‘The Perfect Space’ – The Avett Brothers

This time last year I was balls deep in the beginnings of my love affair with The Avett Brothers. I saw them for the first time (and the only time, but hopefully not forever) at the beginning of April 2010. I’d been told about them from various internet friends and I listened to their album I And Love And You. I fell in love. I saw them live. I fell further in love. For a while last year, around this time, this was all I really wanted to listen to.

I really love that entire album. It’s perfect, absolutely perfect. But I particularly love this song because it marries two completely different styles. The song is split almost cleanly in half but it never feels forced or sounds strange. It’s like it was meant to be. The band has the most incredible harmonies that still send shivers down my spine like the first time I heard them. I think this song is a great representation of the two sides of the Avetts’ personalities – they have the very down-trodden melancholy that pervades many of their songs, and the more upbeat bluegrass-flavoured foot-stompers that bring the ruckus on a lot of others. I was obsessed with this song and listening to this live version is invigorating. It reminds me of standing front row at The Factory, staring up at them with a massive smile on my face. Amazing. Their touring cellist, Joe Kwon, is nuts as well – he inspired me that night to be more diligent with my own cello playing, and I told him so on Twitter and he was very gracious towards me in reply.

I’d recommend this band to anyone looking for something a little different. I And Love And You is the album I’m most familiar with – I’ll admit I haven’t listened to a lot of their other albums – but it’s fantastic from start to finish. Recently I became enamoured with their song ‘Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise’, as it really reflected things going on in my life at the time. It was an enormous help to me getting out of a rut. They have lyrics that are achingly honest and I owe a lot to them. Check them out.

And thus ends the 30 Day Song Challenge. It’s been fun, although I know I didn’t stick to writing a post a day. I really love talking about music (oh really, Giselle?) and so it’s been really great to able to write about songs that have meant something to me and why they mean what they do. I am always growing as a person and music has always been a part of that, from my childhood until now. I doubt it’s going to change, but I know I’m going to change. Thanks for reading along on my little trip down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

‘Only Yesterday’ – The Carpenters

When I used to do the Throwback Thursday segment on this blog, I talked about my childhood and the music I grew up with all the time. It means the entire world to me that my parents made sure that music was integral to the way I was raised, and listening to any of those songs from back then is a really special experience for me. The main artists we listened to were Simon & Garfunkel (now you know where my obsession stemmed from) and The Carpenters, but there was also a healthy dose of The Beatles, Bread, John Denver, Anne Murray and a few others in there too.

I get a lot of crap for liking The Carpenters, I really do. Apparently it’s not the same as liking cool old stuff like The Beatles or the Rolling Stones – The Carpenters are just plain daggy. If you sift through a pile of second hand records I can guarantee that you’ll see a Christmas album of theirs in there, every time without fail. But from the moment I heard Karen Carpenter’s voice, I’ve adored it. My dad always said that it sounded “just like velvet”. He’s not wrong. It’s one of the most beautiful voices I’ve heard in my life and it brings me back to feeling the way I felt when I was very young.

We never listened to albums in my house – it was always greatest hits collections, which is fine by me because in the case of bands like The Beatles and S&G, I ended up discovering their full-lengths on my own and appreciating them in my own time and in my own way. I’ll admit that I’ve never listened to a proper Carpenters album, or a full John Denver album, but I’m going to remind myself to get on that soon because all the hits they had are gold to me. They mean a lot to me and they sound fantastic, I’m sure just as much as they did back when they were released.

The only Carpenters recording I know back to front is Very Best Of The Carpenters, a compilation album released in 1982 which came into my household in 1994, when my dad bought my mum a copy for Valentine’s Day (dude is ahead of the times!). We played it often in the car, and while ‘Top of the World’ was our main jam (I still know all the words and my dad taught us the harmonies), I’ve already written about that on the blog before so this is my second pick. I always thought that the melody of this song was really amazing and I love the lyrics, too – if I ever get married I’d like this song to play a part in the wedding somehow.

