If you are anything like me, you have found yourself developing a slight knot in your stomach when a curious mind asks about what movie, book, or song you find incomparable to all others. While I admit that I do not consume as much literature or watch films regularly, and can answer those questions quite quickly, I consider one of my hobbies to be digging up auditory gems and will never be able to pick a track that is definitive of my existence. When this question has been posed to me in the past, I have felt like a parent being asked to pick a favorite child or myself being asked to pick a favorite pasta dish. Like children and carbohydrates, songs are not as easily isolated. There are so many factors and emotions life stages to consider that I would go as far as to say that it is nearly impossible to just pick one. As an avid playlist maker, however, I will say that there are groupings of songs that I tuck away as reminders of certain times and changes in my life. Since I have recently made some major adjustments, I thought it would be apropos to reflect on some songs that say what I have been feeling as of late. I hope that you can find some solace in them (and the amazing visuals that accompany them) in the way that I did.
"Horseshoe crab" - Slothrust
Although this track has not been released for too long, it is an apt depiction of the uncertainty that comes with the college experience and growing up in general. When one is thrown into the masses of other young adults and forced to pave a unique path, it can be difficult to remain confident. As singer Leah Wellbaum sings, sometimes you feel like a distinguished creature and other times just a crustacean crawling by. In all this, we find comfort in the fact that we all came from the same place and are simply trying to be better in a multitude of ways.
"How Does it Feel?" - Kamaiyah
While just about every college student lives for the day when they are able to break out of the dorms and live independently for the first time, what many do not consider is how the cost of bills, food, and impulse buys add up. This song by amazing rapper Kamaiyah chronicles the daydream that we have all had about enjoying our lavish dining rooms and no longer having to live off of measly library jobs and scant, but generous, donations from our parents.
"This Year" - The Mountain Goats
A classic anthem of resilience and will-power, this song from the Mountain Goats is guaranteed to be the driving force of those early mornings and restless nights. When you feel like midterms, an existential crisis, and the yearly cold have all converged on the same week in an effort to bring you down, take a minute and listen to John Darnielle assure you that you will make it through the next 300 or so days even if it leads your demise.
"Balance" - Future Islands
It can be simple to point out all the things that need to change in order for us to be satisfied with our lives but if we are not being patient and proactive, nothing will come out of it. While some things are out of our control like paying bills and putting our best effort into school, making the best out of all the rest is up to time and the individual. In one of his signature upbeat and danceable tracks, Sam Herring wails that the life you have been hoping for just takes “a little trust and time”.
In addition to these songs, and a plethora of others, rest easy and know that you are an impenetrable force of nature who has the power to succeed in all things.
