Beck

Earlier this week I was driving home from dropping the girls off at school and out of the corner of my eye saw the silhouette of a dog pooping. No, this is not another story about dogs and feces, although I know some of you come here for that very thing and I hate to disappoint. That silhouette is so distinct and universal, the shape the same across all breeds, that even though I wasn’t even looking in the direction of the dog I knew exactly what it was doing. You just can’t mistake that silhouette for anything else. What on earth does this have to do with music, Heather? I’m starting to ask myself the same question and am getting legitimately pissed.

I started off this month on a bit of a high with what I learned and explored on a work retreat in New Mexico, but then my life got sideswiped when Marlo got sick. And then just when I thought I was going to be able to catch my breath she got sick again. I thought about that silhouette this morning when I looked at the pile of things I have fallen behind on, piles both literally and metaphorically. The logo for the last couple of weeks would be that silhouette, and at some point it would animate and spin around while still hunched over. Because the poop is stuck.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MUSIC GODAMMIT.

Okay. I got broadsided. It sucked. But it does me no good to waste any more energy dwelling on what was completely out of my control, so I’m just going to stamp it all with the logo of the dog pooping silhouette and move on.

This is some powerful spiritual bullshit.

I did not listen to nearly enough music this year, and that’s a shame because I had made a very specific goal to integrate it more fully into my life. New music brings me so much joy. I know that there is so much good music that was released this year that I most likely will not ever get around to listening to, and my immediate response to that is sadness and frustration. Even a little bit of anger. But I don’t want to waste any more energy feeling that way, so I’m just going to stamp that reality with the logo of the dog pooping silhouette and celebrate the music that I did fall in love with.

(As always, please feel free to leave a link to some of the music you’ve discovered. Let me know what I missed out on.)

15. St. Vincent, “Rattlensake”

14. Delta Spirit, “Push It”

13. Taylor Swift, “Out of the woods”

12. Lykke Li, “No Rest for the Wicked”

11. Bleachers, “You’re Still a Mystery”

10. The Antlers, “Palace”

9. Bombay Bicycle Club, “It’s Alright now”

8. Wild Cub, “Thunder Clatter”

7. The Raveonettes, “Sisters”

6. War on Drugs, “Red Eyes”

5. Manchester Orchestra, “Choose you”

4. Lo-Fang, “When We’re Fire”

3. TVOTR, “Careful You”

2. Beck, “Waking Light”

1. Future Islands, “Seasons (Waiting on You)”