Spring Music Soundtrack

Lately, I seem to be downloading new music every single day so the spring was an eclectic mix of everything from jazz to rap. I'm pretty sure my neighbors are going to start thinking I have some sort of weird split personality.

Here's my soundtrack from the past few months.

1. Blinding - Florence and The Machine
This band has such an interesting sound. It’s kind of weird and haunting but also kind of addicting. Right? It’s one of those songs I’ve found myself listening to over and over on repeat just because I can’t get tired of it.

2. Bye Bye Bye - Plants and Animals
I think this is one that I first heard on Chuck (seriously, the music on that show is so good). Anyway, I have this playlist in itunes called “Movie Montage Moments” and it’s basically a list of all the songs that I can imagine being part of the soundtrack of some of the ongoing stories in my head. And I think that makes me sound like a crazy person a little bit. But nevertheless, this song is now a part of that playlist.

3. Catch Them All – Headlights
I think this may have been one of those free Starbucks songs, or otherwise it just magically appeared in my list of recent downloads but either way I love it.

4. Closer to Love – Mat Kearney
So I had kind of forgotten about this guy and then one day I was randomly looking through itunes and saw that he had a new album. I listened to a couple songs and really liked this one but I didn’t download it. And then I kid you not, the next day I was sitting at Starbucks and it started playing. So of course I was like, IT’S A SIGN! And I went home and downloaded it. I really like the line, “We’re all just one phone call from our knees.”

5. Conversation 16 – The National
The National is really quickly becoming my favorite band. I LOVE their new album and I am so ridiculously excited to see them at Lolla. I especially love them for lines line, “I was afraid I’d eat your brains cause I’m evil.”

6. The Curse – Josh Ritter
I can’t even handle how much I love this song. Look up the lyrics and read through them, like eight times. Because there’s a really interesting story there but there are about eighteen different underlying meanings you could take away from it and the writer in me is a little amazed by that.

7. Feeling Good – Nina Simone
This is another one from Chuck. It’s old school but I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz lately. Sometimes I’m up really late at night and jazz just seems appropriate. Although sometimes it makes me feel like taking up smoking and drinking scotch. Weird.

8. Get It – Childish Gambino
Okay, so I don’t really have an explanation for this one. First, there’s an obvious NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN that should be stamped over this track. Second, I’ve never been into rap at all but I can’t help it, I love this. Maybe I’m biased because it’s Donald Glover who plays Troy on Community and I’m a teeny bit in love with him. So there you so. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

9. Humdrum Town – Theophilus London
Pretty sure I found this one because it was recommended by my fake cutie political boyfriend Chris Hayes. And it turned into another one of those songs that I can listen to on hour long loops. I like to listen to it while driving around with the windows down through my own little humdrum town.

10. I Go to the Barn Because I Like the – Band of Horses
I really love Band of Horses and I know they just came out with a new album but I was again, on itunes, and I found this older one. The opening line is my favorite. “Well I'd like to think I'm the mess you'd wear with pride.”

11. In These Arms – The Swell Season
I just re-watched Once recently and it got me wanting to search out more of their stuff. This entire album is pretty awesome. Now that I’m using my iphone as my ipod I usually plug it in at night and play music as I’m trying to sleep (and I usually end up waking up in the morning to music still playing) and this is one of the albums that is fabulous to sleep to.

12. Lessons Learned – Matt & Kim
I think I’ve put some Matt & Kim stuff on earlier mixes but I really like them. They’re so upbeat. And they’re going to be at Lolla! I love that so many awesome bands are going to be there. Me = EXCITED.

13. Live Forever – Matt Morris
You know how I said that I’ve been playing music to put myself to sleep? Well, this is on my playlist of “Sleepy Time” songs and weirdly enough it was the song that was playing when I woke up for about five days in a row. Which also meant that it was in my head continuously for those five days. This is okay. I’m not complaining.

14. Myriad Harbor – The New Pornographers
I love this band enough for the name alone. Okay, well, there’s more than just the name but really? Where do these bands come up with these names? If you were in a band what would the name be? My sisters and I used to try and come up with weird names. I think my favorite was “Shannon and the Sunburns.” Another good one: “Sock Drawer.”

