Sometimes you encounter things that just stop you emotionally and force you to confront them. A lot of times I don’t think people do and thus never really move on. Of course moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it just means dealing with it and being ok with it.

I know that may be kind of vague and not mean much. I had a loss recently that seems to have stunted the way life had been going and it didn’t make me question things so much, because I know what I believe, but the loss seemed to slow time down and make me deal with it.

What does any of this have to do with music? Nothing really, but its life and life should be relatable to everyone. This is a music blog and so I’ll tie everything in by asking everyone some questions like do you find music soothing to you when everything seems to suck? Do you have a song or a cd which is your go to cd when you sink into a state of having to cope with things? I have a few, one of which is The Appleseed Cast’s “Two Conversations”. That cd seems to have a song for every emotion, and just hits all the right chords. So what are your records, which ones help you?

Everyone has impulsively bought something at one time or another whether it be an electronic toy or clothes or music or food so I know this topic will met with, if nothing else, understanding. Music is my weak spot when it comes to spending money because being able to find anything you want on itunes or Emusic and buy any cd at 3 am, and then have it right then is dangerous for a music lover trying to save money.

Online music is definitely the biggest temptation for impulsively buying music but Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m focusing more on randomly buying a physical cd. Although I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t do it very often I do love every once in a while buying a cd that I havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t heard before. Almost always there is a cd on sale or for a good price which Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve heard people talk about but havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t gotten to check out or sometimes the artwork really sticks out or a combination of both.

A month or two ago I was in an American Eagle (because my wife went in I swearâ┚¬Ã‚¦) and Dashboardâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s newest music video was playing so I was like this is cool Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ll sit in a chair and just watch while I wait. The next band that came on was Silversun Pickups. I had never really heard of the band but the video for â┚¬Ã…”Lazy Eyeâ┚¬? is a very good video, it matches the feeling of the song very well. I think if I had only heard the song I wouldnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t have been as intrigued with it. But true to fate I ended up in a store later that day with Silversun Pickups cd only being 7.99 thus weeks later I have not listened to the cd again.

Last week I was feeling lucky and decided I was in the mood to pick up a cd randomly again, and again I missed the mark. I had heard someone mention how they liked the band â┚¬Ã…”The Good, The Bad, The Queenâ┚¬? and so I picked it up hoping to stumble on my cd of the year, needless to say the music is weak and not my style. This cd I have listened to more than once though and it has a chance to grow on me.

The thing I love about buying cdâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s without having heard them I think is because I listen to so much music early before itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s ever been released for reviewing, that Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve heard (and gotten sick of) so many records. I love having something that I havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t heard blow me away with how good it is, and usually being able to listen to it more than 3 days (see Audio A.D.D. Article). Is there anyone that does this too? What, if any, are some cdâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s that youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve recently bought that hadnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t heard but were amazing, or terrible?

The life of a record in my player has gotten progressively shorter over the years. Once being able to have a cd spend a month playing over and over but now having anything last more than 3 days means that it’s an amazing cd. Is this because of so much access to music with the internet or is this just me?

Yes it’s very easy to just blame everything and frankly anything on “the internet” but I really do think that in this case it may be true. When I was in Jr. High and beginning of high school I seemed to be able to live on a single cd for a long time, dissecting every song, reading every lyric, and just leaving it on repeat. The case now is that I listen to a cd for a day or two and then am ready for whatever is waiting in line next. I almost usually always come back to the record but it’s just not the same as it was before.

That’s where the question comes in, is it me, the internet (access to music), or maybe it’s the bands aren’t as good anymore? I doubt the last is the case but I think it’s a combination of the first two. There are so many bands I enjoy. Let me say that again because it’s true, there are literally hundreds of bands I love and can’t wait for the next cd they release. The internet just provides such an easy access to everyone that wants to be heard. Before a band would have to gain local success and then tour for people to start taking notice and now it seems that a lot of bands are skipping that step and trying to record and gain attention, and then go on tour.

Does anyone have this problem with always wanting the next cd that’s coming out even when the disc that you’re listening to you enjoy? Is this something that has gotten worse with technology or is this something that’s always been around and the same?

Here are some of the cd’s I’ve listened to the most despite my audio ADD.

• Mute Math “Self titled”
• The Postal Service “Give Up”
• Copeland “Beneath Medicine Tree”
• Mxpx “Slowly Going the Way of The Buffalo”

There are a lot of places Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢d rather be than stuck in traffic on the 5 or the 805 freeways. Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢d much rather be in the park relaxing, not really doing anything. We canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t always have our way though and living in a city demands that you face some kind of freeway traffic once a day. Over the course of my life I have grown to accept this, although like I said I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t enjoy it. What is the best way to combat the traffic blues? Throw in a good cd and just enjoy the time given to you to do so.

[I do not condone the use of electronic equipment in the car if it distracts from the ability to driving safely] now that the PSA is out of the way we can begin.

I love the time it takes to travel different places, and how it gives you time to listen to music. The driving time with a cd will, in my opinion, is the most quality you will get to spend with that piece of music. Like a lot of people I listen to music on my computer, but with all the distractions going on, I rarely â┚¬Ã…”listenâ┚¬? to the music well. I hear it and I can usually tell if I like it, but I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t fully listen to it and get to enjoy all of it.

Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ll tell you why music sounds better on the road. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s very simple really, you create this cinematic montage with everything you see while driving and whichever cd is the soundtrack to the journey. Everything looks better with the sound of music behind it and the open road is no exception. Below is a list of some of my favorite driving songs, what are yours?

• Limbeck â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ The whole â┚¬Ã…”Hi, Everythingâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s Greatâ┚¬? CD
• The Decemberists â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”The Crane Wife 3â┚¬?, â┚¬Ã…”Summersongâ┚¬?
• Bush â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”Speed Killsâ┚¬?
• Fairweather â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”Young, brash, Hopefulâ┚¬?
• Northstar â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”Two Zero Twoâ┚¬?
• Over it â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”Wrong Wayâ┚¬?
• Third Eye Blind â┚¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ â┚¬Ã…”Blindedâ┚¬?