The Music That Is Moving Me This Year

Early in life I discovered that sometimes I lacked the vocabulary to express the complex emotions I was experiencing. Announcing that I was happy, sad, angry, afraid somehow failed to exorcise the feelings from my heart. As I’ve mentioned before, around fourth grade Fordie Franklin put a tool in my hand in the form of a pencil and instructed me to write whatever I felt. Over thirty years later I still am, but admittedly, sometimes I still lack the adequate language to explain what I’m feeling. Thankfully there is music. Music has been a frequent topic of my musings, but I haven’t written about it in far too long. That ends tonight. Below is a list of music that has moved me and meant even more to me this year. Hopefully, if you find yourself in a mood to go on a journey to explore and discover some new music, you will give some of these a chance. Not all of them are new, or even new to me this year, but all of them have spoken to me when I needed them, or for me when I needed to get out what I was feeling. Grant Peeples, one of the artists on this list, said it best when he wrote, “The reason that most songs ultimately fail is that they are written from the perspective of the writer rather than the listener.” At various times this year these songs were definitely speaking for this listener.

“The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium, if you are a fan of Drive-By-Truckers you need to check out this band.

“Ramon Casiano” by Drive-By-Truckers, speaking of DBT, the line “someone killed Ramon Casiano and Ramon still ain’t dead enough” just cut me to my core. Not to mention the brilliant diagnosis that is, “He had the makings of a leader, of a certain kind of men, who need to feel the world’s against him, out to get‘em if it can. Men whose trigger pull their fingers, of men who’d rather fight than win, united in a revolution, like in mind and like in skin.”

“Heroine Addict Sister” by Elizabeth Cook, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to this song without crying.

“Wild Blue Wind” by Erin Rae, sometimes this one is too real to enjoy, but it sure can lance a wounded heart so that the pain can escape.

“This Could Be A Long Night” by Grant Peeples, I can’t say it better than John Conquest did, “Peeples is unusually honest, unusually literate. He’s the only songwriter I have ever thought to call ‘ruthless.’”

“Romeo & Juliet” by Hobo Johnson, unfortunately I know way too many young people who have a similar narrative. Don’t blame the broken, blame those who broke them, or better yet, help pick up the pieces.

“Ice Age” by How To Destroy Angels, this song is several years old but it is truly haunting. Trent Reznor like you’ve never heard him before.

The entire “KOD” album by J. Cole. My students in the prison know I quote J. Cole like he was a prophet. This album is like a hip hop version of Ecclesiastes.

“Anxiety” by Jason Isbell, everything Jason Isbell does is poetry.

“One Day” by Matisyahu, I was probably the last person in the world to hear this song, but once I did listen it just made me smile, and it still does every time I play it.

“Sunday Morning (Thinkin ‘Bout You)” by Royce Lovett, this is one of those songs that finds you rather than you seeking it. And it couldn’t have found me at a more needed time. Jade connected with him through Twitter and he guest listed us for his upcoming show in Gainesville. I can’t wait.

“WalMart” by Tank And The Bangas, You’ve never heard anything like Tank and the Bangas, and even though I am a man, I can’t help but imagine this is a song every woman wishes every man would listen to.

“The Fruitful Darkness” and “Free” by Trevor Hall, these two songs perfectly bookend this whole playlist. Trevor always knows how you are feeling.

“More Than Enough” by Tubby Love, it’s a simple song, but the message bears repeating regularly.

“No Good Time” by Trombone Shorty, he is much, much more than just a trombone player, he can write great lyrics too, and this song just tells the truth.

I hope you’ve got Spotify, because I doubt you will ever hear many of these songs on the radio