15. The Myth of Us – Joshua Radin
So randomly I was going through my itunes one Tuesday and I was listening to some Joshua Radin songs and found myself thinking that I hadn’t seen anything new from him in awhile. And when I checked online I discovered that he had just released a new EP THAT VERY DAY. It was a sign. So purchased it and this was my favorite song. All the others are good too though. Of course.

16. Physics Never Stood a Chance
I don’t know where I find these songs. But I LOVE this lyric. “And I was … to capture you in song but your will’s too strong, I can’t write you into my life, in my greatest work of fiction, is it true that we don’t work on paper.” Sometimes that’s all it takes, this hook or lyrics to make me feel ridiculous about some of these songs. I want to be able to write something so beautiful and meaningful.

17. Solitary Gun – Rogue Wave
I know they say that the album is a slowly dying art and that everyone just buys all theses single and I’m afraid I’m a part of that. I love Rogue Wave but I’ve only heard this song from their newest album. Oh, I’m a horrible fan. Why can’t I have an endless supply of money to spend any which way on itunes? Life is so unfair.

18. Swim Until You Can’t See Land – Frightened Rabbit
I was trying to figure out where I first found this band and then I remembered that it was from Rainn Wilson in an interview I saw online and seriously, what was life like before the internets? I cannot remember. Where would I find all this amazing music otherwise? Best Buy? Pshaw. So archaic.

19. Walls – The Rocket Summer
I believe I first heard this song in the Friday Night Light promos – which seriously give me chills every single time. I think the lead singer sounds a lot like the lead singer from Augustana. He kind of has the same upper register thing going on.

20. 40 Day Dream – Edward Sharpe
I didn’t realize how many Lolla bands there were on this list until I started writing it. But I am ridiculously excited for this band. Why? Because it sounds like they would be fun in concert. They’re so folksy and throwback and “Home” is basically one of my favorite songs in this world right now.

I'm Having a Moment

I can maybe understand why people get so easily addicted to drugs. Not that I'm personally into any illegal substances (that you know of mom, what what? - TOTALLY KIDDING). But there's something deliciously thrilling about being in a state of perpetual blissful high. Right now, my drug of choice? Life.

Life and friends and family and music and writing are lifting me up in a way, right now, that is hard to even describe. There's that whole Miltonian idea of Felix Culpa, a fortunate fall. Sometimes you have to know darkness before you can know light. Or, put another way, life has to really, really suck balls before you can appreciate the beauty of everything else that is there.

Now, yeah, obviously my life never got that dark, nothing completely tragic struck me down. Just a couple of crappy people and some bad decisions. But a year removed from all that muck and I feel like there is this constant light of happiness shining over me and I'm probably going to start freaking people out with my overzealous optimism and joy right now. (Seriously, how depressing was I that now every time I post something positive on Facebook people are like, WOW, WHO ARE YOU?)

So what's good?

Well, the next month is going to be filled with traveling and visiting friends and the Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago and really, this is all I need in my life - some amazing music, people to laugh with, and places to go and see and explore. And then I can come home and write about it all. This is my life. I like you.

Also, on July 1st I went to a promo shoot for some wrap-arounds that NBC is doing during a Community marathon tomorrow night. And let me let you, this day was incredible. There really are no words. Ken Jeong and Joel McHale were present and I'm not lying when I say that they were ridiculously kind and sweet and AMAZINGLY funny. And I got to spend five hours with them shooting these promo clips and laughing and oh yeah, now I'm going to be on NBC tomorrow. Say what?

Yeah, look for me. I'll be the girl with the WTF? expression as Ken Jeong whispers INSANE things in my friend's ear while sitting on her lap. Yes, this happened.

These things also happened:

Joel McHale tweeted a picture of me 

Joel McHale clearly thinks I'm awesome

These things feel surreal and not normal to my life. But hey, I'm up for change.

Also, did I say I have amazing friends? Cause I do and right now I feel like I'm wrapped in this constant cocoon of support and encouragement and love and hours long phone conversations about nonsense and friends who text me pictures of cupcakes when I'm sad, and genius people who flail with me for three hours at IHOP over television shows and writing, and okay I'm rambling like an idiot.

But life right now, is a beautiful thing and I'm having this moment and eating it too.

(I don't know what that means. Ignore me.)

LOVE.