Black Flag – 'Damaged'

Best paired with: a Cup of Noodle and the cheapest six pack you can find
 

The Cup of Noodle experience is just like your average hardcore-punk song — short-lived and aggressively terrible. Yet, somehow, both have resonated with people across cultures for over three decades. They've found a way to transcend taste in a way that's strangely satisfying and easily accessible.

In the world of hardcore, food has neither nuance nor nutrition. It's really just a means to an end to help keep the booze down (besides, if you're living that life correctly, you should be too angry to be hungry). To truly appreciate the essence of Damaged, it helps to put yourself in the mind of a marginalized, mohawked gutter-punk living in a derelict punk-house.

So spray paint the walls, grab your 6-pack, smash your TV, and hope your roommates didn't already pawn your microwave.

From Damaged 1981

Arctic Monkeys – 'AM'

Best paired with: a Big Mac and fries at 2 AM
 

This album plays like a night out on the town — I can practically smell the cheap cologne and brightly-colored cocktails.

A heavier and groovier departure from their more standard indie-rock sensibilities, AM oozes a sense of false bravado almost exclusively found in nightclubs. Still, it's catchy, kinda sexy, and very singable. At its core, this record reminds me of an Uber packed with six nowhere-near-sober party-goers belting at the top of their lungs while trying to coerce the driver to make a detour to the closest fast food joint.

The guilty satisfaction of a late-night McDonald's run compliments the mood perfectly.

album AM (2013) track 2 01 - Do I Wanna Know?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6mXBWrPXY 02 - R U Mine?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzC_8zqInk 03 - One For the Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNwaEkDHYN4 04 - Arabella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts1nUJxFk4U 05 - I Want It All: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvLTteh65gU 06 - No.1 Party Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-_2MhQpmMk 07 - Mad Sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWjc_m7HNpU 08 - Fireside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjJ-DYLGVB4 09 - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oK22ll4cxw 10 - Snap Out of It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROn_t7ihaU 11 - Knee Socks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7A1mIdiheE 12 - I Wanna Be Yours: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJLQCf4mFP0 EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?

Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – 'Getz/Gilberto'

Best paired with: Ceviche, tortilla chips, and a pina colada
 

Everything about this record is light, refreshing, and tropical. A simple idea with an incredible, elegant execution — kind of like a nice ceviche.

The major instigator of bringing the good vibes of bossa nova to the forefront of American jazz, Getz/Gilberto is a must-have in your mood-music repertoire. With classics like "The Girl from Ipanema," these songs are best enjoyed from the small, slightly distant speakers of a thatched-roof bar overlooking the ocean.

Getz/Gilberto - 1963 - 01 The Girl From Ipanema http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getz/Gilberto