thoughts&tunes

musical wonderings.

[hellotsk]

dear worry,

They say wisdom comes with age. But so does worry. And the thing about worry is that it gets worse over time. The older we get, the more things we have to worry about - more relationships, more problems, more stuff, more responsibilities and obligations and expectations. Worry is a constant for many people. We worry about those we love - if they’re happy, if they’re doing well, if they know what it is that they mean to us. We worry about ourselves - if we’re good enough, if we’re smart enough, if we’re secure enough in the lives we lead. We worry about every aspect of what the future holds and, sometimes, even of what the past has already dropped on our doorstep. Actively or passively, a little or a lot, we all worry. We worry that we don’t have enough time, that we don’t have enough money, that we don’t have enough of what we need to survive. The irony of it is that the things most of us tend to worry about are just a waste of time. And the things we actually should be worried about never even cross our minds. Worrying has never solved anything. If anything, it just makes everything worse.

“You seem tired today. Were you up all night, afraid of what the future might bring?”

You Worry Me, by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, is a soulful tribute to worry. A folky, bluesy, vintage sound, accompanied by expressive vocals and a steady beat, make this song a perfect little teaser to Tearing at the Seams, set to release in just over a month.

Until then, don’t worry ‘cause everybody wants the same thing...

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear endings,

Endings are tough. They’re hard and long and sad and sometimes happy and sometimes good. Sometimes, they’re even needed.  Everything in life that doesn’t turn out your way is a lesson. Every ending is an opportunity to start again, try again, learn something and make better decisions next time.

But it’s still tough, even if it’s necessary.

“Hang your head and cry if you like,  but all is well that ends.”

Rainbow Kitten Surprise. What a name. What an album. What a band. All’s Well That Ends is the penultimate track on RKS and it’s a real heavy hitter. With an addictive, crazy-catchy intro of pure melodic strings accompanied by perfectly toned vocalization, the first thirty seconds of this song are intensely gripping.

And then the lyrics start. Alternating between devastatingly beautiful prose like “held in your arms, the hole in my head grows... whole” and intense vocal runs, the complex arrangement of this song makes it like something that I can’t really say I’ve ever heard quite in this way before. The whole RKS album, in fact, was an instant favourite because of its unique arrangements, wide range of styles within a fairly established genre, and exquisite songwriting. And All’s Well That Ends is a quintessential example of why. After all, every ending is a new beginning, whether it ends well or simply just... ends.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear trust,

Think of the last time you had a fight with someone. Not just an argument or a tense discussion, but a real make-or-break the relationship kind of fight. One of those fights that you can pinpoint and highlight as significant when looking back through the timeline of the relationship. Remember how awful it was? How your cheeks burned with anger and your stomach turned with hatred in the heat of the battle? And then do you remember how much it hurt to grieve another fallen friend for days, weeks, months, maybe even years after? Now think how you feel about it today. Do you still burn from the memories of it? Do you still feel the anger and resentment bubbling somewhere underneath the surface? Or has the time and distance away changed your point of view? Have you managed to move forward? Have you managed to forgive, even if you can’t forget? Especially if you can’t forget.                                                             *** Relationships change over time. People grow, they mature, they evolve. Circumstances change. Our points of view change. And in the heat of the moment, when all you can see is angry red or disappointed blue, all you have to fall back on is the foundation that that relationship is built on. And if it’s not a stable foundation that’s built on trust, it’s almost impossible to remind yourself that the other person probably deserves the benefit of the doubt. That they probably didn’t mean to hurt you. That their intentions were pure, even if the result leaves you tainted and damaged. Trust in someone else depends on reciprocal vulnerability, honesty, and a willingness to communicate. And the ironic thing about it is that those are all things we humans tend to shy away from. We hate feeling vulnerable. We don’t say what we mean, half the time because we’re scared of its impact and the other half because we don’t know ourselves what it is that we mean.  And in the circumstances in which we find ourselves having one of those big fights with someone we care about, it’s easy to lose sight of the value that that relationship has. Until our perspective changes, if it ever does, it’s hard to remember that sometimes all it takes is a sincere “I’m sorry” - not necessarily because we were wrong or as an admission of guilt, but just as an acknowledgement that we caused heartache that we never meant to cause.