I’ll never be embarrassed about liking The Carpenters – so many of my childhood memories involve them, from singalongs in the car with my parents to my little sister, then aged around five, writing a letter “to my long lost friend Karen Carpenter” and throwing it passionately into the wind, only for it to flop back down and smack her in the face. Lol.

‘We Can Work It Out’ – Beatle Barkers

I have a friend who I often go record shopping with. A few months ago, we were trawling through the bargain piles at Newtown’s Egg Records (definitely recommend the place, by the way!) and I came across the beautiful album cover you see up there.

I was unsure whether to feel disgusted or absolutely delighted, and after laughing my face off for about 20 minutes I told my friend that if it was $5 or less I would make a purchase and bring the dear thing home. I brought it up to the counter and was informed that it would indeed set me back a mere purple note, so I thought, who the hell would I be to refuse such a tantalising offer? So, along with a copy of Paul Simon’s Hearts and Bones (which, upon returning to my record shelf, I realised I already owned), I took this baby home with me.

Let me explain to you exactly what this is before you press play up there. It is a collection of Beatles songs barked by dogs, and occasionally accompanied by other farmyard animals. The reason I particularly appreciate this one is because the usual guitar stroke that starts it IS REPLACED BY A MEOW. I cannot even contain my happiness at this.

The reason this makes me feel guilty is because I do not believe this was meant to be enjoyed by anyone, however ironically. I believe it was created to send its listener into the deepest recesses of hell. And yet there I was, sitting on the floor of my room laughing manically as I listened to dogs ruining classic songs by replacing the lyrics with disgusting barks. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to it most of the way through on more than one occasion.

I do not deserve to be called a Beatles fan, but I don’t give a bark. I love The Beatles and I love musical puppies.

‘Asturias’ – Isaac Albeniz

Well, I wish I could play the guitar full stop. I should probably teach myself as I know it’s not that hard and a lot of people have done it with no problems at all. But I am lazy. When I was in high school I was the bassist in a band called Angry Salad. We covered Silverchair and Lash and Joan Jett in the music rooms during lunchtime and for assessments. We sucked. More specifically, I sucked. (Also, apparently there was a for real band called Angry Salad. What the hell?)

So anyway, the point is that guitars and me do not really go together because I am uncoordinated and bite my fingernails and generally fail at life. I should probably try again, but probably won’t because failure is horrifying to me and I do not want to be horrified by my own lack of talent. So I’ll probably never figure out how to play a simple chord let alone a proper tune, but this is a piece I adore and have always, always wanted to know how to play. It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of music.

Related: When I was 17 a boy learned it for me. That’s still one of the sweetest thing a male ever did for me in high school. Dudes were mean to me in high school and I didn’t get my first kiss until I’d started university. Whatever, bitches love me now.

Elegie – Gabriel Faure

So, here is a video of me actually playing. Woop! I have played the cello since I was three years old and though I do wish I was more diligent with it, whenever I do pick it up it’s like entering a whole new world. I used to resent the instrument because I was pressured a lot when I was young to practise and such, and so it became a chore more than a pleasure, but now that I’m older it’s something I appreciate much more.

This is one of my favourite pieces and one that is somewhat of a staple for me. I want to learn new pieces – right now I’m trying to conquer a Cesar Franck sonata. I also want to join or start an Arcade Fire-esque band but no one is with me. WHO IS WITH ME?

‘Happy Holidays, You Bastard’ – Blink 182

I’ve said it before and I have no shame in saying it again – my life is on hold until I see Blink 182 live again. Their music meant a lot to me when I was a kid and I have so many great memories attached to it. I’ve seen them live before – it was my second ever gig, 15 years old on a school night. Badass. It ruled.

