My Favourite Album Ever w/ JJ and The Pillars

Bands are typically asked to speak about and dissect their albums ad nauseam. With that in mind, we’d like to give them the opportunity to, well, not do that.

In this edition of Riffyou.com‘s My Favourite Album Ever feature, we asked JJ Thompson of folk-rock group JJ an The Pillars to tell us about which album he holds above the rest.

“When I think of the best albums of all time, so many legendary artists come to mind: Neil Young, John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, etc.

“But, ‘best’ has always been a hard thing to define. It’s like asking what the ‘best’ thing at a good restaurant is (don’t do that by the way!) So I’m going to tell you what my ‘best’ album is – the one that influenced me directly, that I felt deeply and changed me.

“It’s from the decade I was born (though I wouldn’t remember it’s a 1993 release), and I neglected this band’s brilliance with my black hair and angst as a young teen thinking it was ‘too country.’ But when I really listened to it, it changed me: Five Days in July by Canadian band Blue Rodeo.

“This album will always be very close to my heart and turntable at all times. It truly is my timeless record. Even though I am still young, I can see my self listening to it until the end of my days. The imagery and poetry in ‘5 Days in May’ makes me haunted by lost love, but also inspired by the romance. On ‘Bad Timing,’ the musicians lament on how tough the road can be on relationships.

“The stories are all deep, and painted so clearly, but yet can relate to so many things going on in my life. At the end of the day, everyone’s favourite record is likely the one they relate to the most. This one makes me feel sound, sad, hopeful and at peace. It also makes me proud to be a Canadian.”

JJ and The Pillars’ album, The Wolves, is available now.