10 Songs from the Last 4 Years

The last four years have been perhaps the most life changing years of my life. I have finished my bachelors degree and am nearly finished with two masters degrees. I’ve lived in France, loved, lost, traveled, spent money, and everything in between. One thing that helps motivate me in life and cope with the good and bad, is music. In the last four years, the music I listen to has been impacted as much as my life. While I could go on and on about a number of bands and songs, I’ll abridge the list to 10 bands and 10 amazing songs that captivated me, in the order they came into my life.

Winter 2007 (January): Filter, “Welcome to the Fold”
I discovered Filter at an interesting time. The band was on hiatus and hadn’t released an album in years. It did not stop me from putting “Welcome to the Fold” on repeat. I didn’t get the cd right away, so I spent countless hours streaming the song off Filter’s Myspace page. I remember the spot I sat at in the library that year of undergrad and would listen to this song. I was a sophomore and was just beginning to grasp the kind of student I wanted to be and the goals I had for myself. This song empowered me while I pursued my goals and helped pick me up when I made mistakes which I was on a crash course to do. It’s also one of the catchiest riffs I’ve heard.

Summer 2007: Exit Calm, “Awake”
At the end of my sophomore year and into the summer I was in a shitty relationship and was too young and stupid to know the difference and do something. As my misguided feelings confused me to no end, I came across a band from England called Exit Calm and their song “Awake.” It was the first time I had heard a band with so much depth and atmosphere since I first heard A Storm in Heaven by The Verve. “Awake” captured my imagination and Exit Calm stole my heart during a time when I was hanging it out to dry. Exit Calm helped me stay true to myself at the core, while on the outside I was acting like an ignorant fool. Later that fall when I traveled to France, I managed to hop over to England to see Exit Calm perform. I even met the band!

Fall 2007 (In France): Lowline, “Sound of Music”
I discovered Lowline and the song “Sound of Music” while sitting in the corner near west entrance of the McDonalds in Cesson Sevegine, France, a suburb of Rennes. The main hook in the song was spellbinding to me. My host family’s Internet was broken for a time and I honestly went to McDonald’s everyday to listen to this song. I’d go the counter, by a pop, and grab a seat and log on. I even listened to the band live on radio one night. “Sound of Music” was a special song I listened to during a special time. When I hear it, it always strikes heart strings that help me recall the streets I’d walk, the people I met, and the amazing time I had in Rennes.

Winter 2008: Model Morning: “As Guilty As”
Model Morning is another band from England like Lowline and Exit Calm. The song “As Guilty As” became an instant favorite of mine. The song combined many of my favorite aspects of music: fat riffy bass, dynamic drumming, psychedelic guitars, and power chords. It was and still is a great song that I listen to almost every day. Unfortunately the band broke up and for a while I felt a sense of guilt for not buying a ticket to England to see this band.

Late Spring 2008: The Black Angels, “You on the Run”
The Black Angels brought a different psychedelic sound to my ears. It was a good sound. Hot, steamy, misty, cloud days will always be associated with this song. I took a trip to a winery with similar weather and was listening to this song. The Black Angels did not immediately become a favorite of mine, but this song did.

Summer 2008: Rosella, “Life”
“Life” was a song that I listened to during the winter, but it was not until the summer time did the song take on special meaning to me. Rosella is a Cleveland band which makes them a favorite by default. I saw the band live during the summer with a new love interest. We had a great time together. “Life” is a hard rockin’ song with a kick ass guitar solo. To me the song holds a special place for reminding me of fun times with great people and other ways reminds me of the melancholy of graduating from undergrad, even though that would a year later.

Summer 2009: The Verve, “Blue Pacific Ocean”
The Verve’s reunion was over in 2008 and the band was history for good this time. It was not until 2009 a high quality version of their B-Side “Blue Pacific Ocean” emerged and found its way onto my MP3 player. The song was easily the stand out track from all the songs recorded during the Forth era and was the stand out track on the soundtrack of songs that accompanied me and my girlfriend on road trip to Maine. Although the Atlantic Ocean is not the Pacific, the song was still fitting. “Blue Pacific Ocean” is The Verve at one its best and captures the greatness of every facet of the band. The song brings visions of costal sunsets, warm air, and clear water.

Winter 2010: Epic 45, “Ghosts On Tape”
“Ghosts on Tape” is a blend of genres that I don’t really know how to describe. The video for the song is heart breaking and imaginative. The song came around during a time when I had depressing feelings daily. The song helped me confront my anxiety and turn it into hope as the days got longer and spring weather began to appear.

Summer 2010: Memory Cassette, “Ghost in the Boombox”
Summer 2010 was the polar opposite of Winter. I had quit my job, my girlfriend returned from a trip around the world and well, it was summer. “Ghost in the Boombox” was sort of a therapeutic song that helped me escape into my imagination on late sunny afternoons. I’d often get the song stuck in my head just before going on long runs. The song also reminds me of Lake Superior. I listened to this song while driving along the coast in the Upper Pennisula.

Summer 2010: Ulrich Sschnauss and Jonas Monk, “Johnny (Sentimental Fool)”
Ulrich Schnauss produced Exit Calm’s debut album. He released an album’s worth of music with Jonas Monk. One of the songs was a song called “Johnny.” “Johnny” is essentially the kind of song that plays on an Asics shoe commercial or in a documentary about traveling and getting in touch with mother nature. It is an instrumental song that is simply inspirational.