every year i make this silly list and i truly don’t know why.
when i see others doing it i, for some reason, immediately think to myself, “oh, they must have something to prove” or, “man, the amount of super obscure indie bands on that list must really up their ego and sense of individuality.”
who knows if anyone really does that, but i can’t help but wonder sometimes.
i have encountered a few discussions over the years with fellow musicians, of whom i truly admire, about music that grooves, versus music you feel, and how i 90% of the time err of the side of music you feel.
a select few can’t possibly fathom how i could listen to bands like Sigur Rós on repeat for days and enjoy every second of it without getting bored or falling asleep. bands that feel take me places. they help me get to a place emotionally where i can contemplate life and all of the things that an average 23 year old thinks about on a daily basis, but in a calm and collected manner, because the music has taken me to a place, a place almost outside of myself, where i think things more clearly, rationally, and optimistically.
when i’m driving around town, or to the studio, or to work, or anywhere for that matter and i am audibly surrounded by “July” by Youth Lagoon I feel like my life is going places, like there is so much in store in every aspect of my life. when i arrive to said destination, i feel like whatever i am going to be doing there is suddenly more import.
or when i’m driving to Carmel to pay rent, for example, and “Echoes of Mine” my M83 comes on, i feel like this measly task of paying rent has suddenly turned into a grandiose mission. a mission to take on the world and conquer all that has been handed to me (just listen to the song, you’ll understand). it takes me there. i want music to take me places.
don’t get me wrong, i can feel these emotions without music, but they just help nudge me in the direction in which i believe my subconscious truly already is.
most of the bands on this list are here because they take me places.
if you are bored, i encourage you to check out some of these albums.
1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver - Bon Iver
2. Year of Hibernation - Youth Lagoon
3. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming - M83
4. House of Balloons - The Weeknd (yes, without the E)
5. Strange Mercy - St. Vincent
6. James Blake - James Blake
7. Slave Ambient - The War on Drugs
8. El Camino - The Black Keys
9. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
10. Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay
-Brandon
