"On My Way" Playlist

I've been listening to a lot of really awesome music lately, so I just wanted to share it with you guys! My inspiration for this playlist is the train/plane/car ride back to school after winter break (for us college kids, at least). I can't be the only one who likes to look out the window and pretend I'm a character in a movie or book, gearing up to begin a new chapter in my life. This playlist is a bit of a hodgepodge in itself, but that just goes with the overall theme of this blog! So without further ado...

"On My Way" Playlist

• "On My Way" by Passion Pit
• As you can probably tell, this song is what gave this playlist its name. It took me awhile to get into Passion Pit, because their song "Sleepyhead" is a bit off-putting. But once I looked into their other stuff, especially the album "Gossamer," I realized that they're actually much more uplifting than I thought. This song just makes me happy, and it doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's not too heavy. 
• "Stolen Dance" by Milky Chance
• I think it might be on the radio now, but I heard this song for the first time at the end of a YouTube video! It's simple and easygoing, with a bit of a haunting element that makes it more intriguing. I can't help but move to the beat when I hear it, and it's the kind of song that you'll want to listen to a few times because of how interesting the melodies are. 
• "The Moon Song" by Karen O and Ezra Koenig
• I love how simple and calming this song is. The instrumentation is quiet and faded in the background, calling attention to the soft, pretty sound of the two vocalists. There's definitely a lullaby aspect to this song, so it'll make you forget about all your worries for a couple of minutes, putting you at ease.
• "Wait" by M83
• This song makes you feel something. I can't describe what it is, but it just stops me in my tracks and pulls at my core. I've spent hours listening to this song on repeat, and its impact on me still hasn't decreased. Sometimes you just want a song not to dance or sing to, but to think to. My apologies for being so overdramatic, but this song is perfect to play in the background if you just want to think about your place in the world, where you're heading and what you want your life to amount to. My main complaint about mainstream pop music used to be that it didn't use enough real instruments, but now it's just that most of it doesn't make you feel anything. This song does, which makes it really special.
• "Just Like the Sea" by PigPen Theatre Co.
• My friends at school were lucky enough to see these guys live, and I'm grateful to them for introducing me to their music. It's whimsical and theatric, bringing out your childlike wonder, reminding you of how amazingly huge the world used to look from your young eyes. It's basically a theatrical folk song, telling a story. 
• "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" by Vampire Weekend
• The main, repeating riff of this song is so catchy, and I can never help but to dance to it. It's great to have songs that are introspective, making you think, but it's equally great to have songs that are just fun. I dare you to sit still while listening to this. 
• "Vagabond" by Wolfmother
• I'm not going to pretend that I'm cool enough to not have gotten this song from 500 Days of Summer. Who can forget the tennis ball scene, where Tom bounces it in synchronization with this song? If my life was a movie, I'd want this song to play while I was driving in the car, looking hopefully out the window. For some reason, this song speaks to me, saying something along the lines of, "You don't have to have everything figured out right now. Just live your life," which is an extremely valuable message. 
• "Rivers and Roads" by The Head and the Heart
• This song is definitely more serious than some of the others, but "serious" doesn't have to mean "boring," or "sad." I am forever indebted to my friend for introducing to this band. There are a couple of bands on this playlist, I'll admit, that I don't know or like any other songs from (for example, though I'm obsessed with "Wait," it's the only song I like by M83). But The Head and the Heart are consistently great, and everything they've released is worth checking out. Anyway, this song would be especially fitting for the journey back to school, because it's literally about traveling.
• "Shadow Of a Man" by Neulore
• I'm pretty sure I heard this song for the first time in a commercial for a show on TLC. If I remember correctly, it was for the show Breaking Amish. I just find it kind of funny that I got a really good song from a commercial for a show about Amish people questioning their faith. Anyway, this song is great, and puts some things into perspective. I particularly like the verse, "I still remember your innocence/ Oh the days when your heart was in it/ Oh but now you're like the falling sun/ And the race to death has just begun." It makes me think of adults stuck in boring, monotonous desk jobs that don't make them feel anything. It reminds me that I'm still young, that I still have some of that childlike innocence and vigor, and I still have time to follow my dreams; I'm not stuck in that 'race to death' yet.
• "Needle" by Born Ruffians
• This song somehow manages to be dramatic and funky, introspective and whimsical at the same time. Lines like "I belong to no one" make me feel free and independent, while ones like "Needle in the hay/ Lost but in my place" remind me that in the grand scheme of things, I'm just a needle in the hay that is humanity, just a tiny speck. This sounds pessimistic and belittling, but it's actually kind of peaceful to think about humanity with that kind of metaphor. Sometimes, it feels like our problems are massive and earth-shattering, but they're actually just needles in the hay. 

Soundtrack: these songs!!