Phases

The trials and tribulations of life. There are ups, there are downs; and there is inevitably a soundtrack to every single moment. The association of music to feelings plays a much bigger part to our lives than we know. It takes some objective thinking and digging into our day to day lives to realize this and find this pattern; and to see how our musical tastes partner with our feelings.

Our music tastes change throughout our lives, and most of the time this caters to how a song or album attaches itself lyrically and emotionally to meaningful events. I was just happening to be pondering this idea in my head for a number of reasons today.

Today; being my birthday, has been barraged (in a very good way) with many people wishing you the best. A happy, healthy, and joyful year ahead that will be better than the last by at least tenfold. While in many circumstances this may be true, today has seen a little heartache from none other than the opposite sex. It's never fun when communication breaks down, and it's really not fun to get blown off on your birthday; whether it is intentional or not.

Why am I upset? There's really no factual or quantifiable reason; just making plans and having them broken sucks. Especially when you're interested.

Where am I going with this? Well I woke up this morning finding lyrics in songs much more identifiable. Much more close to where "My Heart" is at in the current moment. It's amazing how I thrived on being alone for so long, and now I cringe at the thought of another second of it! Listening to Brand New, Afghan Whigs today it's amazing how identifiable all these subjects are when you're looking for it. Feeling of loss, loneliness, and also being close to someone are all heavy themes in Brand New's music. However I have failed to take these to heart until this very moment when I'm feeling it. While Afghan Whigs lyrical themes are a bit more brash and blunt, the idea is there. I have loved Brand New's music for a long time, but a lot of it was more of the emotion in the actual instrumentation. The lyrics are just great.

I find myself listening to "Jesus" on repeat today for these very reasons. The heartache and emotion that went into that song is incredible; and it's simplicity continues to intrigue me every time.

Enough heartache though, we are almost forgetting the other parts of our lives, the amazing ones! While Brand New plays heavily into that as well, I definitely find my self either attaching to different aspects of the music or reading into lyrics differently. There is definitely much more Blink 182 involved in the mix, and quite a bit more NOFX as well.

I just find it pretty interesting and in fact amazing that our minds will automatically change gears and find different themes in the same songs. Our minds are a crazy thing, and the thought of cracking open and deciphering our own thoughts is one that is a career in itself.