“Did I build you a prison? Please don’t let me go. I’ve unlocked the door But you can’t walk away from me.”

Stars describes the loss of trust and the ultimate betrayal that comes from cheating in a relationship in The Big Fight. The conversation between the female and male vocals follows a foundation that’s crumbling beneath the weight of lies, half-truths, and perceived expectations. 

The Canadian indie pop band mixes upbeat melodies, infused at times with big band sounds, with addictive modern arrangements and thought-provoking lyrics. This juxtaposition is a staple throughout Stars’ discography and it makes them timeless in their style.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear giving,

We’re strange creatures, us humans. We’re a whole lot of contradictions and passing moods and changing minds, wrapped up in a neat, and sometimes messy, little package. And one of our biggest contradictions is found in the form of giving. 

I used to think that humans were good by default - that we were generous and kind and caring and loving and giving, freely and with no agenda. And I still think that sometimes. When I see the kindness of strangers, or the rallying of a community in times of hardship, or the hospitality of those that have little in the world, it’s hard not to acknowledge the vast amount of love that exists.

But the thing I’ve noticed more and more over the years is how that voluntary, gracious giving changes into something different. It seems that the more we give, the emptier we feel if and when we don’t receive back. And that emptiness breeds resentment and frustration and confusion which makes us question what the point of giving is after all. I’ve tried to resolve that contradiction in my own mind by figuring out at what point we make the distinction. At what point do we factor in the balance between giving and taking? At what point is what we give determined by what it is that we receive in return? So far, it seems that as we get older and more jaded and bitter, we tend to focus more heavily on the taking rather than the giving. And that is a real shame because it is in the giving that we are truly at our best.

“I’ve been trying to save you the trouble, But you won’t let me.”

Jack Garratt’s indie-infused electronic tune, The Love You’re Given, touches on the complexities of giving and receiving love. The chilling vocalization throughout this tune sets the atmosphere for what is sure to be an emotive five minutes ahead. And once the intense beat picks up, a fitting counter balance to the mellow, torrid lyrics and haunting atmosphere is created, symbolizing the give and take we all try to reconcile within ourselves. Give generously, take thoughtfully, and find a gentle balance between the two.

Love all ways, -tsk 

[hellotsk]

dear point of view,

It’s funny how people can have totally differing opinions about the same occurrence. It’s nearly impossible to completely agree on how an event or set of circumstances should be interpreted, especially if you’re approaching a subjective situation that has no objective truth to it. And since there is no objective truth, it’s so easy to get lost in the arguments that bolster our own opinion and viewpoint, especially when we’re convinced that we’re right.

We see things through our own individual perspectives, our own unique points of view. The lens and angle we’re viewing a situation through can completely alter our perception of it. And, because we only have our own point of view to reference, I guess it makes sense that we tend to not agree with other people, even in situations that seems so clearly black and white. In the heat of the moment, it’s particularly difficult to take a step back and remember that there are always two sides to every story and that most things are actually varying shades of grey. It’s hard to remember to practice empathy, to look at things from another side, and to approach everyone with kindness because we never know what struggles they are facing and how those struggles are affecting their current perspective. It’s so easy to get blinded by our ego in the fight to be right about something or someone. It’s easy to let our pride egg on our stubbornness when we finally start seeing the situation in its particular shade of grey and we realize that, no matter how right we may have been, we were also at least a little bit wrong. And it’s even easier to refuse to accept any of that blame until we’re given a good enough reason to shift our perspective, if one ever comes. That’s the problem with points of view - they are subjectively unique to our own experiences and history, our current state of mind, our passing moods and fleeting emotions. They can be swayed and changed and altered, especially as time goes by. The funniest thing about points of view is that, sometimes, we no longer agree with our own version of events. As time and distance provide clarity, there’s a possibility that we change our perspective on any given situation, especially if we make an effort to reflect or explain or understand. Points of view are never absolute truths. And that makes them simultaneously the best and worst things to base our decisions on.

