Here’s your Mini Mixtape for the weekend! This week’s theme: First Impressions (first song on the first album).

Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (2004)
To this day, “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” tells you everything about Arcade Fire: they’re cathartic, they’re theatrical, and their music straddles the line between cohesive and chaotic. “Neighborhood #1” is still a live staple, and a great song.

Oasis – Rock & Roll Star (1994)
Say what you want about Oasis’ post-1995 career, Definitely Maybe is still one of the best straight up rock and roll albums of the 1990s, if not ever. And “Rock & Roll Star”‘s giant riffs, swaggering vocals, and psychedelic trip at the end show Oasis strutting better on their first song than some bands do ever.

Florence + the Machine – Dog Days Are Over (2009)
Britain gets the best pop stars. Florence’s debut album came out back in July of 2009 (aka: “Michael Jackson: The Month”), and “Dog Days Are Over” only picked up real steam after a few commercial uses and the VMAs. But it’s been a great song all along with Florence’s free-wheeling delivery backed with some seriously huge percussion.

Ramones – Bltizkrieg Bop (1976)
Say hello to punk rock. In a time where rock was quickly becoming a bloated mess, the Ramones kicked in the door with “Blitzkrieg Bop”, 2 minutes of frenzied drums, buzzsaw guitars, and ruckus singing. And it still sounds brilliant today.