These were the days where those explicit language stickers governed what I could and could not have. My mother used to be very strict about listening to music that had swear words in it, so Blink was one of my secret pleasures. I remember going to Kmart with her and asking if I was allowed to have The Mark, Tom and Travis Show, and she spied the little warning sticker on the front of it and said no. I threw a tantrum right then and there in the Kmart. It was shameful.

A friend of mine gave me the album this song is from, Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, for Christmas in 2001. I had just turned 13 and it was the first full-length Blink album I’d listened to (in fact, I didn’t even listen to Enema of the State in full until maybe two years ago – I just knew and loved the singles. Before you judge, remember that this was in a time before torrenting.) Right away I was super drawn to it and memorised every word of every song. This one stood out to me because it was just so NAUGHTY and I felt like such a rebel for listening to it and swearing along with it and besides, who doesn’t love a good lyric about ejaculating into a sock?

I’m 22 now. I should be over it. I’m totally not. Whenever I hear this song I still crack a smile, and I listen to Blink an ungodly amount even still. It makes me feel young and happy and nostalgic for the past, and as much as I love different kinds of music now I do not think anything will ever make me as happy as this band once did. And I still laugh whenever I hear this song. It’s utterly ridiculous and I love it, just like this band is utterly ridiculous and I love them. I always, always will.

And this is the greatest way that my past and present interests have ever collided:

‘A Wolf At The Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)’ – Radiohead

Firstly, I cannot play anything at my funeral, as I will be dead.

Secondly, I do not often think about death. I see it as something that is inevitable and thus not really worth worrying much about. When the time comes, it will come. Having said that, when I do think about it, it upsets me, especially when I think of everyone I love one day no longer existing in a tangible form. I have only ever lost one person close to me, and I was nine years old at the time. I still can’t come to grips with the fact that I will never see my grandmother again, nor can I ever forget the empty feeling that overtook my entire being when I saw her at her funeral, lying completely cold in an open casket. It was her and it wasn’t her. I cannot deal with it still, and it’s been almost 14 years.

I am not sure if I want my funeral to be a sombre occasion or one where everyone who loved me (I hope those people exist) gather to celebrate the fact that I ever existed. If it was a happy occasion like that, then this song for sure:

…the saddest part is that I’m not even really joking. ABBA is the bomb. Come to think of it, if my funeral was a celebratory occasion I’d just want 70s and 80s music pumping the whole time. This too:

I didn’t want to use any bands twice in the 30 Day Song Challenge, but when I was faced with this question, other than my 70s and 80s silliness as outlined above, I couldn’t think of anything but this song. For reasons that I now can no longer remember, when I was younger – probably in high school – I decided that this song would be perfect for a funeral, possibly my own funeral. To me it’s about disintegration. Wow, a little depressing.

Radiohead changed my life in a big way. I wrote this about my discovery when I was 17, though it was probably around a year ago that I seriously got into them. If there is a band that has affected me so much in life, surely they would be a fitting one to send me off once I am dead. I’m not sure any more why I chose this particular song all the way back then, but I feel like it would be fitting.

‘I Will’ – The Beatles

Oh, weddings. For a long time I was kind of anti-marriage for a bunch of reasons. To begin, the fact that it is such a largely religious institution doesn’t sit super well with me, especially since I feel unfairly privileged, being heterosexual – were I homosexual, that privilege would not exist for me and so I feel a little uneasy about that. Secondly, SO MUCH FANFARE. I understand how weddings are beautiful and romantic and all that, but people spending tens and thousands of dollars to put their relationship on show seems a bit off to me, especially when statistically speaking the marriage will more than likely unravel anyway. Thirdly, I don’t see why marriage is a necessity in this day and age – civil partnerships work just fine, or even just de facto – we are out of the dark ages, people! You do not need a piece of paper to prove anything!

