My Jams

• Arcade Fire - Wake Up - This song is the theme song to the movie Where The Wild Things Are, and it has an epic feel to it.  You can sing along with it and get a little bit of the feeling of some epic adventure and the lyrics are strongly connected to the movie and ideas about growing up.  I also especially like when the beat picks up around 3:50 and it feels like you're making a breakthrough... Oooooh oh ooooooh oohhh oooohh OH!
  
  
• Avicii - Wake Me Up - This high-energy song was introduced to me when I was feeling a little lost on my path; listening to it completely inspired and reinvigorated me.  And the lyrical part of the video with landscapes totally captures how I felt at times on the road, discovering beautiful lands of the West.  At the very least, you can turn it up and dance around!
  
  
• Ben Harper - By My Side - This song is very special to me and I just love his lyrics.  Old, but worth sharing again...
  
  
• Nine Inch Nails - Capital G - I just love this NIN song and it is great music for driving. 
  
  
• Teddybears ft. Iggy Pop - Punkrocker - Another great song for driving or just rocking out to.  The music video is a little weird, but just listening to the song makes me happy and re-energized. 
  
  
• Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie - A French artist whose music just sounds very chic.  This particular song tells the story of a relationship just using messages from texts, notes, emails, etc.  It's slow enough for me to start to understand, but I think his music just sounds beautiful and I enjoy listening to so many of the songs. Other songs - Reviens Mon Amour, La Superbe, Lyons Presqu'ile
  
  
• Les Cowboys Fringants - Shish Taouk - a French-Canadian ska band I discovered while I was in Wyoming with a France-French traveler.  Upon reuniting with my French-Canadian cousins, I discovered one of them knows this band and went to school with them.  So many fun connections and their music sounds like they're ready to start a revolution.  For those who can't translate, most of their music addresses important issues such as climate change (8 Secondes), politics, economic strife, etc, and heartbreak. Other songs - Lettre a Levesque, Ma Belle Sophie (a quieter, beautiful song with a female lyricist), En Attendant (Le Reels de Nos Gens)
  
  
• Chet Faker - No Diggity - I discovered this song in a small, funky shop in Missoula, MT, where I bonded with the owner and discussed astrology, relationships, and following your passion.  Super groovy remix of an old classic and reminiscent of some of the unique and diverse businesses and interactions to be found in MT.
  
  
• Jolie Holland - Wreckage - I I love this lady's voice and music.  I am constantly rediscovering her songs and am always pleased, whether I'm just remembering old songs or hearing new ones. 
  
  
• Daft Punk ft. Pharell Williams - Lose Yourself to Dance - I still have somewhat mixed feelings on this song, but I really like the beats and would love to find an instrumental or remix version of it... anyone know one?
  
  
• The Wild Feathers - Backwoods Company - This band had a few songs play on the radio during the painting project I worked at a hostel in Eugene.  Rock-ish with a slightly country twang, this song is all high energy and motivation for big projects. 
  
  
• Easton Corbin - Lovin' You is Fun - there were a couple country phases throughout my trip and this one I heard a couple times; I mostly just thought it was fun and happy!
  
  
• Brooks & Dunn - My Maria - A classic country song, reminds me of summer and is fun to sing a long to when I'm feeling a little country. 
  
  
• Gardens & Villa - Orange Blossom - I was kind of obsessed with this song as soon as I discovered it.  Great, unique instrumentals, with a special voice, and funny lyrics, about.. bees! The lyrics aren't actually about bees, it's of course a metaphor, but I like bees, the metaphor, and the song feels summery and fun.  I also discovered the Honey I'm Home Sessions version of this song, which is a little more laid-back, jazzy/acoustic; feels good for hanging out on a Sunday afternoon or something... 
  
  
• Bedouin Soundclash - Brutal Hearts - a Toronto based, reggae/ska/rock band, I absolutely love the drums in this song, it gives it a kind of tribal feel, the girl has an amazing voice, and I actually really enjoy this video for it's texture and the feel of how it compliments the song, it's like a short film.  
   
• Bahamas - I Got You Babe - as far as remakes go, I think this is a pretty great one.  A classic song with more of an indie rock twist, I got you babe! I also really enjoy singing guitar riffs and this is a super fun one to attempt.  
  
  
• Matt Nathanson - Mission Bells - I like singing along to the background/chorus of this song, and though it's a little bit of a sad song, singing along just makes me happy :)
  
  
• Charlie Mars - How I Roll - folk but with more of a Southern rock flare.  This man sounds like a troublemaker who'd be fun to hang out with; I love his voice, instrumentals, and overall the beat makes me dance. 
  
  
• The Avett Brothers - February Seven - country folk music that I've caught stuck in my head on more than one occasion.  The song doesn't actually start till about 45seconds into the video but I love this guy's voice and the simple guitar strumming makes me happy.  "Now I'm rested and I'm ready to begin!"
  
  
• Andrea Bocelli - Con Te Partiro - some classic Italian classical.  I have my moments of loving classical music and this particular song reminds me of (attempting) to sing it with my dad and sister, so I have great memories of this song.  It's epic and even if you don't understand the meaning, you can feel the love.  Lyrically, he is singing to a lover saying that "with you, I will go." 
  
