Matt's Playlist (#19)

Hello, all! I'm glad to be making a guest appearance on the Sound of Souls blog with a playlist of my own. I tend to make playlists for the heck of it, but I thought I would (since this is my first entry here) choose a list of songs that have taught me about music, or ones that have represented some key events or people in my life. Enjoy!

Listen to  Matt's Playlist (#19)

1.     For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti – Sufjan Stevens

I have called you preacher, I have called you son
If you have a father or if you haven't one
I'll do anything for you, I'll do anything for you…
I did everything for you, I did everything for you

Of course, this begins with a banjo tune. But more than that, we’re getting right into the deep stuff. I largely grew up without a father, and I realized over time that I’m pretty sure that has affected my view of God. However, as beautifully voiced by Mr. Stevens, I’ve felt that God is able to take that and show me that He’ll do anything for me… and that he has. 

2.     Another Day – Jamie Lidell

I was planning on including lyrics for all of these entries. BUT, a lot of times it’s more than just the lyrics, or I’ll love a tune DESPITE the lyrics. This is definitely a case of the former, but just enjoy. This is fun.

3.     Three Little Birds – Bob Marley

Don't worry 'bout a thing, 
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

That’s all that was needed to get me out of a funk… and it was a deep funk. It’s strange that you can hear a song dozens or hundreds of times, but it only takes that one time to make a difference. I really needed to hear this at the time. Not gonna lie, I teared up. Thanks, Bob.

4.     Torches Together – mewithoutYou

We'll be like torches
With whatever respect
Our tattered dignity demands
Torches together
Hand in hand

It’s hard to pick out just one chunk of lyrics from this song to highlight, but this song, written by an always-vulnerable Aaron Weiss, has to be one of the best I’ve ever heard about community. It just takes active listening. Try not to skip over this one.

5.     Brand New Colony – Postal Service

I'll be the platform shoes and undo what heredity's done to you...
You won't have to strain to look into my eyes
I'll be your winter coat buttoned and zipped straight to the throat
With the collar up so you won't catch a cold

This is a song I judged… by the first few notes.  There were a number of times I just passed right over it because it sounded like a video game. Seems like that would be appealing, but for some reason it wasn’t for a while. Then I listened to the song and loved the poetry Ben Gibbard used to let a gal know that he’s there for her.

6.     Mad Tom of Bedlam – Jolie Holland

Another song that isn’t about the lyrics for me. This was one of the tunes I first heard on The Current and my roommate and I at the time kept expecting additional instrumentation to kick in… and it didn’t. Then I knew we had something different here. I have since found out that Jolie is kind of pretentious, but this song still holds a special place for me.

7.     Mute With A Bullhorn – Ben Sollee

And a blind man with a brush,
Paints the trash he finds on the street.
The art collectors love his work,
And fetch money that he’ll never see.

Yes, and we all need to be heard.
There are some that will need to be found, 
But we don’t always know how.
No, we don’t always know how.A cellist singer/songwriter from Kentucky. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen live. He could have played all night long, and I'm pretty sure all of us there would have stayed. Love his voice, love his work.

8.     New Law – Derek Webb

don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice
don’t teach me about loving my enemies
don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law

i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

Derek Webb’s album Mockingbird has probably been one of the most influential that I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. This definitely got me to question a lot of the options often provided by the Church, but absolutely for the better.

9.     Echo – Incubus

There's something about the look in your eyes
Something I noticed when the light was just right
It reminded me twice that I was alive
And it reminded me that you're so worth the fight

One of my favorite bands in high school. Actually, they were flat out my favorite. I felt that this song highlighted their versatility and once I listened to it after beginning to date Damaris, the lyrics seemed to fit perfectly.

10. Brother – Annuals

I fell down in a creek bed.
Brother wept.
In his face I met fear; 
that I could die right there.
But I climbed right out.

So, it wasn’t a creek bed, but my brother and I went on a couple of “adventures” while growing up. One was to a park that we were explicitly told not to visit, but we did and I crashed my bike pretty badly down the hill out there. My brother saw me disappear behind a different hill, only to not show up out the other side. I hit the “death-wobble” and flipped over my bike and probably slid 15 feet down the pavement. I got up with a decent amount of blood and such. Helmet saved my life, though, or at least protected me from major head/brain damage.

The main reason I included this track though was just to reminisce of how, after having horrible fights and nearly hating one another at times growing up, music is what brought us together. We haven’t discussed this song at all, or listened to it together, but this goes out to him; a very dynamic song for a very dynamic brother.

11. Fire & Rain – James Taylor

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus, 
You've got to help me make a stand.
You've just got to see me through another day.
My body's aching and my time is at hand 
And I won't make it any other way.

This one goes out to my mom. Though not a musician, she introduced us to some great music growing up. There are a few other reasons to include this song for her, but that’s a whole other rabbit hole.

12. Oh Happy Day – Sister Act 2 Soundtrack

I was a choir kid. I loved this song.

13. After All – Sondre Lerche

You daren’t define which has happened to us
Well, I’ve had a name for it for some time
You try to find what it is that you feel
I long to tell you so truly

Another tune for my lovely wife. This was on a mixtape I made for a party at her old ministry. She was convinced this song was on there because of her, but it wasn’t. However, it did take on a Damaris-flavor once I really started liking her.

14. Beautiful Children – Jeremy Messersmith

I’m not going to put any of the lyrics on here for this one. I first heard it at one of his shows, and had a moment at the end where everyone just let out a sigh and didn’t want to even clap. Just listen.

15. Prelude to a Kiss – Duke Ellington (*I grabbed the version from the album "Digital Duke")

Although this isn’t the exact version with which I became familiar, Duke did something special here. I was quite moved once I heard the soaring sax and such. I later found out that there are lyrics to this song, but I can’t even bring myself to listen to them.

16. Tailor – Anais Mitchell

When he said, when he said he was leaving
I took up the violin
When he said, when he said that my body he'd not miss
I became a sculptress
When he said, when he said that my face he'd soon forget
I became a poet

I figured I’d put a recent addition onto this playlist. As with most of Anais’ songs, she draws you into the lyric pictures she paints. She speaks about her identity being in a person, and explores what happens when that person is gone. I just love the symmetry in her lyrics and the twists she puts in there. There is a bit of a shocker line near the end… just go with it. Also, she’ll be at the Entry on the 22^nd if anyone is interested…

17. Everything – Lifehouse

You calm the storms, 
And you give me rest. 
You hold me in your hands, 
You won't let me fall. 
You steal my heart, 
And you take my breath away. 
Would you take me in, 
Take me deeper now.

This song has been with me on and off since high school. I first thought it was about a girl, and then I realized it was a different kind of love song. I have a moment with this song where I distinctly remember sitting on the bathroom counter singing it aloud when it clicked and made so much more sense. Again, I got teary-eyed.

18. April – Scattered Trees

Help me to speak how you spake;
Help me to live how you lived.
Help me to see as you see; 
Help me to dream as you dream.
…please help me to live as you’d ought me to.

Seems like an appropriate way to end this. Nate Eisland set out to make an album of songs for each calendar month of his school year. One song per month – no more, no less. This is what he wrote in the month of… can you guess it… April! And it is beautiful.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this… at least a little bit. Next time there will be a tighter theme, but a good introduction to where I’ve come from seemed to be apt for a first attempt. Thanks, all!