Music

I'm in a music state of mind. From time to time, I'll get a bee in my bonnet about finding new music. The only way I know how is to go to NPR's All Songs Considered and pitchfork.com and listen to snippets of music, see if I like anything, and then type them into itunes to see the genius recommendations (if you like this, you should like this).
I've assembled a bunch of songs today. They're not upbeat. In fact, they're kind of down in the dumps but with a little bit of optimism. Not sure if that reflects any sort of mood that I'm in. I certainly feel fine and happy and positive. But sometimes the music I listen to is more telling.
Right now:
(1) Antony and the Johnsons, Fistful of Love: The lyrics of this song are intense. It's about domestic violence. The singer likes to think that the "fistfuls of love" that he gets from time to time don't compare to the actual love that he gets most of the time from the person he loves. This song is dramatic, sad, optimistic, all at the same time. I love it.
(2) Antony and the Johnsons, For Today I am a Boy: Well, unsurprisingly, one Antony & the Johnsons song led me to another song. This song is beautiful, with weird lyrics (gender-ambiguous lyrics). But there is, to my ear, at least, something church-like about this song. The piano accompaniment is intense, and sometimes the voice is intense, amplified with repetitive, insistent, pressing chords. I'm not sure I love this song, but I like the intensity of this song.
(3) Beirut, Scenic World: This song has some nice instrumental accompaniment, which makes the song seem loud and chaotic, which I kind of like. But the singer has a morose tone to his singing, which is an odd, but sastisfying, juxtaposition. I love the lines, "When I feel alive/ I try to imagine a careless life/ A scenic world where the sunsets are all/ Breathtaking." I don't know what to make of these lines. Are these lines imagining a life less ordinary? Is life itself less ordinary (you dream of breathtaking sunsets that you don't actually view because you are fast asleep, waiting (not impatiently, but helplessly) for your alarm clock to go off to rouse you off to the day job that runs into night, when it's dark?). I don't want that to be the case. The chaos of the background stands in contrast to some of the lyrics.
(4) Norah Jones, Tell Yer Mama: I can't find a quick, legitimate link for this song, so good luck. I like this song because I heard Norah Jones sing it way back in the day at a sudden and imprompto performance. The Shakster, Sierra Leone Belle and I had no idea we were in for a Norah Jones late-night treat. This song isn't typical Norah Jones, which is, at least a lot of the time, just background music. Like when you're cooking and you want someone else in the apartment with you. This song has a beat. It has rhythm. Most importantly, there is something seductive about this song. You can imagine caressing a loved one's cheek and her, "Tell your folks thank you, for making you."
On that note, good night!