Even we, who weren't chosen up till yesterday, are holding onto tomorrow.

I issued my sister a challenge recently (and, in doing so, issued the same challenge to myself). "Come up with a CD of twelve songs representing your favorite bands, artists, or composers. I need this for reasons." I have no idea why I chose twelve songs, it just sounded right at the time. Predictably this proved to be hard for me. After no small amount of frustration and panic, I decided to limit myself to the music I put on my phone as that would seem to mean I needed these songs with me at all times. But once the list was done I realized I still didn't know why I picked these songs. I had picked them on a whim? On a feeling? More than a feeling? In trying to figure out just what connected me so deeply to this seemingly haphazard assortment of tunes, I decided it would be a waste not to write it down. I also still have this blog. It is a blog about music, apparently, and what I think about it. So that led to my first blog post or 2014 (just in time!). So, without furthermore and somethingorother, I present:

Love Is Jargon 2014 [!]: The Playlist The Album
  1) the Mountain Goats ~ Going To Queens
  2) Queen ~ Somebody To Love
  3) Styx ~ Fooling Yourself
  4) The Beatles ~ Watching Rainbows
  5) Jim Croce ~ One Less Set of Footsteps
  6) Joe Strummer ~ Coma Girl
  7) The Delgados ~ The Light Before We Land
  8) Fool's Garden ~ Welcome Sun
  9) the pillows ~ Hybrid Rainbow
10) The White Stripes ~ You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
11) Third Eye Blind ~ My Time In Exile
12) Jethro Tull ~ Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day) [Live]
[Link]

  1) the Mountain Goats ~ Going To Queens
I hope you can appreciate how hard it is to accurately put into words an intangible feeling like how much I love the Mountain Goats. Now, I'm not sure how much I love Going To Queens in comparison to, say Amy (AKA Spent Gladiator). That song has more plays than Going To Queens; as do several other Mountain Goats songs. Really, I could have chosen another song. This is simply supposed to represent the Mountain Goats and John Darnielle in this compilation of my favorite artists. Nevertheless... there's something about this track. The simple production, the lack of unnecessary instruments, the ghostly sing-song of John and some girl whose name I don't even know singing about abstractly melancholy love- I will know who you are yet, I will know who you are yet. Anyway, that's what I like about this song: absolutely everything about it.

  2) Queen ~ Somebody To Love
Queen was a major part of my adolescence. In the sixth grade, when I was developing my own musical tastes through the only medium at my disposal (i.e. my parents CDs in the basement), I found Queen's Greatest Hits [Vol. 1]. Actually, this one might have been a cassette. Remember those? This was a CD (or whatever) full of infectiously catchy songs. I'd love to say I was instantly drawn to Somebody To Love and that it instantly was and always shall be my favorite Queen song. But it wasn't. I liked Bohemian Rhapsody. It's only now that I hear Somebody To Love and really connect with it. Who knows, maybe years from now I'll hate Somebody To Love, but right now when I hear it on the radio at work I'm struck with this realization that I fucking love this song and feel I always will. Y'know, in the moment anyway.

  3) Styx ~ Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Styx was, and is, (and due to that whole sixth-grade-developing-my-own-musical-identity thing will forever stay) my favorite band of all time. Yes, other bands are more successful. Other bands have had a greater influence on music. Other bands didn't write Mr. Roboto. I don't care. I love Styx and own and love all their albums. No joke, the first time I went to meet an ex-girlfriend's parents, I played this song in the car. It was a source of comfort and stability from a time when I was really trying to figure myself out and I'm really trying to open up to you guys and this isn't easy for me so don't laugh. Moving on.

  4) The Beatles ~ Watching Rainbows
Yes, my favorite Beatles song is technically an unreleased outtake. Watching Rainbows is really just John ruining a take of what would become I've Got A Feeling. That's why the lyrics are half mumbled. That, though, is part of the beauty. This was a free-flowing string of lyrics made up on the fly. It has all the soul of the Let-It-Be-era compositions, but with an off-the-cuff freedom to it.

  5) Jim Croce ~ One Less Set of Footsteps
Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits was on pretty regular rotation in my car throughout high school. This is ridiculously fun to belt out on long car rides and I do it more often than I'd likely admit in person. Jim Croce was an incredibly talented songwriter with a distinctive voice and we lost him far too soon.

