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The Sarah McLachlan Effect: Why I Almost Named My Website After A Song
The first time I heard Sarah McLachlan’s Building A Mystery, it felt like my life was being reflected back at me through song. The chorus sums up the experiences of my young adult life at the time: I had no idea where I was going or how to get there, but I knew that with each moment and experience, I was building something solid and real within myself that would prepare me for what comes next. My website on Tripod was originally titled Building A Mystery, after the Sarah McLachlan song. Building A Mystery was my first choice when it came to deciding what my website should be named. I…
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The Underrated Beauty of Bon Iver
Many people have heard of Bon Iver, but few have listened to their music. The American indie folk band rose to popularity in 2008 with their self-titled album, which was named after the founder Justin Vernon’s abandoned hunting cabin, Emma, in Wisconsin. While it has been eight years since the release of this debut album, the band continues to grow a large fan base and produce beautiful music, including their latest album i,i that was released in 2019. Justin Vernon’s debut, For Emma, Forever Ago broke onto music scene in a big way and continues to be one of most influential albums in recent years. The mesmerizing album combines gorgeous…
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The Man Who Wrote The Lyrics That Defined My Generation
Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M., has given us the soundtrack to our lives. He’s given us songs like Losing My Religion, Imitation of Life, and Everybody Hurts that define our emotions and experience as we grow up in a chaotic world where anything can happen at any time, and often does. R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe has been one of rock music’s most prolific lyricists over his decades-long career. He’s won Grammys for writing songs and been included in many lists of top lyricists, including Rolling Stone’s list of greatest songwriters ever and VH1’s Top Musical Muses. Writing lyrics is not only an art but also a science; as is true…
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A Murder Of One
A Murder of One by Counting Crows has become my latest musical obsession. The last time I had a musical obsession, it was Stolen Car by Beth Orton. What draws me to an obsession about this song is when they sing don’t waste your life, the way I waste my life. It gets me thinking, did I waste my life? And if so, am I still wasting my life? I noticed rather quickly after browsing the site that my theory in high school honors English class had been finally proven, now over a decade too late; everybody has a different reaction to music, which is really nothing more than poetry…