What a cynic, I know. I’m pretty sure I’ve made my mother cry with these beliefs before. Apparently I’m way too modern – my family strongly believes in no sex before marriage, only very traditional marriage ceremonies, no children out of wedlock and the whole shebang. To say that my beliefs are comparatively radical is a massive understatement. I love and respect my family, but we differ greatly when it comes to these fundamental moral beliefs.

But having said that, lately marriage hasn’t seemed so repulsive to me. Even though I can still count a thousand things I don’t like about it, there are things that might not be so bad. I have absolutely zero interest in doing the white dress in church thing, but I think it can be a fun little celebration of love. If I get married I want it to be unique and memorable. I almost crapped myself when I saw this wedding captured in photographs. AMAZING. That’s more what I’d be interested in.

Anyway, I’m 300 words deep and still haven’t answered the question. Good one, idiot. I really love this song because it’s very short and very sweet. It cuts to the chase and doesn’t try to be incredibly poetic – it’s just exactly what it is. No BS. That’s exactly what I’d want my marriage to be, if I ever have one, and so I think it’d be a lovely song to have playing on the day. I have a background in classical music and have played at countless weddings in a string quartet. Maybe I can get a string quartet to play this song and someone can sing. Or my future husband can sing. Whatever.

Weddings can be cute. Mine will be the cutest.

‘I Know It’s Over’ – The Smiths

I was beginning to wonder when these dudes would make it into this song challenge. How fitting that there’s a question about sadness. Kings of maudlin, The Smiths are. I adore them to bits and have for a while, but there’s no denying that a lot of their music is so terribly morose.

This is the sound of heartbreak for me. Maybe it’s a dumb idea to listen to sad songs when you’re sad, because it’ll only make you more sad, right? I used to have a playlist called “Heartache”, and this was on it, as well as ‘Hurt’ by Johnny Cash and quite possibly ‘Last Goodbye’ by Jeff Buckley. So I like my dejected emotions. Only God can judge me, bitches.

Morrissey has a voice that is so inherently emotional, nowhere more so than this song. It speaks of hopelessness and desperation and all those awful feelings you can’t push away, as much as you wish you could. I have always loved his lyrics, and this song is a pretty fantastic example of their simple, yet super effective power: “The sea wants to take me, the knife wants to slit me, do you think you can help me?”

Like I said, probably counterproductive to listen to depressing songs when you’re already feeling a little down in the dumps, but I guess I’m dumb like that. In the event of a break up (touch wood that doesn’t happen any time soon), I know that this song is the one I’ll synchronise my crying to on repeat forever. So emo. But it’s nice to know that someone else has felt those horrible things before, too. Something about not feeling alone.

‘We Are The Sleepyheads’ – Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian is one of my favourite bands and has been for about five years now. I first heard them when I was 17, in my last year of high school. A boy I’d been talking to a lot was a massive fan of them, and I was a massive fan of him, so by the rules of transitive property I had to like them. Right?

Haven’t seen or spoken to the dude since then, more or less, but I am still totally besotted with this band as much as I was the first time I heard them. The Life Pursuit was the first album of theirs I heard, and it’s one of my favourite records ever – it just puts me in such an excellent mood. The songwriting is spot on and sure, it’s twee as hell, but who doesn’t like happiness? Life grinches, that’s who. I am not a life grinch.

This is the first song I thought of when I read that I had to think of a song that makes me happy. I adore the opening of it and its vibe is just so upbeat and carefree – when I listen to this song, and this album, it honestly feels like there is nothing in the world that could possibly make me sad. It’s so uplifting and ecstatic.

Finally seeing this band after five long years of waiting in March was, to say the least, an emotionally relieving experience. I saw them on two nights and they were perfect in every way you could possibly imagine. They didn’t play this song, but they played almost everything else I could have asked for and I just felt really, really lucky to have stumbled upon some stupid boy who liked them, because even though I’ve no clue where or what he is now, this music has stayed with me for half a decade and I am so excited to stick it out with this wonderful band for as long as they continue to write songs that slam away the darkness and open up the happiness.