  6) Joe Strummer ~ Coma Girl
Let's get back to that sixth grade thing. I have some great memories of staying up late playing Star Wars: Battle For Naboo on N64 down in the basement with The Clash's London Calling in my CD Walkman. Now, I realize my nostalgia is not ours, but damn. Just soak in all the things that have ended since then. I wish I could force people to experience what I feel when I listen to London Calling. I am not a benevolent god. Oh, right, this song. This song isn't on London Calling. In fact, this is Joe Strummer solo. But that doesn't matter. This is the best road trip music. From the opening riffs, to the rock steady rhythm, to way Joe sings it. Pure. Perfection. That's why I chose this over any track from London Calling to represent St. Joe Strummer. It simply stands alone better.

  7) The Delgados ~ The Light Before We Land
From the swell of the strings moving into the explosion (seriously, there's no other way to describe it) of drums that signals the opening of the song, you now this is going to be good. I love The Delgados for their unique instrumentation, primarily. However, I have to point out the beautiful, haunting, lilting chorus. I'm well known for being a bit of a sad sack- I prefer rain to sun, Earl Grey to anything fruity, marmalade to jelly- a touch of bitterness suits me for the most part. That sentiment is perfectly encapsulated in this song:  before we let euphoria convince us we are free, remind us how we used to feel before when life was real. So soak it in a while.

  8) Fool's Garden ~ Welcome Sun
Fool's Garden is a very recent addition to my list of favorite bands. They're a German group raised on Britpop. Lot's of Beatles influence present here. I have Oliver Knörzer and Powree's fantasy web comic Gaia to thank for this one. In the notes for the comic The Letter of Jael Bara 077 it is mentioned that the lyrics for one of the main character's songs is based on the Fool's Garden song Autumn. Now, I'm not crazy about Autumn; it's a good song for sure, but after listening to the rest of the discography I really think Welcome Sun might be my favorite. Unless we're talking full albums, then it's everything on Go and Ask Peggy for the Principal Thing.

  9) the pillows ~ Hybrid Rainbow
This was my post-break up song on more than one occasion. I learned all the words and the translation of all the words. I can play it- poorly- on my guitar. It has a great melody and, more importantly, great energy. The live version leads in with Yamanaka yelling "Can you feel?" and there's nothing funny or engrish about it. He doesn't hit all the note on key in that version, but he sings with conviction. While I can't say it's my favorite pillows song at this point, it holds a very special place in my heart and I hope it never leaves.

10) The White Stripes ~ You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
I saw Jack White at Bonnaroo this year and it was magical. He led off the set with Icky Thump, wigged out over paper lanterns with a childlike wonder that I seriously envy, and at one point thanked everyone for doing their jobs. My boss has never thanked me for doing my job while simultaneously transitioning into Alone In My Home. It was a hell of a time. Emphasis on hell at certain parts of the week, but it was also an amazing memory. I hope to make more memories like it in the coming years, at least until the money runs out. Those tickets are expensive.

11) Third Eye Blind ~ My Time In Exile
I love Third Eye Blind. Still. I am fairly confident I am the only one. Or at least I was before I tried to get a ticket to one of their shows. Sold out day one and they weren't cheap! I'm not sure where this horde of people who won't laugh at me for belting out Never Let You Go is, but I love them and hate them and want them to give up their ticket so I can see this band before they die out cold and alone. Or not, as it were.

12) Jethro Tull ~ Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day) [Live]
This is quite possibly the greatest live album ever recorded (Jethro Tull Live! Bursting Out [1978]) and this is my favorite song on the album. The non-live version is great as well. But this. This. This. Just... uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhggggg. They nailed it. I realize some of you may not like Jethro Tull (or know that the lead singer/flautist is Ian Anderson and that the band is named after English agriculturalist Jethro Tull) and that's fine. Just know that your opinion is wrong, you are uninformed, and I hate you.

So, there you have it. I limited my explanations to what I could type (free thought, unedited) before the song finished playing. I did better on some than others, but it was a nice challenge nonetheless. In addition, I just finished my fourth ten-hour in a row at the hospital, so if none of this makes sense... Well, then I've done better than I'm expecting. Please be kind.

I would urge anyone interested to take up this challenge as well. Better yet, make CDs and trade them anonymously with your friends. Then get together and see what happens. I'd love to hear what happens.