it saves my life every day

This is off the path of EDM. But it's a blog I feel like writing; and fuck convention and structure sometimes, you know?

I'm listening to a playlist I created when I was very obviously in a sad place. But one with hope because there's still some love songs in there.

The Big Fight - Stars

I'm reminded today of all days how much music soothes my soul.  I really should just make a religion of it somehow. I find myself quoting the Postal Service to a friend who can't quite get into words how she feels about something... like it's a fucking bible verse or some shit. I mean, I really believe in and have faith in it.  What lyrics stick in my head, what beautiful things I've heard people say through music, brings tears to my eyes even just thinking about it right now.

I had written this idea down weeks ago and haven't had the heart to drag myself into this particular blog, but now it's a good time for it.  My "emotional songs" blog.

I remember the first time a song really struck a chord with me, emotionally. Before then, I had listened to it and enjoyed it in a way that I believe "commoners" listen to it. People who don't really understand this special place that so much music comes from.

Bjork's Hyperballad was an instant favorite for me off of (what I think is her best) album Post. Jesus I think I was 14 or 15, sitting in front of my first good stereo just listening to her croon and thoroughly enjoying the bass in the song (which I still do to this day), when she sang, "Imagine what my body would sound like, slamming against those rocks. And when it lands, will my eyes be closed or open?"

Album of the Year - The Good Life

Now, before you think it's weird that I identified so hard with such a morbid thought, remember I'm 14 years old and all I know is morbid and depressed. Being a teenager in itself is depressing. Jesus. Anyway, i hadn't been in love yet, I hadn't been broken up with yet, and I hadn't even fathomed losing someone to death at that point. So those normal types of themes wouldn't strike a chord with me would they? No but wondering those types of things myself, and then having Bjork sing them back at me, that strikes me. I was pulled a little more deeply into listening to what people were really singing about after that little epiphany.

Fast forward quite awhile, and then you get to everything in the past few years.

I finally understand Possibly Maybe, after having what I feel is a similar experience. I really super duper get now that I've lived about a decade mostly on my own.  I think Bjork was in the spot I'm in now that I'm the age she was when she wrote that album. (Decipher that sentence and I'll give you another banana sitcker.)

A short list of some of the most emotionally striking songs I've ever heard:
Bright Eyes - A Perfect Sonnet
The Good Life - Album of the Year
The Postal Service - Nothing Better
Death Cab For Cutie - Passenger Seat
Bjork - Scary
New Buffalo - I've got you and you've got me (song of contentment)
The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again
Elliott Smith - Between the Bars
Alkaline Trio - Sorry About That
Brand New - The boy who blocked his own shot & Me. vs. Maradona vs. Elvis
Bad Religion - Better Off Dead
Patrick Wolf - Don't Say No To It
Eisley - I wasn't prepared

You can make fun of me for having not just one, but TWO Brand New songs on that list if you want to, but tell me that listening to either of those songs doesn't fuck your head up a little bit. Shut up you're a communist if they don't.

I'm sure there's just LOADS more I can't think of right now, I thought I wrote down a slew of songs but as it turns out I had only four written down. But those are in there.

That damn Magnetic Fields songs there, that makes me cry just about every time I hear it.

"Your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures."

My friend Mike showed mt this Postal Service song while we were driving to Boston one random ass weekend. He was all emo and piney and whiney over losing his girlfriend recently, and insisted that I hear this song. I constantly made fun of him for his emo shit, and was putting up quite the fuss while he usurped my CD player, but he was paying for gas so I let him have it. I liked the Postal Service anyway, I just hadn't heard the song he was about to show me. In true banter form I still had to give him crap about his emo crap; but as it turns out, ol' Mikey had good taste in music, in retrospect. He was kind of a great gem for showing me all those Saddle Creek bands that I love so.


Today, my soul was saved again in the church of motherfucking music. It constantly inspires me to carry on, see the next day, feel out what's going on, dance, smile, cry... I feel like that's what something you put your faith in should do. Make you feel.

They will see us waving from such great heights. (There is never a time when I hear this song and I don't immediately get goosebumps and feel like the universe is hugging me. It makes me wanna dance a lot, too, normally.) --ak