about the time it hit radio.  Life is looking a bit mysterious, a bit brooding, a bit exciting, but God is with me so I gotta make this stage of life count!  The rest of the record isn’t as good as the single or my other favorite “14th and Knott” but its a solid record.

The Send: self-titled – The songwriting quality of The Send is impressive given its a one man project, kind of like how The Almost started out.  “An Epiphany” was the big single but I preferred “Dawn and Dusk” and “Fire Colors”, the latter of which I spun a LOT toward the end of my freshman year at Wheaton.

Capital Lights: “This is an Outrage!” – This Tooth and Nail band had the potential to be huge, and then they quit.  RadioU listeners loved each single, and the album as a whole is one of the most fun, ear-candy like CDs I’ve ever heard.  I like that they accomplish this without being cheesy as well.  I bought this at the beginning of sophomore year of college, so this album always reminds me of that period.

Turn Off the Stars: self-titled – I bought this album on a whim the summer before my senior year of high school, after hearing “Please” on the radio.  Something keeps drawing me back to their melancholy, Coldplay-esque sound.  Given the time of year I first heard the record, I tend to spin this more often in the Fall.