Playlist

I apologize for not posting as normal on Saturday. I had tried so hard to make sure I could post, but spur-of-the-moment group outings kept me from doing so. To make up for that, you will get two posts this week – one today and one on Saturday. Capisce?

I'm going to use tonight as an opportunity to share with you all a piece of my soul... so to speak, anyways. For all that are reading this and know me in person, you may know that music is an incredibly important part of my life. For any of you that don't know that or don't know me... I have permanently marked my body in gratitude to music. Do the math.

One particular hobby of mine concerning music is making playlists. Taking beautiful songs that can be interpreted in many different ways and mashing them together into one convenient list can be a daunting task. However, there is little that is more fulfilling than compiling a perfect playlist – of hearing the tracks flow together seamlessly and create a story within their lyrics. That story could be about a time in your life that, to you, needed commemoration, or about someone that makes you feel such a way that you can't put it into words, but those artists can.

I have an ongoing project that I started a few months ago: a playlist about my time at Belhaven. All of the songs on this playlist remind me of something that has happened or a person that I've met that has become an important part of my life. There are a few particular songs that deserve a spotlight mention, and hopefully, if you listen to them, you'll find them enjoyable or even relatable... But that's for you to figure out for yourself.

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Two notes before I begin:

• Because I wrote an entire post about them last time (and probably will at some point in the future), I will not be including any All Time Low in this list.
• Should you enjoy any of these and want to look into the artists more, the format of the song listing is song - artist (album).

Airship Pirate - Abney Park (Lost Horizons)

This song is one of the first songs that comes to mind when I think of all of my friends. It all started with this insane idea for a (book? TV? I'm not even sure anymore) series in which many ofg us are a part of this airship pirate crew in a steampunk alternate universe. The hype surrounding the idea may have died down since its origination, but I still can't help but remember how many times this song (or this album, for that matter) was played while brainstorming for this story.

We Are Sex Bob-Omb - Sex Bob-Omb (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World OST)

After a movie night to celebrate my eighteenth birthday, this entire soundtrack brings to mind nothing but memories of great friends and delicious pizza. I wasn't sure which song I wanted to include here at first because this entire soundtrack is a must-listen. Then, I reminded myself of the night we watched this movie and how this song charged my dorm's lobby with a palpable energy and intrigued my friends (many of whom hadn't seen the movie before), and a light bulb flashed in my head. This is the song. I have to put this one in.

Sadie Hawkins Dance - Relient K (The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek)

As a faithful lover of pop-punk, I was shocked that my friends actually had heard of this band. I was even more shocked to learn that they actually knew more of their songs that I did. I shouldn't have been surprised, considering that Relient K is a Christian band... Yet I could do nothing but watch in a mix of amusement and awe while a small portion of my friend group sat with me on a stone table in the middle of the night, all of them singing this song without missing a beat.

Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys (AM)

Since, according to some of my friends, I am a hipster, I must have this overwhelming inclination to listen to indie music. Therefore, I feel the need to introduce one of the more recent bands to come into the public eye to you all. The guitars and bass provide this ... addictive, almost sultry groove that hypnotizes me. It's no wonder I had this song on repeat for a couple of weeks... And it doesn't help that this song is probably the most accurate representation of my romantic life at the moment. I'm just going to leave it at that.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

A part of my playlist is devoted to songs that are played in a class I am taking this semester that combines music and various worldviews. I've only been in this class for two weeks, so there isn't much for me to mention here, but I really enjoy it so far. I won't include videos, but if you're intrigued, look them up and take a listen!

• Losing My Religion - R.E.M. (Out of Time)
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2 (The Joshua Tree)
• Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead (The Bends)
• Closer to Fine - The Indigo Girls (Indigo Girls)

- Sara