“Everything ends. Everything has to.”

Conor Oberst is a musical mastermind. He’s what I’d consider a thoroughly talented musician in every sense of the word - lyrically, instrumentally, and as a performer. His genius is especially evident in his last two albums, Ruminations and Salutations. While very similar, the two are also very different and Counting Sheep is a great example of the subtle, but significant shift that occurs in his perspective from one album to the other. Ruminations is a 10-song album entirely written and performed by the mastermind himself. Sounding a little rough in places, the album has a sense of intimate solitude, raw honesty, and hasty urgency in its delivery. Its tempo is slow, its vibe is vulnerable, and it leans more towards the folk-ey, acoustically authentic end of the spectrum.

“I’m just tryin’ to be easy, acceptable... I don’t want to seem needy to anyone, Especially you.”

Salutations, on the other hand, features full band versions of all 10 original songs on Ruminations and has an additional 7 songs included. The soft polish and perfection that comes across in Salutations implies a shifted point of view, one that comes only with the passing of time and the reflection and understanding that often brings. A little more upbeat and pop-ey in its delivery, Salutations is the result of another assessment of the situation, another glance through a different lens and from a different angle. It takes the time that’s passed into account and updates the perspective to match the internal evolution.

The musical arrangements, sneaky lyrical changes, overall vibe, and order of songs distinguish one album from the other. Nonetheless, they are two different points of view that have developed from the same point of origin, changing and shifting within the artist to become something else - something that’s the same, yet different.

And I suppose that’s the saving grace when it comes to points of view. They may be uniquely our own, but they can change. The trick is being able to recognize when we need to make the effort to change them.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear history,

They say history tends to repeat itself. We’re creatures of habit, us humans. And we feel most comfortable in situations where we already know the outcome. We’re not comfortable in the unknown and that’s why it’s so difficult to motivate ourselves to take risks. We like what we know. And each of our histories make us who we are - unique individuals. Each moment of our past defines us in some way. Each decision and circumstance had consequences. Each mistake, each lesson, each good and bad day add up to get us to where we are now, in this moment. We need it all to be who we are. But the point of that is to learn from the bad, the mistakes, the failures, and improve. History provides us with the opportunity to do better, to be better. Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result is the definition of insanity (at least if you ask Einstein, who may or may not have said it). The whole point of living is to make better choices each day, to be a better human. Or maybe it’s not? If we’re just doomed to repeat history anyway, maybe any choice we make is futile, so why bother? We run into the same problems over and over again, just in different circumstances, in different people, in different periods in our lives. If it’s all predetermined destiny anyway, why waste time and effort trying to fight it? Either way, our history defines who we are, but our present moment defines who we could be. At least, I hope that’s the case.

“’Cause there’s nothing like you and I...”

I heard this song yesterday after an interesting series of seemingly unrelated, yet musically connected events over 10 years in the making. And after listening to it for the first time ever, I was instantly in love with it. Besides the nostalgic ‘90s pop vibe I get from its almost sickly sweet lyrics, its intoxicatingly melodious hook, and its perplexingly fitting banjo strings, the connection I made with this song from Australian hip hop duo, Horrorshow, had to do specifically with my history, musical and otherwise. You see, Walk You Home (This Day) has a quick little reference to this tune:

“There’s nothing like you and I.”

