siglamancy

Think About Things - Daði Freyr

i'm not a parent and never wish to be one, but this song captures a sense of unconditional love and optimism for the future, and in such a catchy way, i just can't help but love it. unskippable.

Fifteen Minutes - Mike Krol

i can and have listened to this song on repeat for hours on end. its short, so that's a lot of listens. a lot. gets me hyped despite the world ending.

I'll Believe in Anything - Wolf Parade

its the crashing cymbals that drive this for me, and the feeling of two people fighting to persist in a world not made for them. that's, uh, also optimism!

Gun Has No Trigger - Dirty Projectors

i needed a dirty projectors song on here, i could have chosen so many. but i've been hooked on this one lately, with its bubbly bass line and salient themes of protest. gives me chills and that's a nice feeling.

Suffer for Fashion - Of Montreal

i danced my teenage heart out in a press pit 10 feet from kevin barnes as this song blasted over the crowd at pitchfork. a lot of their music fostered a sense of my queerness before i had words for it (and hey, sounds like ditto for barnes too). maybe the most joyous entry on this list for me.

Float On - Modest Mouse

my dad's driving me home from rehearsal for the summer stock show i somehow got cast in, i'm playing this album for him, we stop and get soft serve while the crickets start popping off for the evening.

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Wilco

i liked you, you liked her, we were all best friends. you cried on my bed the day she left town. i should have been jealous but i loved that you could be that vulnerable with me. i think my heart got stronger because of it.

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left - Andrew Bird

idk man its the whistling and violins and that sweet honey voice, what do you what me to say?

Light Rail Coyote - Sleater-Kinney

i don't know that portland feels like this anymore, it certainly doesn't to me, but my fondness for the picture this song paints cannot be understated. probably some unhealthy nostalgia. now get off my lawn.

Only Skin - Joanna Newsom

sixteen minutes of exquisite chills and weeping and being transported to another place entirely. sometimes i struggle to feel engaged with the world around me but i'm connected the place i'm taken to here.

This Mess We're In - PJ Harvey feat. Thom Yorke

this is a cheater's way of getting these two artists on this list. great song though, first song i learned to play by ear.

The Freshman - The Verve Pipe

i'm on the bus to rhode island, all the latin students are excited to be staying in a hotel together. my head's on missy's shoulder as boston rolls by. i'm building a constellation of love and friendship, made up of many points. its like constructing a myth. i wonder what i should ask the fortune teller when we get to newport.

I Wish I Was the Moon - Neko Case

midnight drive to the airport. my father has had one funeral already, but there's two more to go. its a sad and slow roadshow, but the moon is bringing me peace.

Dirty Whirl - TV on the Radio

i thrummmmmmmm and that's all there is to say.

Bear - Antlers

this song is a tragedy but something about expressions of grief and like calling to like. hospice as an album is a great comfort but this one track really sings for me.

Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother! - Sufjan Stevens

i like-a da banjo. some of the harmonies just slip into my brain folds in a such a pleasing way.

What's Up? - 4 Non Blondes

i'm in first grade and my sisters are in high school, our parents are out of town and they're throwing a party. i'm twirling a red plaid umbrella as a couple of burnouts giggle and stare at its dizzying patterns. hey, its the 90s! the only song i sing at karaoke.

Washing Machine Heart - Mitski

i'm hopeless and it feels good, actually. i'm smiling. i'm smiling!

Angeles - Elliott Smith

this song makes me think of you and a gift you didn't even realize you were giving me. i think there's another world in which we share a home and become doddering old weirdos together, platonically, if you can believe it. thanks for playing scrabble with me.

Fuck and Run - Liz Phair

anger and passion were too scary to let in for so long, and while every minute i spent around you was a foolish and humbling trial, i'm genuinely grateful that a dirtbag came along at the right time and pulled those feelings out of the numbing void i had been keeping them in. i hear you're in real estate now?