On Music

Someone asked me if I'd written any songs lately. When I replied I hadn't, he asked me why, and in a sudden spark of realization I answered, "because I'm happy now." I didn't understand my response until just recently. A lifetime ago before I met Jes, my musical and lyrical expression was a combination of melancholy, dissonance, wanting, and release (to pick four completely abstract terms). For whatever reason, I was compelled to play guitar to sweep out the dark corners of my universe. Once I met Jes...it all disappeared. It's strange how loving someone so intensely can reverse those feelings that were seemingly so fundamental--feelings I wrote anthems about and weaved into my persona. Let's face it...real music, I mean the music that some of us (or maybe just a few of us) listened to while lying on the floor in the dark, or heard for the first time and cataloged in our mind forever.... (Ex: I can recall the exact place, time of day, day of the week, and people involved the first time I heard the live acoustic version of "Mr. Jones"). That living music is inspired by some seriously troubled souls: from Mozart to Morrison to My Chemical Romance. And I totally get that now.

To clarify, I haven't stopped playing guitar or writing. I now have balance. I do however have some great drive-time to and from campus to experience new and exciting music. Two anticipated albums: Jimmy Eat World "Chase This Light," and Foo Fighters "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace."

For some reason I really like lists and rankings. (I once tried to download all of Rolling Stones Magazine's 500 greatest songs...long story, but I now have an external hard-drive). So, here's my iTunes top 25 most played the last couple weeks. It's a good mix of the old and the new--obviously subject to change (the new single "The Pretender" will most certainly be rising up this chart)....

1. "The First Single (Cause a Scene)" The Format
2. "PDA (We Just Don't Care)" John Legend
3. "Bad Dream" Keane
4. "Someday" The Strokes
5. "You Have My Attention" Copeland
6. "Another Lonely Day" Ben Harper
7. "Crooked Teeth" Death Cab for Cutie
8. "Kick Push" Lupe Fiasco
9. "Morning Yearning" Ben Harper
10. "Let Go" Frou Frou
11. "Dig" Incubus
12. "Strange Condition" Pete Yorn
13. "Broken" Secondhand Serenade
14. "Well Thought Out Twinkles" Silversun Pickups
15. "You're All I Have" Snow Patrol
16. "Brick" Ben Fold's Five
17. "Failure by Design" Brand New
18, "You're So Last Summer" Taking Back Sunday
19. "Cupid's Chokehold" Gym Class Heroes
20. "Love Song for No One (acoustic)" John Mayer
21. "The Dolphin's Cry" Live
22. "The Ocean Breathes Salty" Modest Mouse
23. "Gold in the Sunset" Bob Schneider
24. "The Pretender" Foo Fighters
25. "Summertime" Sublime

"Without music life would be a mistake." ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche