I've stated on multiple occasions how much music means to me. How the lyrics help me feel less alone in the world, knowing someone else has felt and thought the same way as I have. Anyone who knows me can back up my words when I say I could talk about music all day. Pulling out different lyrics and why they are so important to me.
I take those songs and those albums and suggest them for others to listen to. I explain to them why the record is so important to me and to really listen to the lyrics of the songs. There's a quote, or well, at least I'm pretty sure it's a quote that says something like, to get to really know a person on a deeper level, simply listen to their favorite records.
Granted, I know that's not going to divulge everything and somethings are misleading, but you get my point. Music helps give a great insight into how a person feels and thinks.
"Okay, Lib, we get it. What's the point of the article?"
Right! I'm going to show you three records I never get tired of singing along to and which means the world to me. To me, these records embody the internal, the external and life itself. If you want, and you really should, give them all a listen when you have time. You never know when you could unearth a new favorite band.
The Maine - "Pioneer"
No, that's not a picture of me with red lipstick. This record, "Pioneer," helped me discover a part of myself I never knew existed. I hold it so very close to my heart. There are days when I feel like I'm losing myself or falling back to a dark place, I put this record on and close my eyes and will be able to find my way back. "Pioneer," lyrically is packed with emotions and feelings about living free and being young. Each track tells a different story about being young. Whether you are trying to figure out who you are and standing out from the norm; that there are good days and bad days and you are stronger than you know. That it's okay to take time to sort yourself out; that Misery will always try to find its way back into your head but you are capable to keep her away. When I first heard it, a lot of things started changing for me internally and I know it has for others as well. This album is about being young and figuring yourself out with everything else that comes with being young. To sum up the record at its core, "I am weakness; I am greatness."
The Wonder Years - "Suburbia: I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing" 
We all grow up hating our hometown, right? It's too small, it's too big, it's too whatever the opposite of what we wish we had. Then when you grow up and for the most part look back at your hometown and realize that as f****d as this place was, it still made me, me. That's something I've learned in growing up and leaving my hometown only to return and look back on memories. "Suburbia" is the second record in the trilogy of growing up. It signifies change, realizations that your elders do grow old, and that anxiety can have a hold on your life at times. That growing up and changing isn't always a bad thing. This is a record that I listen to cover to cover at least three to four times a week. The lyrics on this record sometimes sound like friends diner conversations that you overhear late at night. I have lyrics from this record tattooed on me and plan to have more. You may have hated growing up in your town, but it helped shape you into the person you are today. This record is one of the best I've ever listened to, and I really do think all of you should listen to it as well. I'll leave it with one of the most real lyrics I have ever heard. "It's not about forcing happiness; it's about not letting sadness win."
Neck Deep - "Life's Not Out To Get You"
Life isn't out to get you, I promise. Despite what you may be feeling, I promise you it's not. "Neck Deep" also agrees as their sophomore album was, in my and many other's opinion, the best record of 2015. This record exemplifies how life isn't always trying to drag you down. That life is good and it's only going to get better. Ben Barlow sings about how "what you give is what you get" and that you can overcome any and all problems that you may encounter. This record covers leaving negative people behind, how your hometown will always have a lasting impression on your life and to remember that your friends will always be there to help you out, even if you don't always deserve it. This record is full of sing along to songs and a deeper meaning that will resonate through anyone. "Life's Not Out To Get You" is a record to keep you positive and motivated while reminding you that you can get better and be better one day. "Sometimes things will bend you, but trust me you'll be fine. I've been moving mountains, that I once had to climb."
