Usually I say that I don’t have much time to post, then I end up writing two or three paragraphs anyway. This week I seriously don’t have time thanks to my generosity in helping my friends move, so I’ll just share a bangin’ summer tune that I can’t seem to get enough of: “Bad Girls,” by M.I.A.
I’ve been a big fan of M.I.A. since I first saw the video for “Galaang” oh so many years ago, but her latest might just be her greatest, in my opinion. Not only does the song have a cool tempo with a world music flair, but the video is just as awesome. I’m not even the type to be impressed by flashy car tricks, but something about this song mixed with these visuals seems to be the epitome of badass. And M.I.A. herself is thirty-seven, can you believe it? Amazing. I hope she keeps cranking out excellent tunes for a million more years to come if they can all be as great as this one.
And that’s it from me for July. See you in August, little earbuds!
Hello and happy Independence Day, little earbuds! I’ll keep today’s entry short and sweet, as I have food to make, family to hang out with, and fireworks to watch. However, I couldn’t let a holiday pass by without adding a musical spin to it. There are ten tons of songs about America, some from Americans, some from other parts of the world. I’ve always been quite partial to David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans” because it’s brooding and cool, but I can dance my socks off just as hard to “The Great American Nightmare” by Rob Zombie. Then you’ve got classics such as Don McLean’s “American Pie” and “America” by Simon & Garfunkel, and of course there’s always good ol’ fashioned rock such as Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz. However, my song of choice on this particular 4th of July is from my childhood, though technically I didn’t hear it until I was a teenager: “American Music” by the Violent Femmes.
I enjoy the Violent Femmes in general, but this song in particular (from the album Why Do Birds Sing?) always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s carefree and jovial, and the lyrics can be a bit nonsensical, but that’s part of the fun of it. I especially love the recreations of various eras of American music depicted in the video. So watch, listen, and enjoy, and I wish you a happy 4th of July!
Summer is upon us, and one of the best parts of summer, in my opinion, is getting to spend a hot afternoon in an air-conditioned theater watching a summer movie. What always makes those movies even better are the killer soundtracks. I spent last weekend catching up on my summer flicks, and I have to say, already we have some excellent music to fill our ears with thanks to the current crop of blockbusters at the cinema.
For instance, Snow White and the Huntsman, which was nowhere near as good as I had hoped it would be, still proved to have some merit once the credits rolled. (It had such promise at the beginning thanks to Charlize Theron’s awesomely evil Queen performance, then it just devolved into Chris Hemsworth’s strange muddled accent with Kristen Stewart flitting around the woods as some sort of fairy Jesus.) Despite being fairly bored and disappointed with the film as a whole, Florence + The Machine’s dramatic closing song, “Breath of Life,” was almost good enough to make me not feel cheated out of a movie ticket.
Luckily other movies have far exceeded my expectations, such as Pixar’s Scottish fairy tale Brave. The film was funny, moving, and incredibly lush, and what made it even better was the sweeping score by Patrick Doyle. The bagpipes, strings, and drums do a fitting service to both the story as well as Scotland, and “Touch the Sky” by Julie Fowlis is genuinely grand and uplifting. You can almost feel the highland winds in your face when you listen to this ebullient tune. It’s a fitting theme for a modern yet timeless heroine such as Merida.
Of course, what summer could be complete without a vampire movie? Some are good, some are bad, others are terrible, but luckily Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was every ounce as epic as I had hoped. (What do you get when you take one of the most awesome American presidents and add vampires to the mix? One hour and forty-five minutes of solid badass entertainment, that’s what.) The Linkin Park song “Powerless,” which is played over the credits, is decent, but lately I’m obsessing over Henry Jackman’s score, especially the tune “The Rampant Hunter.” If this music doesn’t put you in the mood to take up an axe and right the wrongs of the world yourself (or at the very least walk in slow motion while looking cool) then I don’t know what will.
It’s hard to believe that June is nearly over, but luckily July’s fresh crop of summer films is just around the corner. Let’s hope that Batman and Spider-Man prove good musical company by adding to the worthy summer soundtracks of 2012.
I must say, I really do adore NewNowNext Music on Logo. Admittedly it can be hit or miss since at times they fill the half hour with pounding Euro beats and simplistic lyrics sung by shirtless boys or (at the other end of the spectrum) crunchy ballads solemnly crooned by girls with guitars wearing cowboy boots. Don’t get me wrong, I can dig both of those genres given the proper mood and setting, but most of the time I vibrate on a somewhat mellow, uplifting electronica frequency. Dream pop fulfills my deepest desires. Give me synths or give me silence!
Luckily, NewNowNext, when not churning out the aforementioned videos, quite often exposes me to my newest musical obsessions. Trumping even old-school MTV at its music video pinnacle, Logo gives me hearty helpings of gorgeous tunes that I’d never heard before but suddenly can’t live without, such as School of Seven Bells or Asobi Seksu, as well as keeping me well-fed on the latest from established greatest acts like Pet Shop Boys and Madonna. Last night (or rather, very early this morning) was another gem-packed block of videos. I was treated to the most recent offerings from Scissor Sisters and Katy Perry as well as a kick-ass video for “Generals,” a fab ditty by The Mynabirds that I’ve been enjoying thanks to the Summer 2012 Saddle Creek Sampler (currently available as a free download on Amazon). However, the very first video of the night was hitherto unknown to me, and that is what I’m sharing with you this week, little earbuds.
Exitmusic is an entirely new band to me, but what a glorious introduction “The Night” provides for the uninitiated. The song begins with that dreamy electronic buzz that I adore in all kinds of bands from The Jesus and Mary Chain to The Raveonettes, then immediately layers on some shimmering guitars reminiscent of Interpol at their best (my absolute favourite band from 2004-2006, incidentally). However, singer Aleksa Palladino adds vocals that are magically raspy and ethereal at once, delicately relating lyrics that are nothing short of poetry. It’s a delicious concoction of sounds that drew me in immediately and elevated my senses. If the rest of their first full-length album, Passage, lives up to the promise of this one song, then it’s a must-own item for certain, especially if you dig on dream pop as much as I do.
This week’s (belated) post is in honor of fathers. Y’know, it’s funny: when it came time to talk about Mother’s Day, I had several songs to choose from that praise moms. However, now that it’s Father’s Day here in the US, I couldn’t find as much selection praising the dads of the world. Apparently to make it in my music library (current song total: 20,973 and counting) you must have some major daddy issues. Almost every song with “father” or “dad” in the title was about pain, resentment, and abandonment. I think that this is a colossal shame, as I know some really amazing fathers. Most notable is my own dad: I am an unabashed daddy’s girl, and I know for a fact that my dad is one of the best people in the whole world. I still look up to him even though I’m (technically) an adult, and I hope that I can be as magical and full of wonder and joy as he is when I get to be his age. He’s one of the funnest people to be around, and every time we hang out we have a blast. Maybe that explains why I never followed my fleeting rock star dreams: I’m too well-adjusted, and I have a great relationship with my father.
If I can get back into songwriting (which I haven’t done in several years, but enjoyed briefly) I’ll certainly make it my goal to write a kick-ass anthem for great dads. Until then, I have at least two songs that always make me think of my father and smile.
It’s hard to go wrong with anything Paul Simon in my book, but this song in particular, “Father and Daughter,” really touched my heart. I remember the first time that I heard it: I was in my car, driving across a bridge, and I heard this song on the radio. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, but then the chorus came on: There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you. Suddenly I was listening intently. I loved the sentiment, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that’s how my own father felt (and continues to feel) about my sisters and me. Now whenever I hear this song I think of my dad and feel really lucky and really, really loved.
Perhaps it’s unsurprising, given how close I am to my dad, but A Little Princess has always been one of my absolute favourite children’s books. I recall watching the Shirley Temple movie based on the novel and loving it as well, but then Alfonso Cuaron came out with his film version and took my breath away. I can’t watch it without feeling waves of super intense emotions, so when my favourite remix artist, Pogo, came out with this song, “Whisperlude,” based on the movie, I literally sat transfixed in front of my computer screen as tears welled up in my eyes. After that I immediately popped the DVD in and rewatched the whole film, then I went and spent the day with my dad. It’s pretty amazing how Pogo can recreate all of the drama and wonder of a gorgeous and complex film into a remix less than four minutes long. It’s yet another reason why I am in awe of him, and another song to add to my repertoire of feel-good father tunes.
Happy Father’s Day, and thanks to all the great fathers of the world for being awesome!