This is Nothing Like You and I, by Swedish indie rock band, The Perishers and I’ve known of this song’s existence for over a decade. Never in a million years would I have thought I would come across it yesterday in the way that I did. And the only way I would have found that moment of intense musical bliss is because stumbling upon it made even more special. The random coincidence of hearing it made me relive all of the dots that have to be connected to get to this moment in time. I got to relive past friendships, past moments of happiness, and sometimes sadness, past memories, all because of two lines in a song that dumb luck (or predetermined destiny, depending on who you ask) brought my way. And that, to me, is absolute, pure, and utter magic. Music connects all those little bits of history into one flowing story, one vintage movie reel that plays in the flash of a second in your mind’s eye. A song, a lyric, a reference, a melody, they all have the power to invoke every choice and moment and decision in our life’s story that led us to this one musical discovery. And that is one hell of a ride.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear destiny,

Ever feel like you’re watching your favourite movie for the zillionth time and all of the different scenes are flashing through your mind? Like you know exactly what’s going to happen, but you think about all the varying possibilities anyway? 

But there’s a twist.

You know the story so well because you’re the main character. And you watch just for the guilty pleasure of thinking about all the other ways things could have gone. 

That’s what I feel like life is sometimes. It’s your favourite movie that you’re just watching on repeat and, each time, you get to make a different choice about a single detail. That detail may change nothing in the grand scheme of the story, but maybe it could change everything.

                                                              ***

Destiny is another concept I’ve had a tough time with. The idea that there is some power out there, some fate that we are all bound to - that we have no control over what happens to us, that there is no free will seems absurd to me.

But lately, I’ve been warming up to the idea of inevitably propelling down a predetermined path. It makes life much easier in a way. You’re already trapped on the ride, you may as well try to enjoy it.

“I’m always where I need to be...”

The Kooks are another big love of mine. Always Where I Need To Be is a great example of why. Their gritty British indie rock is abrasively exfoliating. It’s raw and a little dirty, but it’s so soul-soothing. It leaves you feeling energized, cleaner, a bit banged up, but also a bit more real.  At the end of this tune, I feel about as good as I imagine someone that believes in destiny feels like - free to enjoy wherever the next scene takes me.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear sadness,

Sadness is something that the vast majority of us try to avoid. Most of us have trouble dealing with the blues, the low points of life, the hard days to get through. We don’t know how to process the sadness so we just try our best to distract ourselves with TV or exercise or sex or drugs or alcohol or anything else that offers a respite. We don’t like sadness because we have a hard time putting in the work of trying to figure out where it stems from. And even if we do, sadness is a slippery slope. For those of us that are inclined to see the sad parts of life more clearly than the happy ones, getting stuck in a sad spiral is not a good idea. For some, it leads to the worst ideas. But it’s in the sadness that we can discover the things that matter to us the most. It’s when we’re feeling the lowest that we miss the things that get us high, the things that give us sweet relief. We miss the people we love, we miss the things we love doing, we miss the joie de vivre that propels us into another day of existence, despite the ugliness we see. And so, while sadness may be something that you want to spend as little time as possible feeling, don’t forget that there is beauty in it too. There is clarity and direction and purpose there if you look for it. And it’s okay to feel sadness as deeply as happiness, at least once in a while. 

“Guess life is long When soaked in sadness On borrowed time From Mr. Madness...”

I’ve had Glass Animals on repeat for the past few weeks. Their second album, How To Be A Human Being, is just as solid as their debut album, called Zaba, and I encourage you to give both a listen. The album is full of great, and sometimes weird (in the best way), indie, poppy, alternatively electronic tunes, but the last song was my immediate favourite after the first play-through. 

Agnes is the story of a girl whose life is “soaked in sadness” and, by the sounds of it, it’s the intense type of sadness that is impossible to escape from. It’s an all-encompassing sadness, a deep depression that’s dangerously real. It’s a sadness that consumes her, leaving the people who cared about her most behind to make sense of it all. It’s the type of sadness that we all want to avoid, especially those of us on slippery slopes. The juxtaposition of devastating lyrics, sung at an even cadence, with upbeat, vibrant melodies featuring clean piano notes makes this tune more than captivating. And, for someone that’s inclined to give into the sadness like I am, it’s a good reminder to not indulge in it too much.  Recognize it, feel it, but always try to work through it.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear timing,

Life is just a series of moments. That’s really all it is. It’s a series of split-second decisions made with no grasp on consequences, no thought given to tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. And sure, sometimes those decisions make little difference. It doesn’t really matter if you wear the blue or the red shirt today. It doesn’t really matter if you go to this restaurant or that one for lunch. 

Or does it? The thing is that we don’t really know. We make these choices, trivial or crucial, blindly. We choose based on a mood, a feeling, a passing circumstance. But they are choices that have the power to change our entire lives. Maybe the love of your life was sitting in that restaurant instead of this one. Maybe it all matters. Maybe every choice makes a difference.  What makes the biggest difference of all, it seems, is timing. And timing is something we don’t really control. That’s why it impacts our lives so profoundly, even if we aren’t actively aware of it. But timing is such a fickle friend. Sometimes it works in your favour, sometimes it doesn’t. The thing about it is that you’ll never really know what other outcomes were possible in any given situation. All you can do is play the hand that you’re dealt and try to make the most of it.

We can’t live our lives on what ifs or maybes. Being paralyzed by too many possibilities prevents us from living. We need to make a choice, regardless of its timing, because indecision is worse than no decision. 

“Tell your secrets to the night, You do yours and I do mine, So we won't have to keep them all inside.”

Icelandic band, Kaleo, tells the story of an ill-timed love affair in Save Yourself. The live version of the music video, filmed on an iceberg at Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon, is an idyllic companion to this deeply emotional and beautiful (in all senses of the word) tune. 

Kaleo’s whole debut album, A/B, is a work of art. Its range of incredible vocals by lead singer Jökull Júlíusson, its drift from hard rock to folksy, bluesy grab-you-by-the-heart tunes, its nod to the band’s Icelandic roots, and its accompanying adventurous live music videos, from floating on icebergs to descending into volcanoes, makes Kaleo a fast favourite of mine.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear october,

I’m an October baby. Maybe that’s why it’s always been my favourite month. The changing of the seasons, easing into colder, longer nights, distracted by the colours of falling leaves from the trees - I’ve always loved the transformation. 

The month also brings a lot of reflection with it. Getting a year older, and hopefully wiser, comes with some realizations and changes to grow and evolve into something better, something more. Standing still doesn’t come easy to me. I’m constantly seeking solutions to problems, constantly looking for better ways to handle the things that life throws my way. 

The problem with that is that there is a perpetual, significant part of my personality that demands having control in any given situation. If I’m not in control, if I’m not prepared with a plan A and a plan B and sometimes maybe even a plan C through Z, then I don’t feel comfortable. It’s in the uncertainty of things - the unknown - where I do the worst. When I don’t know what’s coming and what to expect, I don’t know how to behave or react. 

But the reality of life is that we have no control over what is coming our way. It could be a nice, sunny Friday afternoon and all could be right with the world and that’s when a car hits you or someone you love dies or something else happens and your whole life gets flipped upside down.

In those moments, the only thing you have control over is how you move forward, how you keep going. And that’s the case with most of life when you really get down to the nitty gritty of it. Control and planning will only get you so far, but at some point, you have to let go of it and just try your best to enjoy the ride, ups and downs and all.

“don’t run, don’t rush, just flow...”

My Octobers are summed up nicely by Broken Bells’ October. With James Mercer’s distinct vocals narrating the story of growing up, having to learn life’s lessons, and a pleasant rhythm that sticks in your head long after the song ends, this tune is one I find myself coming back to year after year.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear soul,

The idea of the soul is a strange one. Some call it our spirituality - the essence of being human - beyond what our bones and tissue and muscles are, beyond what the chemical reactions in our body cause. Or maybe it’s just the indiscernible conversation between our heads and our hearts that gives it life. It’s hard to define what exactly we’re referring to when we talk about a soul, but nearly everyone will acknowledge that it is something.  

And then there’s the other concept of a soulmate, a person who just gets our soul, a kindred spirit, a twin flame. Whatever you want to call it, a soulmate brings comfort, peace, and a feeling of really being seen and understood, even in the deepest depths of our own individual darkness. A soulmate is familiar, they feel safe, they bring with them a sense of belonging that is inexplicably fervent.

                                                         * * *

I’ve always had a problem with the idea of a soulmate - that in a world of billions, there is one person, or maybe a handful of people that have the ability to make us feel so emphatically at home. What’s even more baffling to me is that we will be able to come across them in our lifetime and that we’ll be able to share that connection throughout all of life’s wins and losses.

A soul is hard to explain... but a soulmate?; a person in this world that makes us feel understood like no one else can? It’s even harder to make sense of. 

But perhaps that’s the point. It’s not something that can be reasoned or explained away, it’s just something that is felt thoroughly in our bones, our sinew, our soul. It makes our stomach flip and our heart race. It stokes an impossible fire within us. 

And maybe that’s the true magic of the soul and its soulmate. Maybe that’s worth something more than any explanation.

“No one knows what it’s like, You and me, you and I...”

Robert Koch’s Nitesky, featuring John LaMonica, gets soulmates and makes you understand the intense emotion between them, even if you’ve never felt it before. Reverberations, a beat that you can feel past the ethereal boundaries of the soul, and an eerily fitting emphasis on echoes make your heart flutter in the exact way a soulmate does.

Whether or not you believe in souls or soulmates doesn’t matter. This tune will make you feel that kind of uniquely deep connection that some of us are lucky (or unlucky) enough to find.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear freedom,

Freedom is an illusion. We think we have it, we covet it and try to protect it, we fight wars in its name. But it really is an illusion. 

As free as we might be, as hard as we might work to maintain that sense of freedom, and as much as we might believe that we can do anything and everything we put our minds to, we are all limited. We’re limited by our biology, by our physical capabilities, by our gender or sexuality or ideology, by the details of the time and place we’re born in, by our family and friends, and, most of all, we’re limited by what society has deemed as “right”. 

Some of these things force limits upon us, limits that we simply can’t overcome. But we allow ourselves to be limited by others. We don’t want to disappoint or let down our loved ones so we try to fit neatly into the boxes they expect us to fit in. We allow tradition, culture, and other people’s expectations of us to steer our choices because those things are often dearer to us than a lack of boundaries. We look to what could be in the future to determine what and who we should be in the present moment, limiting us once more. 

The idea of freedom is a warm and fuzzy one - it’s the idea that we can act independently, without restraint. But the reality of it is that we can’t. We almost never act independently and without restraint because we’re almost always restrained by something or someone. We act based on calculated consequences and consequences are limiting.

We make our choices under an illusion of freedom instead of recognising that freedom comes from the acceptance of the choices we make. Freedom is in the understanding of the limits we face and the acknowledgement of those limits as making us happier than being limitless.

“And I wonder what I’d do with all that time...”

Sunny Levine’s No Other Plans, featuring Young Dad, acknowledges the limits that exist and even recognises that we might just need them. Without them, maybe there’s just too much space, too many possibilities to chase, too much time to fill.

Jazzy, catchy, and soothing, this tune goes great with a little bit of self-realisation. Maybe that raw freedom, that pure independence, that “fuck it” attitude isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear crazy,

I love words. I especially love complex words, words with multiple meanings that fit in various contexts. 

Crazy is one of those words. It can either mean crazy as in mentally disturbed or crazy as in extremely enthusiastic about something. It can have negative and positive connotations. It can be good and bad. It all depends on the context. People can make us crazy. They can make us crazy about them or crazy because of them. The people we love and care for and respect make us irrational and flustered and plain insane sometimes. Our emotions cloud our normally stable judgement and we absolutely lose our minds. We go crazy. Because we’re crazy about them. They make us crazy and we lap up every single second of it and are even grateful for it. 

