emotional trash

It is funny, when you listen to so much music all of the time. Well, some of it’s funny. What I’m talking about is the whole “soundtrack your life” kind of thing, where certain songs get certain meanings, or memories, or emotions, or scenes, sights, sounds, etc. attached to them. You can’t control it sometimes. I certainly can’t anyways, but I can catalog them by season.

I’ve been doing that since the Summer of ’06, the summer when Everything Happened®. New Orleans, Violet Mice, The Nose, everything. Anyways, I started there. Been doing it seasonally ever since. The playlists are all the songs that were in my head at the time, no songs that happened afterwards, and they have to fit on a CD. Simple ways of limitations. Also funny is that for some of the songs, I can barely listen to them anymore, they have so much (too much) weight.

Summer 06

Opening-Philip Glass (amherst, rainy night, walking to the frontier)
The Violet Hour-The Clientele (new orleans, running to meet kyle for lunch)
Benton Harbor Blues-The Fiery Furnaces (new orleans, walking past a high school, up and down it’s stairs)
Les Jours Tristes-Yann Tiersen (in my head constantly, started on the train)
Black Swan-Thom Yorke (heard The Eraser the night before I left new orleans, was on repeat for the rest of summer)
Metamorphosis One-Philip Glass (came on random at solo lunch one day, fit eerily perfect)
The Day I Died-The Billy Nayer Show (i’m not annotating these anymore)
I Saw The Light-Todd Rundgren
Just A Thought-Gnarls Barkley
Something To Fall Back On-Todd Rundgren
Duluth-Mason Jennings
Fall Awake-The Ditty Bops
Catch My Disease-Ben Lee
Skylab Love Scene-The Gifted Children
Postcards From Italy-Beirut
Let The Serpent Sleep-Elf Power
Bird Of Prey-The Billy Nayer Show
They Don’t Need-Dog Traders

Winter 06-07

Buckle-Tapes N Tapes
The Young Idealists-Lloyd Cole
Banshee Beat-Animal Collective
Dog Door-Sparklehorse
Kid A-Radiohead
Omaha-Tapes N Tapes
Scenic World-Beirut
Loch Raven-Animal Collective
Demons Dance Alone-The Residents

Spring 07

The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead-Final Fantasty
Moldy Bread-Tapes N Tapes
If I Was A Carpenter-Leonard Nimoy
Some Loud Thunder-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Great Ghosts-Mount Eerie
Comfort Me-Sparklehorse
(Antichrist Television Blues)-The Arcade Fire
Florida-Modest Mouse
Armchairs-Andrew Bird
Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend-John Cale
Without You-David Bowie
Novocaine for the Soul-The Eels
Zero Sum-Nine Inch Nails
Up Against the Wall-Peter Bjorn & John
Teenage Wildlife-David Bowie
We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling-Of Montreal

Summer 07

Don’t Ask Why-My Bloody Valentine
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall-Bryan Ferry
Interior of a Dutch House-Beirut
Revelator-Gillian Welch
Impossible Germany-Wilco
Scythian Empire-Andrew Bird
Herculean-The Good, The Bad, and The Queen
Meladori Magpie-The Smashing Pumpkins
Unsolved Mysteries-Animal Collective
Pace Is The Trick-Interpol
Bring The Light-The Smashing Pumpkins
Ram On-Paul McCartney
Fireworks-Animal Collective
Pennies-Smashing Pumpkins
When Your Mind’s Made Up-Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp-Laura Nyro
Dig It-The Beatles
With Arms Outstretched-Rilo Kiley

Autumn 07

Nobody-Madeline
Weather Sky-Yo La Tengo
Happy-The Frames
Nantes-Beirut
Easy Money-Nick Cave
Annie-Jesse Carsten
Red Sails-David Bowie
It Won’t Be Long-The Beatles
So Damn Pure-Cass McCombs
Rise Above-Dirty Projectors
Flesh Canoe-Animal Collective
It Came In The Night-A Raincoat
Reckoner-Radiohead
Curtains-Peter Gabriel
Silence-PJ Harvey
Transatlantique-Beirut
Falling Out Of Love-6ths
La Ritournelle-Sebastien Tellier

Winter 07-08

Idiot Wind-Bob Dylan
4 Minute Warning-Radiohead
As I Went Out One Morning-Mira Billotte
Prospectors Arrive-Jonny Greenwood
La Cordillere Des Hommes-Woelv
Cold Hearted Cowboy-Old Lady
Valley Of Fire-Jackie-O Motherfucker
Walks Backwards-Atlas Sound
Blood In My Eyes-Bob Dylan
Heatherwood-Deerhunter
Oh Yoko-John Lennon
Electric Feel-MGMT
Supernatural Superserious-R.E.M.
Sentimental Heart-She & Him
While You Wait For The Others-Grizzly Bear
Cobwebs-Animal Collective
Paper Planes-MIA

Spring 08

Open Heart Surgery-Brian Jonestown Massacre
Living Well Is The Best Revenge-R.E.M.
Bright Tomorrow-Fuck Buttons
Fake Empire-The National
House Of Cards-Radiohead
Don’t Take My Sunshine Away-Sparklehorse
Kevin Rowlands 13th Time-Dexy’s Midnight Runners
My Night With The Prostitute from Marseilles-Beirut
Drum Gets A Glimpse-Liars
Out There On The Ice-Cut Copy
The Caterpillar-The Cure
Graham Greene-John Cale
The Rip-Portishead
Shadow Man-David Bowie
Wolves-Phosphorescent
Wonder Girl-Sparks
Herculean-The Good, The Bad, and The Queen

Summer 08

Be Dark Night-Phosphorescent
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us-Sparks
Somebody Who Loves You-Joan Armatrading
Gobbledigook-Sigur Ros
Song for Jo-Scarlett Johansson
Nothing Ever Happened-Deerhunter
Modern Love-Peter Gabriel
Indian Summer-R.E.M.
Strawberry Swing-Coldplay
Memphis, Tennessee-Elvis Presley
Hounds of Love-Kate Bush
Profanity Prayers-Beck
Wear Me Down-Blur
Elvis Presley & America-U2
A Coral Room-Kate Bush
Everybody But Me-Lykke Li
Telegraph-OMD
eraserinfitiemk2-Thom Yorke
Strange Overtones-David Byrne & Brian Eno

Autumn 08

Genetic Engineering-OMD
Strawberry Swing-Coldplay
Operation-Deerhunter
Cripple and the Starfish-Antony
Crying-TV on the Radio
Vox Humana-Deerhunter
Mississippi-Bob Dylan
Calvary Scars-Deerhunter
White Tape-Sleep City
When You Were Mine-Prince
4-Neu-OMD
Fireworked Beach-Animal Skull
Coffin Trick-Atlas Sound
G.L.O.W.-Smashing Pumpkins
Main Title (billy)-Bob Dylan
Elvis Presley & America-U2
Innosense-Smashing Pumpkins
Oh, The Places-Lake
LES Artistes-Santogold

Winter 09

That’s The Way (My Love Is)-Smashing Pumpkins
No One Does It Like You-Dept. Of Eagles
Once In A While-Smashing Pumpkins
Aeon-Antony
Guy’s Eyes-Animal Collective
Communion-Smashing Pumpkins
Seven-Fever Ray
Joe The Lion-David Bowie
Seen and Not Seen-Talking Heads
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence-Ryuichi Sakamoto
So Far Around The Bend-The National
No Dice-Beirut
FOL-Smashing Pumpkins
Objects of My Affection-Peter Bjorn & John
Stay Alive-The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Here In My Heart-6ths
Walk Into The Mirror-Stephen Malkmus & Jicks

So. You may ask, “why did you type all that out?” Well, because it’s really important. To me, to you, to the world. It’s what kept me awake and alive.

Here’s your homework: go find and listen to the songs above that you’ve never heard before.

Here, I’ll start you off: