5 moods/5 songs

I know this originated with Kris’ challenge to Adrianne and Connor, but it seemed so interesting to me that it triggered me to think about 5 songs that correspond to different moods for me. Oh, I just noticed that Connor challenged me so I have a valid reason for this list now. Hooray!

Contemplative/Solemn/Tranquil: “It’s Ok to Think About Ending” by Earlimart. Every time I need to de-stress from studying or whatever is worrying me at school, I’ll go buy a cup of coffee from Trojan Grounds, tune into my ipod, and listen to this song as I walk around campus and think things through. It’s especially representative if I’ve been recently disappointed for some reason. I could see myself crying into my pillow and listening to this song…not that I have ever cried into my pillow. Ask my roommate if you don’t believe me.
*A close second in this category is “The World Spins Madly On” by the Weepies. I love this song! It sounds somewhat folksy and is perfect for a quiet walk around campus. It has a very simple guitar and vocals but acts as a very good song for centering yourself and to remind you that time keeps going and things usually aren’t as bad as they seem. I highly recommend it.

Romantic: “Communication” by The Cardigans. I don’t mean that this song makes me feel romantic really, but I think it’s the most accurate portrayal of how I’ve been feeling about everything in that area lately. It’s technically not a mood. The song is about getting close to people but not really being able to connect in any meaningful way and not knowing what to do about it, so you just disconnect from the whole thing and it turns into nothing. I can relate to that idea a lot. Plus, I just really like the song overall. It could really fit under the contemplative mood section also.
*A close second in this category is “The Sound of Settling” by Death Cab for Cutie. I really didn’t want to like this band for a long time, but this song totally got to me. I love the lyrics “I’ll sit and wonder of every love that could have been, if only I had thought of something charming to say.” So true.

Energetic: “Fell in Love with a Girl” by the White Stripes. Ever since this song came out, its extremely fast paced tempo always increases my energy and makes me want to shout along. I love Jack White’s voice in this song. Plus, the music video was made entirely in animating legos. I’ll usually play this when I’m at the gym…which is practically never. Connor had the best one with “Mr. Blue Sky.” That’s the most frenetic song ever, but I guess Fell in Love with a Girl is my pick for this category.

Creative/Artistic: “After Hours” by Rilo Kiley. This song is so cute. Most Rilo Kiley songs are wonderful, but this one is just so bubbly. It’s all about sunshine and dancing. It’s actually about keeping the sunshine out and retreating from the world in your room, but it’s so damn upbeat. It is a perfect song to listen to when spending hours in the dreary printmaking lab or when I’ve reached my 5th hour of film editing and I really need a pick-me-up or inspiration. I generally relate best and take special notice to songs that are used in tv shows or movie trailers, and After Hours was just used in the trailer for Michel Gondry’s new film the Science of Sleep.

Confident: “Superhero” by Jane’s Addiction. This song is the theme song from the show Entourage, which probably accounts for why it’s a great accompaniment for confidence. The song is about wanting to be a superhero and its loud guitar solo and almost shouting lyrics throughout make me feel happy when I listen to it. Plus I love the “ Oh yeah…” section at the end. I can just see this song playing while riding with friends around Hollywood (prob because that’s what they were doing in the title sequence for Entourage. I’m such a copycat)

It’s really difficult to narrow down songs for each mood. There are so many that I think apply to each category, these are just the first ones that popped into my head. I also think that if I had my own personal theme song that would play when I walked around it would have to be “There She Goes” by The La’s.