Fermented Frequencies 00.1

Dathan Kazsuk – Triangle Around Town/Screw it Wine

Apr 11, 2025

OK, so it’s really not that weird that we both love music. I mean, who doesn’t? But here’s the thing—we thought it’d be fun to launch a new little series where we ask people in the wonderful world of booze (wine, beer, spirits... you know, the fun stuff) a simple yet revealing question.

Yes, it’s a little cheesy, and yes, we’re rolling with it anyway.

The question?

You’re stranded on a desert island. Somehow, there’s a lone palm tree with an electrical outlet—don’t ask, just go with it. You’ve got a vintage record player and the ability to play five albums. That’s it. These are your survival tunes for the next year while you wait to be rescued. Which five do you pick?

We get it—musical tastes change all the time. Heck, Dathan listens to so much music in a given week, he might as well be a human jukebox while pretending to work.

So why not rope in some fellow industry folks and see what they’ve got spinning on their mental turntables? We'll throw a popular track from each album via YouTube so you can vibe along. And we’ll ask each person to give us a few words—maybe a line or two—about why they picked that album. Then, of course, we’ll chime in with our own hot takes on their picks. Because we’re helpful like that.

To kick things off, we’re starting with ourselves. Our current Top Five albums... emphasis on current because, let’s be real, this list could change by next week. But for now, you’re getting the raw, unfiltered soundtrack to our lives at this very moment.

Stick around for more, but fair warning—you’ll need to subscribe to our Substack if you want to keep up with what other winemakers, brewers, and spirit slingers are spinning. Vinyl ain’t cheap these days. And Dathan’s still out there hunting for a clean first pressing of Too Dark Park or Dark Side of the Moon. Priorities, right?

OK. Here we go!

Dathan Kazsuk

Co-Owner, Triangle Around Town & Screw it Wine & Spirits

1. The Smiths

Louder Than Bombs (1987)

Why: First off, if I’m going to be stranded for a year, I’m going for those extended play albums with MORE songs! And The Smiths are quintessential for anyone growing up in the ‘80s. A total of 24 songs on this album—that’ll keep me occupied. And with hits like Panic, Sheila Take a Bow, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, and the Ferris Bueller classic, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.

Girlfriend in a Coma

So here is where you'd lose out if you aren’t a subscriber. We’d have a paywall up here. But you’ll get to see mine and Jen’s, and then you get to make that call.

2. Pink Floyd

The Wall (1979)

Why: Probably one of the most influential albums of my teenage years, especially when going through that “drug” phase. Watching the video cassette didn’t help! A Roger Waters rock opera, modeled after former musical genius Syd Barrett’s life, and incredible riffs from Dave Gilmour—who couldn’t love this album? Another Brick on the Wall was that claim to fame in the early days, but Comfortably Numb became one of my favorites. Listen to the Sisters of Mercy remake mashed in with Some Kind Stranger, and it blows you away! Other hits like Mother, Young Lust and Goodbye Blue Sky made this one of my favorites.

Comfortably Numb

3. The Beatles

The White Album (1968)

Why: If a Beatles album isn’t in your top 10 albums, you don’t appreciate music. Now, I’ll go on record saying they are not the best band, but damn, they were influential. John Lennon was a musical mastermind, and Paul, well, he was Paul. Together with George and Ringo, they crafted one of the best albums of all time in my book. The White Album featured Dear Prudence (listen to the Siouxie and the Banshees version), While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Blackbird, Revolution No. 1, Helter Skelter and Sexy Sadie.

Helter Skelter

4. Depeche Mode

Music for the Masses (1987)

Why: I was a huge Depeche Mode fanatic when many were still all about Duran Duran and INXS. Synths were my life back then. Heck, I was in a couple of bands playing keyboards or bass and doing covers like Depeche Mode’s Puppets or New Order’s Blue Monday. But this was the first real concert I had ever attended in Sacramento. My mom and dad drove me, my brother and my best friend two hours away to go to the concert at CalExpo and sit in the car while we enjoyed the show. Talk about cool parents! Never Let Me Down Again, Sacred, Behind the Wheel, Nothing, The Things You Said, Pimpf, and To Have and To Hold make this one of my favorite albums to date.

Never Let Me Down Again (Split Mix)

5. New Order

Substance (1987)

Why: Man, 1987 was the year! The Smiths' Louder Than Bombs, Depeche Mode’s Music for the Masses, The Cure’s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Skinny Puppy’s Cleanse Fold and Manipulate—but it was for me, New Order's Substance that made the top. Take the last three albums and singles, add them all together with all the 12” remixes, and then another album with the B-Side—and hot damn—there you have it. On the first album/disc, you had Ceremony, Blue Monday, Confusion, Shellshock, The Perfect Kiss and Bizarre Love Triangle. On the second disc, Procession, Hurt and In a Lonely Place. It was a perfect album! And our band back in the day covered Blue Monday, Ceremony, and Thieves Like Us. Yeah, we were fans of New Order, and today they’re still one of my favorites—even though Bernard and Peter can’t get along.