The craziest thing about it is that we want that feeling. We hope and dream of being crazy about someone; it’s a driving force in life. And if we find that someone that we’re crazy about, we try our very best to hold onto them for as long as we can, even if they end up making us crazy. Even if they inspire the bad kind of crazy in us, if they make us madly insane, we still want them and need them and run back into their arms. 

It’s crazy, right?  

“I’m going crazy, Crazy for you...”

Majical Cloudz personifies the word crazy in Downtown in the best way possible. The clean, classic vocals reverberate throughout the song, imprinting the devoted lyrics on the mind. 

But what really makes this song is the subtle background beat that repeats over and over again, obsessively. It surfaces and sinks at just the right moments, highlighting and underlining the vocals perfectly, making sure that your subconscious takes notice of its presence or absence. 

This tune is definitely one that I'm crazy about. 

Love all ways, -tsk

P.S. All of Majical Cloudz is truly magical. Looking forward to picking up what Devon and Matt will be putting down (separately) in the future and hoping it will be just as magical.

[hellotsk]

dear coffee,

I didn’t use to be a coffee drinker. And I can’t say I’m much of one now. Sure, I enjoy a good cup of coffee, but I’m not one to crave it or need it to open my eyes every morning. Coffee is an interesting substance. It’s an upper, boosting the number of synapses being fired, producing energy, directing focus, steering your inner drive. The fact that we use substances is even more interesting. We all use them to varying degrees. Maybe it’s just a daily hit of caffeine, or a late-night cigarette, or a shot of whiskey, or something less innocent and more illegal. Maybe it’s a painkiller, in whatever form you should desire. Maybe it’s the gateway to an alternate world. Because that’s why we do it, isn’t it? We do it for that extra kick, that little pick-me-up or put-me-down that reflects our mood, our need, our desire to feel something or nothing at all. We use substances to numb us or to ignite us. We use them to alter our natural selves, our chemical levels, our body’s biological reactions.

Substances can be innocent and mild, producing nothing more than a temporary effect. They can also be intensely corrupting, hooking us into a fake feeling, making us seek a permanent illusion and satisfy a constant craving.

The thing is that you don’t start with those seductive substances, the ones that are dark and devastating, right off the bat. You start with the easy ones, like coffee.

“Wrap me in your arms. I can’t feel it, but… Rock me in your arms. I can’t feel it, but…”  

Sylvan Esso’s Coffee is a substance. It gets you up, it gets you down and it reminds you that, even though the pair of feet might change, the sentiment’s definitely the same, just like with any other substance. 

Once you cross the threshold and feel the superpowers a substance like coffee, drugs, love, etc. can give you, it’s hard to let go of it. It’s hard to go back to an unaltered existence and to suddenly stop looking for that next fix. Be careful with what you allow yourself to get used to.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear batman,

I’ve never been much of a Batman fan, myself. I was always on team Superman. 

You see, Superman is unique in the fact that he was born a superhero. He didn’t choose to become one, he always was one. (One could argue that the X-Men fit this criteria, but that’s another discussion for another day.) One of my favourite movie scenes is the one in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 where Bill explains why his favourite hero is Superman. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you check it out. (No real spoiler alerts, promise!)

“And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.”

I have always thought of this scene as a very profound piece of art. And it’s only made me love Superman more.

“We can go halvers on the consequence...”

Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party’s Robin is the sidekick you’ve always wanted. A poppy, dance-y, fun rhythm, delicate harmonies, and blunt lyrics make you feel invincible. 

You can’t listen to this song and be in a bad mood. It’s the alter ego you need for a tough night or a rough morning.

