Pazartesi 22 Oca 2007, 20:43

voices. i listened to it on my way to memphis my first day of driving. it calmed me, and helped me worry less about all the things i was worried would go wrong while on my trip.

graceland. i listened to it the second day of my trip while on my way to graceland, and i cried huge alligator tears of relief that i was finally doing what i'd been so driven to do despite my fears. that's what going to graceland meant to me. being received in a dead stranger's home as a first step on a long journey.

remedy. driving the scenic 7 byway in arkansas.

cass - mixmag presents: planet progressive. oklahoma. toll roads on the way to broken arrow.

hounds of love. i'd downloaded this earlier in the summer, but enjoyed listening to it while in the hotel early on in my trip.

journey. this journey mix i made got me from broken arrow to amarillo. i was so close to running out of gas in the middle of no where. the few houses that were on this god forsaken highway had signs in their yards like, "we will kill your ass if you dare step on our property, even if you are unarmed and just desperately in need of gas."

scarlet's walkthe beekeeper. amarillo to albuquerque. i cried while driving. first because i was on a big road trip like i'd always dreamed of while listening to and looking at the packaging for scarlet's walk, and secondly because of ma and how much i miss the head of the family. there was so much construction on I-40 when in new mexico, i was able to take it slow while i was emotional and enjoy watching the landscape change.

renaissance ibiza. an old favorite i refound specifically for this trip.

hejira. in the painted desert and petrified forest.

little fluffy clouds. is it silly? maybe. i'd finally reached arizona, and there they were. little fluffy clouds. i couldn't help myself and i couldn't stop smiling.

remain in light. i had already decided that as soon as i felt i was finally in the desert, i would put this album on. carey balch gave it to me when i quit my job, and told me to just listen to it and i'd know why i had to have it. he was right. the drums, the voices, the lyrics were made to bounce off canyon walls and sneak through the cracks in the mountains. the desert is like being at the bottom of the ocean, water flowing underground.

...best II. easily the cd, not only of the entire trip, but the entire summer. it just didn't matter how nervous i was about getting on the road every morning, i would put on ...best II and be all smiles by the time i heard the first two measures of the boy with the thorn in his side. it's also a perfect driving cd, and was appropriate for this trip since i'd worn out ...best I on my commutes to and from work the year before, and had recently quit that job in order to be free to roam.

behind the wheel, so alive, and frank sinatra. songs maggie and i danced to at aruba in vegas.

one perfect day soundtrack. maggie played this for me in her truck, but i haven't been able to find a copy.

bridge over troubled water, specifically the only living boy in new york. driving through southern utah, which had never occurred to me could be such a beautiful area of the country.

portishead. i'd asked for and gotten this cd for christmas 2005, but i hadn't been able to get into it. i brought it along on my trip in the hopes that maybe i would. it finally happened while driving through bryce canyon. it was very windy and painfully bright out, and i hugged the curves and felt like i was sneaking up on something.

out there and back. this is one of my favorite albums of all time, but it's rare that i listen to it. i played it as i drove past the vermilion cliffs on AZ-89 S, the most beautiful drive of the entire trip.

andrew bird & the mysterious production of eggs. i had been listening to nervous tic motion of the head to the left since the winter of 2005, but hadn't really listened to this album in its entirety until i was on this trip. i played it on repeat during a whole day's drive from albuquerque to las cruces. if ...best IIis the cd of the trip, tables and chairs is its theme song. it filled me with so much joy while in the car by myself, i laughed out loud.

when the pawn... and extraordinary machine. rediscovering old loves while lounging in hotel beds.

the sundays. everything they've ever done is perfect driving music. i'd been listening to static and silence for years, but for some reason only got blind and reading, writing, and arithmetic this summer. i'm still not tired of either of them.

bodily functions.
likes....
ruby blue. i had "herbert day" while on my way to austin.

the venus in furs. best fake band ever.

artists and albums i tried that didn't stick:
suede
knapsack
sunny day real estate
sweet
the tears
you in reverse
a hundred miles off