  
• Bonobo - Sugar Rhyme - kinda jazzy, electronic, almost with a hip-hop flare, and entirely instrumental, Bonobo is another artist whose entire album "Animal Magic" is awesome. If I had to choose one song right now to highlight, it's probably this one, but Terrapin and Gypsy (the picture on the video , and obviously the name, are perfect!) are also favorites. 
  
  
• Alt-J - Something Good - By definition "indie rock" but with a very distinct flare to their style, I first fell in love with this band and album "An Awesome Wave," when I heard their song Breezeblocks ("do you know where the wild things go?"). When I heard this song on a Canadian radio I could pick up in Bellingham, I felt like I was rediscovering them all over again.  The whole album is worth a listen!
  
  
• The XX - Tides - Again, I have been absolutely loving their entire album, "Coexist," and loved it even more after I was lucky enough to see their show in Reno before I left, but this one seems to be really sticking out to me; I love the bass (it kinda reminds me of raindrops) and the lyrics kind of fit, "You leave with the tide..."
  
  
• Of Monsters & Men - Sloom - I have absolutely been loving this entire album, "My Head is an Animal," but particularly I've loved this song, Six Weeks and Love Love Love.
  
  
• Atlas Genius - Trojans-Lenno Remix - I've liked the original version of Trojans for a while, but I discovered this kinda fun, electronic/dance remix and it's great for when I need a little more inspiration/energy; it kinda makes me feel like I should stay up all night until sunrise...  The original will always be a favorite, but thought we should mix it up a bit!
  
  
• The Killers - Exitlude - a lot of the places I've been traveling through have been for only a short amount of time, and though they feel too short, I know that at the right time, I will return to the places/people I'm meant to.  I love this short little goodbye song about appreciating 
  
  
• City & Colour - Against the Grain - another song whose lyrics and meanings have really struck a chord of resonance with me.  I love the harmonica while I'm on the road, and though it has somewhat of a melancholy feel, it is a nice perspective/reminder to stay true to your heart.  
  
  
• Tallest Man on Earth - Love is All - this guy's voice is incredible, kind of reminds me of the old singer-songwriters such as the Bob Dylan/Cat Stevens era.
  
  
• Wilco - Jesus, Etc - I feel like I've just rediscovered Wilco (thanks to a friends mix cd!) and this song is calmly uplifting and comforting.  Also like the instrumentals in this one.
  
  

• Thrice - Digital Sea - I was loving this song as I wandered through the coastal woods of Oregon; it felt very fitting for the richness of the green trees and the heaviness of the gray sky; the name feels ironic, though I can't quite pinpoint why... 
  
  
• The Beautiful Girls feat. Mason Jennings - Freedom (Part 2) - I love the words/meaning of this song, and I feel like it captures a lot of what I'm moving towards are on this journey.  "Freedom is ours to hold, a struggle in your mind to keep your soul."  Also, I love Mason Jennings for his lyrics, voice, and instruments.  
  
  
• Brad Mackeson - Thousand Drums - This song has been a key player in my road trip.  It feels like summer and gets me excited to start each new leg of my adventure; I can't help but rocking out to this one.
  
  
• Allison Krauss - Down to the River to Pray - we sang this song a lot at the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary (yoga/meditation retreat by the Yuba river); it was so lovely singing this with our group and there was definitely a spiritual energy that ran through everything we did, including our visits to the river  
  
  
• Rusted Root - Send Me On My Way - a perfect song to start my road-trip portion of my adventure.  Anyone, going anywhere, will probably enjoy this old kick back, with the wind behind your back! 
  
  
• Anna Kendrick - Cups - I couldn't help but singing this incessantly as I was approaching my departure... I didn't mean to be conceited, but I just like the percussions, her voice, and the part about having company and drinking whiskey before leaving. 
  
  
• Awolnation - Kill Your Heroes - I get pretty hyped for whatever I'm doing whenever I listen to this song... "Never let your fear decide your fate!"
  
  
• Twenty One Pilots - Holding Onto You - a fun rock-y, kinda hip-hop-y, with some good lyrics if you can listen - "When we gonna stop with it, lyrics that mean nothing, we were gifted with thought, is it time to move our feet to an introspective beat, it ain't the speakers that bump hearts, it's our hearts that make the beat."
  
  
• Rhye - Open - Beautiful song, beautiful video.  And this voice actually belongs to a man. 
  
  
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love - Known as a gay anthem, I love everything about this song, it's more like a prescription for society. 
  
  
• Serena Ryder - Stompa - This is another anthem song, it just makes me wanna get up and do something! 
  
  
• Jay-Z & Kanye West - No Church in the Wild - I just love the beats, and the first verse.  Re-reading The Great Gatsby with this song in my head gave both the song and the book an entirely new context.  I may see the new Great Gatsby movie simply because of the soundtrack.
   
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us - This will no doubt put me in a good mood, make me dance, and give me that sort of untouchable feeling.
  
  
• The Mowgli's - San Francisco - "Do you feel the love? I feel the love. Let it pour out of your soul!"
  
  
• Asaf Avidan - One Day / Reckoning Song - Rather than being old and thinking about the stories we could've told, I want to live them now!  Either way, I've been discovering  a lot of good music coming out of Israel lately. 
  
  
• Matisyahu - Sunshine - This sounds like how summer feels... happy! But the words are actually quite inspiring and the name of the album is Spark Seeker. Enough said. 
  
  
• ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down - I just love her voice and beats.