Music for Everything: Emily's Favorites
As promised, here's the next playlist in our new series: Music for Everything. This was a really tough one to put together, because I can almost never answer the question, "What's your favorite song?" (But who can?)
So, I chose twenty.
But, these are a meaningful twenty. I did my best to choose songs that really mean something to me, songs that I always find myself coming back to, songs that hold pieces of me in the lyrics.
This is a lengthy one, so I hope you're ready.
To start off, the first track on my playlist is "Dear Child [I've Been Dying to Reach You]" by Anthony Green, because this was the first song of his that I ever listened to, and I absolutely fell in love with everything about it. This album, "Avalon," resonates with me on so many different levels, and "Dear Child" was the first song I actually tried to amateurly record with one of my friends back in high school. AG holds a very special place in my heart, and anybody who knows me knows that.
Choosing an all-time favorite Good Old War song was honestly impossible. "Over and Over" is a great track off of "Come Back as Rain," and I remember really specifically when they played this song in the basement of First Unitarian Church almost three years ago; they let the crowd sing the entirety of the last chorus and they just stood in awe and listened. I love those moments, and that one made me fall in love with this band even more. They've become a huge part of my life and this blog, and I'm super thankful for the work they've done with us. You'll see what I mean soon. ;)
"When It Gets Dark Out" by Lydia is a great song. I was obsessed with this band in high school, and I haven't found any music of theirs that I don't like. They played World Cafe Live last fall and I was so beyond thrilled when Dylan helped book me an interview with Leighton. That was such a cool moment.
Dave Matthews is a guy who I've always come back to. I tend to listen to his music and only his music for a week at a time and then I kind of let him go, but what's so great about him is that he's always there, right where I left him. He's such a constant, and that makes his music really comforting to me. "Crash Into Me" is a classic, and one that I remember falling in love with when my guitar teacher in high school played the lead guitar riff for me and I had to learn more.
Just like Good Old War, choosing a Circa Survive song to call THE ONE wasn't easy. But, their sophomore album, "On Letting Go" has slowly earned the title of my favorite, and the opening track, "Living Together," is just completely chills-inducing. I was lucky enough to see Circa for a second time when they toured for the ten-year anniversary of OLG, and when the band started playing this song and Anthony Green (you see why I love this band so much now?) threw his arms out to the crowd with each guitar riff, my heart was in my throat. It was one of the coolest moments of any concert I've ever experienced.
"Guns For Hands" by Twenty One Pilots, and "Raspberry" by Grouplove are two summer favorites. I remember being introduced to both of these bands during the summer after my freshman year of college, and they absolutely dominated my playlists for three long months. I become completely obsessed with these groups, and I've gotten to see each of them live several times since then.
Fleetwood Mac is such a timeless band to me. The first song I ever learned how to play on guitar was "Landslide," and I remember how proud I was of myself when I finally mastered the fingerpicking style. Since then, I've probably played that song out a hundred times.
Del Water Gap is a new favorite of mine, but they've earned their place on this list. I love this band because they're such great people, apart from being such phenomenal artists. "Let's Pretend" is a new one of theirs, but it's so, so good. I love when they play this one live. It really shows the amount of growth they've undergone as a band.
"Dancing Round Me" by The Cinema, a side project for Lydia's Leighton Antelman, is a really cool, techy track. The whole vibe of The Cinema's music is so cool and different to me, and this song is one that I always include in any playlist I make. It always reminds me of summer.
"Let's Get Married" by Bleachers is another new discovery, but I'm so completely in love with this band and I don't know why I didn't listen to them sooner. This song is off of their new album, and I just love the feel of it. It's so light-hearted and fun and romantic. I can't wait to see Jack at Radio 104.5's Birthday Show Night 2 this weekend!
I had to choose two songs by The 1975, because their first and second albums are just so completely different from each other. So "Undo" and "I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it" are the two that made the cut. I don't really know what it is about these songs, but I know they make me feel good. They're very vibey, for lack of a better word. They're great instrumentals, and these guys know exactly what they're doing when it comes to wordless pieces.
"Cornerstone" by Arctic Monkeys is a high school favorite, and I totally went through an AM stage, like most people. I was obsessed. I covered a few of their songs back in the day, but "Cornerstone" has these elements of both sadness and sweetness that always stood out to me, even as they transitioned into a heavier sound through their later albums. This one is timeless.
"Take It or Leave It" by Great Good Fine Ok is a really cool, synth pop song. We saw them play upstairs at The Fillmore this year, and they put on such a good show. They're just a fun group. This song is fun. That's really what drew me to them in the first place. They're an effortlessly enjoyable band.
Dylan introduced me to one of his favorites, Passion Pit, this year, and while I love the synthesized sound that he's completely mastered, I really fell in love with his stripped-down version of "Moth's Wings." It totally opened my eyes to another side of this really unique artist, because that's what he is.
Muna's "Winterbreak" is a really sad, really real song, and I was lucky enough to see them live when they opened up for Grouplove in November. I instantly loved them. This girl group is lyrically genius and so, so talented. I haven't found a girl band that I love as much as this one in a long, long time.
"Boston" by Augustana is a song that I've loved for what feels like ten years. I discovered them during my freshman year of high school, and this song is one that I knew I had to cover. There's a video floating around somewhere of me playing this song with my guitar teacher, and it was one of the first songs I was ever comfortable enough to sing for an audience.
"Is There Somewhere" by Halsey is a really important song to me because it's the first song I ever played at an open mic in college. October of my freshman year was the first time I ever let these new college people know that this was something that I loved. I was really private about my music up until then, and my decision to play out that night led me to some of the best people I have ever, ever met.
FINALLY, you made it to the end! "In Your Atmosphere" by John Mayer is the first truly ambitious song that I learned front to back and played out for people. I remember how proud I felt when I finally nailed all of the intricacies that I never thought I'd be able to play. Then, performing it almost perfectly was a really eye-opening experience for me. It made me realize that I shouldn't doubt my abilities and that music really can be a part of me.
So, if you're still reading (and I hope you are), then you now know more about me than you did before you clicked on this post. Like I mentioned in the first post in our Music for Everything series, songs help me express who I am better than I could ever put into words. I hope you feel like you've gained some insight into who I am, or why I do the things I do. This was a difficult list to put together, but I think I've covered all the bases. The next playlist will be Dylan's Favorites, so be on the lookout for that one.
You can play my songs here: