fumbling towards ecstasy

We all have a few albums that we can listen to from beginning to end, without skipping any songs, over and over and over again without ever getting sick of them.  Sometimes you have to find yourself in the right mood first.  Sometimes you have to feel reflective or nostalgic before you put it on, but once you do you're instantly engrossed - humming or singing along with every song, transported to another time or place.  One of these albums for me is Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.

The album was released in 1993, but I never heard it until '97 or '98.  I remember it was in my friend's car and even though we were busy talking, I kept pausing and listening to the music.  It was like I'd heard the whole album before even though it was the first time.  Within a few days, I went out and bought the CD for myself.


From the first song, I knew it was going to be put into heavy rotation on my stereo (ah, the memories of the 5-CD changer).  It was haunting, simple yet complex; full of emotion, yet not melodramatic.  The melody and the harmonies intertwined in something that was completely organic.  It was almost perfection.


As time went on, I found other music that fit more with where I was in my life and I stopped listening to it as often.  With the arrival of mp3's, the CD collection that I had was thinned out, but this was one of the few that I kept.  It's sitting in a box in a closet somewhere with a few select others.


Today was one of those days when the mood was right.  I've now listened to this album twice so far and am guessing it will probably be at least once more before I move on. 

What are the albums that you can listen to over and over without ever getting sick of them?