Memorial Day has come and gone, which means that summer is fully upon us, at least here in the USA. Every year I find myself craving new summer anthems to distinguish this season from the rest as well as mark each year’s passing. My summer anthems don’t need to be newly released, just new to me, and I prefer poppy, breezy tunes that meld well with driving with the windows down or just lounging away in the seasonal heat. By designating a particular song, songs, or album my “summer music,” I can instantly return to that carefree state of mind long after it’s become too cold to wear short sleeves, or even revisit a particular summer many years after the fact.
The summer before I moved from my family’s farm in the South to Boston for college was filled with an oddly fitting mixture of Radiohead’s OK Computer, Sarah McLachlan’s Surfacing, Loved by Cranes, and Four-Calendar Cafe by Cocteau Twins. “Know Who You Are At Every Age,” indeed. Now, many years later, whenever I listen to any of those albums, I can vividly remember the feelings of hope and trepidation and excitement that swirled around me all summer long. A couple of years later I wanted to transfer to a different college, and that summer was spent with Mazzy Star’s glorious shoegaze album So Tonight That I Might See as well as Madonna’s infectious pop single “Beautiful Stranger” on constant repeat. I can clearly remember whiling away the days dreaming of the new adventures that were to come. Even today those songs fill me with a sense of anticipation.
Unfortunately summer loses some of its glamor as we get older. No longer is there the luxury of doing absolutely nothing; when you’re an adult you’re expected to keep going, keep working, keep taking care of things. Life doesn’t stop just because it’s hot outside. I must admit that I miss those days of low expectations and being left to my own devices, even when my devices were as simplistic as watching crappy movies on cable, or lying on my parents’ bed for hours while staring up at the ceiling fan because it’s just too hot to move. Despite being considered an “adult” by society at large, I still try to invoke those carefree summers of old by finding new summer songs year after year. Luckily one such song has already landed in my ear, and I can’t stop playing it: “Tapaa minut aamulla” by Regina.
I was instantly drawn in by this Finnish indie pop outfit’s mellow sound as well as the beautiful trill of lead singer Iisa Pykäri on the chorus. I have no idea what the lyrics are, but the feeling is breezy and hopeful, making this a perfect song for summer. Regina’s song “Unessa” has an even more summery video accompanying it and is quite lovely to boot, but it’s “Tapaa minut aamulla” that grabbed my heart and got me primed for sweltering heat, ceiling fans, sundresses, and mid-afternoon naps. Viva la summer!
More songs of summer will surely follow as they make their way to my headphones, so stay tuned!
Hallo once more, little earbuds. Miss Pink has actually been doing pretty well lately. I’m feeling healthy, and slowly but surely I’m getting through my huge backlog of projects and general stuff-to-do, such as catching up on emails with friends. In doing so, I discovered that one of my pals is going through some heartbreak right now. Of course I was sympathetic (because who hasn’t experienced that in some form or other?) but words just don’t feel like enough when it comes to matters of the heart. So In honor of my friend, today I’m bringing you another playlist: Top 5 Songs For Love Gone Wrong. Warning: Here there be F-bombs, so if adult language offends you, better skip this week’s post.
5.) Peaches – F**k The Pain Away
Who can resist Peaches and her electroclash-punk aesthetic? She tells it like it is, and even when her words are tongue-in-cheek, they leave a sting. What’s even better is this fan video of Miss Piggy singing “F**k The Pain Away,” because both Piggy and Peaches are total badasses.
4.) She Wants Revenge – True Romance
The name of this band alone should clue you in to the fact that a song titled “True Romance” might not be what it seems. “I know that you never loved me, I know that you never cared at all…” There are so many vengeful gems from She Wants Revenge, but this one takes the cake for love that’s gone sour.
3.) Dandy Warhols – We Used To Be Friends
Back before Veronica Mars was on the air I found myself in the most upsetting roommate situation of my life to date with someone whom I once considered a close friend. Since I tend to invest as much of my heart into my friendships as I do into romance, it was a very scarring moment in my personal history. Luckily, during this period I caught the Dandy Warhols performing this song on SNL, and instantly I had a theme for my pain. Just listening to this tune on repeat automatically made everything a bit better.
2.) Future Bible Heroes – I’m Lonely (And I Love It)
Even though this song is over a decade old, I miraculously discovered it on the same night that I was replying to the very friend who inspired this playlist. As much as I adore Stephin Merritt, I must admit that I haven’t explored his side projects as thoroughly as I have Magnetic Fields. Since previously I only had two Future Bible Heroes songs in my musical library, I’m delighted to have an entirely new catalogue to explore (small as it is, being a side project and all). As soon as I heard the plethora of electronic beats urging me to dance I was in love, but the beyond awesome lyrics take this song over the top. If there’s a more joyful song about heartbreak out there, I haven’t heard it. And I’ve heard a lot.