Love all ways, -tsk

P.S. Also listen to Danger Love by Top Less. Your tender heart will appreciate it. <3

[hellotsk]

dear stranger,

People change. Over the years, as we grow up and grow old, we evolve, we adapt, we learn. Time changes us. Our experiences, both the good and the bad, change us. Other people change us. Our relationships with our families, friends, and lovers impact us profoundly and each person leaves some sort of imprint on our fragile and every-shifting self.

We all know it happens. As we get older and our lives progress, the people that we used to hold dear to us have left and new people have replaced them. Our closet friends have become strangers and our once most trusted confidantes are now just flashes of faces in our memories. Sometimes it’s for the best. Sometimes it’s difficult. Sometimes it hurts. 

I’ve lost my fair share of relationships over the years. Whether it’s because one of us has moved away or because of a falling out or because our lives have just drifted in different directions, people have left and have rarely returned. And I think it hurts the most when there is no real reason for it other than that life’s gotten busy and we just didn’t make the effort to keep it from pulling us apart. When no one’s at fault, that’s when it feels like such a waste. Especially if those are the relationships that you thought were going to last in the long run. Those friends that I thought would be mine for a lifetime, the ones that I trusted and relied on and loved - those are the relationships that hurt the most when they change from something into nothing. It’s a tough realization to come to, but it’s an almost inevitable one - people always leave. 

The point is that we all change with time, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. And as we change, so do the people we surround ourselves with. Maybe it’s just a part of growing up and outgrowing certain relationships. Maybe it’s due to a change in circumstances. Whatever it is though, I can’t help but feel like it’s at least a little bittersweet, especially when passing by a stranger that was once the closest of friends.

“Seasons change, And I’ve tried hard just to soften you...”

Seasons (Waiting on You) by Future Islands is full of alternative pop sounds - fast-paced, energetic, and almost futuristic, accompanied by slightly gritty, melancholic, nearly nostalgic vocals.

Crescendos rise throughout the tune, invoking a sort of hopeful resolution to an unsolvable story line - waiting for someone else to change.

“People change, Even though, Some people, They never do.”

Slow Club’s cover of Seasons is slower and sadder, seemingly fitting the lyrics of this tune more appropriately than the original version. Less hopeful in its delivery, this cover is more accepting of the moral of this particular story. Waiting for someone else to change is hard and, even if you have the patience to make it through the seasons and the changes that occur, sometimes the result you want is not the result that you get.

Love all ways, -tsk

[hellotsk]

dear adventure,

I’ve moved a lot in my relatively young life. I’ve left behind houses, cities, countries, continents. And while I remember each place distinctly, individually, the process of picking up and leaving and starting over is so ingrained in me that it all blends into one big blur.

After a while, you get used to the uprooting. You even crave it. You need a fresh start, a city that is ready to be explored, a place where you are anonymous and no one knows your name or story. 

The great thing about starting over is that you get to reinvent yourself. You get to choose what stories you tell about your past, who you let in, who you befriend, what pieces of yourself you give away. It’s easy, at least for the first few years.

But after a while, the unfamiliar becomes familiar and the streets get more crowded with people you know and the fresh start becomes cluttered and complicated. And that’s when the deep, dark craving to leave it all behind gets stronger and the landsickness inflicts you.

“All I want is to cure this landsickness in me, All I need is moving water to set me free…”

I love video games almost as much as I love music. And when the two mediums combine to make an amazing little love child, it makes my life complete. 

The two are very similar. They both immerse us in another world and allow us a respite from our everyday lives. They give us a break from our daily boredom and provide us with an escape, a getaway, a new adventure.

                                                            ***

Chuck Ragan is behind The Flame in the Flood’s soundtrack. His ragged, raw, raspy voice and the intense instrumentals, high energy rhythms, and infused southern twang make you feel like you’re in the wild, wild west or floating down the ol’ Mississippi River, Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn style. 

Landsick is featured in The Flame in the Flood’s trailer and is a perfect passionate plea. It’s the beck and call of a new adventure into the unknown.

Love all ways, -tsk