Good Vibrations | Artists, Albums and Songs on Repeat

 

I've been treating myself kindly by letting music back into my life and am finding it one of the most effective ways to shut off from the world when I want a break. I have been listening to so many amazing tunes lately which are giving a much needed boost in motivation, inspiration and general good vibes. In these vibrations, I am rekindling an essential humanity: laughing, crying, singing, dancing and ruminating.

Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony and The Ride
Do you ever discover an artist/band or album and just know, deep down, that you will never grow tired of their songs no matter how many times you play them to death? It's one of those beautiful, rare things that has only happened to me twice before discovering Catfish and the Bottlemen. Every single song on both of their albums is killer and they never fail to make me feel indescribable things. These guys are simply brilliant. They pride themselves on not 'thinking outside the box' but staying inside it and drawing on the fundamentals of rock. Their approach is 'simple', but their delivery is phenomenal. I am absolutely obsessed and cannot wait to one day see them perform live, wherever and whenever that may be.
Favourite Songs: Kathleen, Hourglass, Cocoon, 7, Outside and Twice.

Sing Street Soundtrack
My sister introduced me to the movie Sing Street last week and ever since, I have been playing the soundtrack on repeat. Taking place in 1980s Dublin, Sing Street follows 14 year old Conor and his band, which was initially formed to impress a local girl. The original music is spine tingling good and the kind of stuff that can turn a bad mood into a good one. Much like La La Land, it's inevitable not to aspire to bigger things and feel the burning desire to chase your dreams after watching the film and listening to the soundtrack.
Favourite Songs: Riddle of the Model, Up, Drive It Like You Stole It and Go Now

Blossoms - Blossoms
While I am only just easing into this indie-pop/psychedelic band, I can tell they will be playing on repeat for a long time to come. One of the hooks for me was the fact that their singer Tom Ogden's vocals are strikingly reminiscent of Alex Turner's. Blossoms have me dreaming of days from an elusive yesteryear I never lived through.
Favourite Songs: Charlemagne, Getaway, Texia, Onto Her Bed and Honey Sweet

Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear
I first listened to I Love You, Honeybear mid last year but for some reason, never bothered to fully explore the entire album. To me, the work of Father John Misty (real name Joshua Tillman) just gets better with each listen. His lyrics are so intricate, so tender yet so mournful. It's hard not to get misty eyed while swaying to this indie-folk/indie-rock singer's vocals. It makes for perfect lazy afternoon listening and brooding.
Favourite Songs: I Love You, Honeybear, When You're Smiling and Astride Me, Holy Shit and Nothing Ever Good Happens At The Goddamn Thirsty Cow. 

A Peek Inside My Diary #2

This song is:
Quiet car rides along the deserted highway late at night, Hej cafe in London, fireplaces, Borough market and Druid St adventures, a warm cup of coffee, a gentle smile from the barista, dreams of the past and hopes for the future, Autumn leaves crunching underfoot, loneliness and loveliness, journals, my bed, fairy lights. Feeling whole, feeling alive but feeling wistful. Forever yearning for the feeling of home, for somebody’s arms to hold me.

I have taken up a new writing prompt practice: playing a song that's close to my heart and writing down whatever comes to mind. When suffering periods of writer's block, I've found it the best way to get things moving again. First thought best thought.

Nostalgia & Saudade | A Playlist

One evening I found myself listening to a particular song and, not for the first time, I felt a very specific emotion. The best way to describe it would have to be nostalgia void of the visual stimuli, the rush of memories, or that elusive feeling you get of a specific time or place from the past. This feeling has always haunted me in a way because it's so hard to define.

Before, I simplified it as a nostalgia for something you never had or experienced. But in my inherent desire to pursue accuracy, this troubled me, as the definition of nostalgia is 'a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past'. Even if this past was one that I wasn't alive to experience, it falls short. (I'd say 'Golden Age thinking' would be more appropriate for such a situation and this certainly isn't how I would describe how I felt).

After a little research, I found possibly the closest term that I'll ever come across that satisfies this feeling. The Portuguese term Saudade is defined as 'a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present...it's not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness.'

This got me thinking about a lot of things, predominantly how freaking amazing and magical music is that it can evoke feelings I never even knew existed before further investigation. It had me pondering the English language and how many more discrepancies exist between an emotion and an accurate description or term. It then had me appreciate how incredible languages other than my own native tongue are.


But I digress. The main purpose of this post is to share some of the few songs that have tugged at my heart stings in a way that's just that bit different to others. This playlist consists of songs that provoke feelings which exist somewhere between nostalgia and saudade. It is both a fond reminiscing of moments in the past and a yearning for something I never had. What that something is I'm not quite sure. Maybe I'll never know in my lifetime. But for what it's worth, it's thanks to the specific effect that these songs have on me that I feel inspired to reevaluate my life, to get out there and make the most of it.        

Background Image Credit: Tiina Törmänen