1.) Nine Inch Nails – You Know What You Are
As much as I’d love to end on a positive note like song #2, when it comes to pains of the heart, the guy I always turn to first is Trent Reznor. This entire list could have been populated with Nine Inch Nails, so extensive is his repertoire of anger and disappointment. What I really love about this particular song is how it takes pain and sadness and channels it all into pure unadulterated rage. In my personal experience, there is no song that can trump this one when it comes to the primal desire to scream “F*** YOU!!!” at whoever has lied to you, cheated on you, or let you down in your life.
There are obviously many, many more songs out there of every genre that cover this topic extremely well. J. Geils Band’s “Love Stinks” is always a classic choice, as is any version of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” (My personal preference is the upbeat 90s cover by Saint Etienne, because nothing gives melancholy the middle finger quite like being peppy.) Then there’s the newer indie classic, Gotye’s ode to faded romance, “Somebody That I Used To Know.” The Kills provide great, crunchy tunes that always make me wanna take a road trip and stay in run-down motels, and their ditty “F**k The People” is excellent not just for heartache but any ol’ time you feel like you’re surrounded by stupidity. Along those same lines, Combichrist’s “What The F**k Is Wrong With You?” is an industrial/emb version of the same feeling. And who could forget Amy Winehouse (rest in peace), the gal who seemed to truly understand when life gets messed up, with her song, “Love Is A Losing Game?”
The list goes on and on, and will continue to grow every year, because heartbreak is universal. I take solace in all of the great music created to cope with such harsh and uncomfortable emotions. How about you? What’s the song that you keep in your back pocket, the tune that you know will be the first to beat on your eardrums when your heart gets chewed up and spit back out? The choices are out there, and as vast as the channels of the human heart. As it should be, because great art is one of the only benefits to great sorrow, or so this music lover believes.
Okay, music lovers, it’s 2012, which means that by now we know a few things about this crazy ol’ world. It’s generally accepted that the Earth is round, and that the moon is not made of cheese. In the event of a nuclear apocalypse, cockroaches will inherit the earth. Sharks are terrifying unless it’s Shark Week, in which case they are terrifyingly awesome. We also know by now that vampires are really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. Oh sure, horror movies dating back to 1922 will try to tell you otherwise. I mean, Max Schreck made a fantastic Nosferatu, but seduction was not widely considered to be his forte. However, literature has taught us over the course of centuries that real vampires are drop-dead sexy. Seduction is their thing; it’s the way they lure in their prey. Ugly vampires are great for scary stories, but they don’t really function well in the real world. To survive over the centuries, vampires would have to either start their undead lives as breathtakingly gorgeous or evolve to become so, because humans are shallow creatures and tend to not automatically kill pretty things. This fact alone first alerted me to today’s topic: Atsushi Sakurai, the lead singer of BUCK-TICK, is actually a real-life vampire.
It’s not my place to “out” anyone here, but surely I can’t be the only one who’s noticed it. I mean, just look at him. (Yes, that is a link to my personal Pintrest board dedicated to Atsushi. Someone had to do it, why not me?) He’s lovely when he’s younger, but what’s really interesting is that he actually seems to be getting better-looking with age. According to Wikipedia, he’s supposedly forty-six years old. No human looks that good at forty-six. No one. It’s almost as though Atsushi is ageless. What kind of humanoid creature is ageless? Well, that’s easy. Vampires are ageless.
“But wait,” I hear you cry, “literature is filled with all sorts of immortal humanoid creatures, from faeries to ghosts to gods to, well, immortals! How do you know Atsushi isn’t one of those?” Fair play, and I commend you for being so well-versed in otherworldly creatures. I have more facts that point specifically to vampirism, but for now I’ll share with you exactly what made me 100% certain that Atsushi is a vampire. That, friends, is the English translation of the lyrics to the stunning BUCK-TICK song “Kuchizuke:”
Will you say that we can love… love each other? I’ll cover your lips Close your eyes and give me a sinful kiss
We can love… love each other surely, stabbing into the nape of your neck Close your eyes and give me a sinful kiss
I can’t ever return again, but that’s okay I stare into the middle of the night and drink my wine dry
We’ll love… love each other more, seeming to go mad in our intense thirst Close your eyes and give me a sinful kiss
Your scent drives me mad I wake up in the middle of the night and drink insanity and love dry
Come here into my arms, “The darkness over there is bitter” You’ll get confused and waver It’ll turn eternal before long, “The darkness over here is sweet” I’ll pierce you deeply
Your scent drives me mad I wake up in the middle of the night and drink insanity and love dry
Come here into my arms, “The darkness over there is bitter” You’ll get confused and waver It’ll turn eternal before long, “The darkness over here is sweet” I’ll pierce you deeply
Come here into my arms, “The darkness over there is bitter” You’ll smile a little With this, it’ll turn eternal, “The darkness over here is sweet” I’ll pierce you deeply
I started to highlight all of the lines that pointed to vampirism, but really, the entire song fits. A sinful kiss, like a vampire’s bite, stabbing into the nape of your neck. Seeming to go mad in our intense thirst…your scent drives me mad (vampires have a heightened sense of smell, as all vamp literature aficionados know)…the darkness over here is sweet (y’know, vampires and eternal night)…I’ll pierce you deeply…with this it’ll turn eternal…it really couldn’t be more clear. This song is Atsushi’s declaration to the world that he is what we’ve suspected: a vampire. He’s the real life embodiment of Anne Rice’s Lestat, a vampire rock star who’s pretending to be a human who is pretending to be a vampire. It’s the oldest trick in the book, and a very good one at that. If you watch any video of a BUCK-TICK performance, you can see Atsushi clearly feeding off of the energy of the crowd. He feigns indifference, but that just makes the audience crave him even more, building up to a frenzy.
BUCK-TICK very rarely play outside of Japan, and I have discovered the reason for this. One time, during a photo shoot in Nepal, Atsushi became deathly ill. He proclaimed that if he was going to die, he wanted to die in Japan, and so he was rushed back to his homeland. Once there, he miraculously recovered. Atsushi was ill, but he recovered once he was on his home soil. Hmm, who does that sound like? Oh yes, Dracula, another fellow who always had to have some of his home soil near him. Dracula kept his home soil in his coffin when he traveled in order to retain his full power. Atsushi simply chooses never to step foot off of his. (For more about this actual event in BUCK-TICK history, please see this article.)
Atsushi enjoys dark music, movies, and styles, yet he’s also secretive and hard to know, according to bandmate Hisashi. He love cats and red wine, both of which are favored by Goths and vampires alike. He also loves Bauhaus and David Bowie. Come to think of it, Bauhaus first hit it big with their single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” which was used in the opening to the vampire movie The Hunger, starring David Bowie. Is it a coincidence that vampiric bits of pop culture seem to flock to Atsushi? BUCK-TICK provide the opening song for the anime Trinity Blood, which is about vampires. They also provided a song for Nightwalker, about a vampire private eye. More recently “Kuchizuke” was used as the opening song for Shiki, a horror anime that I have yet to see (but very much want to). Here’s the description for that series: “All hell breaks loose as the villagers discover their loved ones’ corpses are rising from the grave with an insatiable thirst for human blood.” What does that sound like? Yeah, thought so.
Obviously I’m not the only person who sees Atsushi’s paranormal side as plain as moonlight. A quick search for his name on YouTube and a great fan video pops up showing clips of Atsushi set to Lady Gaga’s “Monster.” Excellent song choice, fantastic Atsushi shots, and oddly telling, if you ask me. “He ate my heart,” indeed. Also, have you seen the video for BUCK-TICK’s “Romance?” (Hopefully you have if you’ve been reading this blog, as I’ve posted it before.) Unreal. The man is dark, the man is sensual, the man is, quite clearly, an immortal being obsessed with blood. And I, for one, am here to speak in his favor. If you’ve ever felt bad because you see someone who just seems to be way more awesome than everyone else, take heart. That person is probably not a “person” at all, but a vampire. And those immortal creatures (especially Atsushi himself) are more than welcome to come drink the red, red wine with me any day.
Here’s one more BUCK-TICK song to get you through the week ahead, little earbuds: their dark and delicious ditty, “Gessekai.” Enjoy, and don’t let the vampires bite. (Or do, if that’s your thing.)
