What I'm Listening To

This week, I put together a compilation of a dozen or so new (or new-to-me) songs, and it came together pretty quickly. Listening to through it again this evening, I stopped to reflect on why each one was appealing and why I likely included it; here are a few thoughts:

1. Valentino, Diane Birch. Its quirky and upbeat arrangement contrasts with its lyrics of longing.
2. You are the Best Thing, Ray LaMontagne. Oh, those opening horns! 'Nuff said.
3. Good Enough, Girlyman. The group's harmonies are always stunning, but a few lines of this song always give me goosebumps: "No one makes the rules you see/ You are in charge of destiny" and later "Here's my existence / Put it on a shelf". Powerful.
4. Little Plastic Castle, Ani Difranco. I can entirely relate to this line..."They say goldfish have no memory / I think their lives are much like mine / And the little plastic castle is a surprise every time." The surprise of constantly (re-)discovering a mundane fixture in one's existence is somehow appealing.
5. Sky, Joshua Radin. One of my newer finds, artist-wise, and I'm really digging him. I'm still processing the overall storyline of this song's lyrics, but this particular couplet appeals to me "This is the way I need to wake / I wake to you." I love the intimacy of this image.

Perhaps I'll dive into the remaining songs later...

All for now.
~A