In my attempt to make the slated vampire post promised in the last entry the best blog post EVER, I have psyched myself out of writing it for several days, to the point that it is now long overdue. (You’ll understand why once I finally get that sucker posted. And it WILL HAPPEN, by Thor!) Last Tuesday I debated putting it off for another week in order to have a ranty post about The Voice, the reality singing show that was supposed to be so different (and actually kind of was during the first season) but is now as bloated and over-promoted as American Idol could ever dream to be. But honestly, who cares? Tony Lucca didn’t win, meaning I can watch season three if I so feel like it. (I swore that if he won I would never watch another season. I don’t know the guy personally, but between his sh*tty smiles and crappy vocals, the guy just comes off like a douche-wagon. Xtina seemed to be the only coach that realized it, too, so watching her call him out on his mediocre song renditions week after week was amusing.)
Even so, I took too long as I waffled between vampires and reality show rantings, and now it’s Mother’s Day. (Ignore my back-dating for organizational purposes: in the States it is indeed Mother’s Day today.) And I just can’t bring myself to finish writing a post about smexy vampires on Mother’s Day. Not that there aren’t some rad mommas out there who wouldn’t appreciate a nice entry with some bite to it! Mother’s Day, and mothers in general, aren’t all about clichéd flower bouquets, heart lockets, and gift baskets from Bath & Body Works that smell of Sweet Pea and Moonlight Path. (Though there’s nothing wrong with it if that happens to be the stuff that she actually likes.) Mothers come in all shapes and sizes, and have all varieties of preferences and passions. We need to remember that the term “mother” isn’t a blanket statement that automatically explains every facet of a woman’s life. It’s a term for a female caretaker, but it shouldn’t overshadow the individual person upon whom the title is bestowed. Today is the day to honor all the mothers in your life, especially the ones who really excel at the difficult job in question, be it your own mother, your grandmother, your friends who are mothers, or even yourself. I honor my mother, and all mothers, the best way I know how: with music.
Alanis Morissette’s “Heart of the House” has me in tears every time I hear it. I’ll never forget how it showed the rebellious teenage version of me that mothers are people, too.
And I had to include “I’m A Mother!” by The Pretenders, which reminds us all just how badass you have to be to be a mother.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there (especially to my own!).
Hello again, little earbuds. Sorry I’m running a bit behind this week: I got started celebrating Cinco de Mayo early. (By that I mean that I spent yesterday evening cooking Mexican food and hanging out instead of blogging; you thought I meant that I was hungover, right?) Anyway, I had a totally different blog entry I was working on for this week, and it’s still in the works. However, I’ve also been inspired to begin a new writing project. It literally came to me in the night and kept me from sleep early in the a.m. of May first. I love creative projects that take hold of you and won’t let you go until you answer their call. Heaven knows I need an aggressive Muse, otherwise the call of TV, video games, and general internet faff sinks its claws into me and I have massive trouble escaping.
This new writing project is all about a certain quest I’ve had in my life that I’ve now given up on, so I’m exploring what put this fervent desire into my head in the first place. I go on to chronicle the ups and downs, the near successes and inevitable failures I’ve had on this quest. I might publish it online, because maybe some other readers out there will be able to identify with me. Maybe some won’t, but still, it’s something I need to do right now. When the Muse calls, I answer! Well, today, before I began working on the new blog entry, I sat down and wrote about my most recent (and possibly most devastating) failure, the one that shut down the dream factory for me, as it were. I didn’t intend to, but of course I got pretty melancholy as I remembered in painful detail how high my dreams got before they fell crashing and flailing to the depths below. I was writing in silence, and I got so depressed that I had to stop writing and just hit “shuffle” on iTunes to try to drown out the sad memories overtaking my brain. The music was okay, nothing particularly great… and then The Raveonettes just shook me out of my funk completely.
I love this band and I love this song, but for some reason I hadn’t heard it in yons. And then to have it burst forth from my speakers when I was feeling so low, and to be such appropriate music for what I was thinking about, too, was amazing. The situation I was writing about was indeed my “last dance” with this particular dream. I was overdosing on nostalgic bitterness and heartache, and The Raveonettes provided intensive musical care. It’s such a joyful and sweet song, I couldn’t help but feel my spirits lift as I sang along.
So instead of my planned post for this week I decided to bring you yet another true tale of the power of music. When things get crappy, I hope that you have a song or two that you can turn to, dear reader, in order to overcome the crap and get back to feeling awesome again.
Next week: A real-life vampire brought to light! You don’t wanna miss this!
Hot Pink Headphones 