Feelings Don't Forget

Feelings Don't Forget from meganagitor on 8tracks Radio.

"Called Out In the Dark" - Snow Patrol
When I think about Snow Patrol, I like their songs but they tend to fade into the background quicker than others. Not out of dislike or blandness. They just seem to be good background music. You always know it's them, because of the distinct voice/style. But... they feel like they're just a part of it. A part of life, if that makes sense. And if it doesn't make sense, too bad.

"Reverse" - Now It's Overhead
For me, May seemed to be a very rainy month. I ultimately prefer the sunshine, but I love me some thunderstorms. But there's a particular type of rainy... During the day, where it's a little bit darker than dreary, but a little bit lighter than gloomy. It's raining, but just barely. Just enough to be called rain, rather than drizzle. And there are a fair few of Now It's Overhead songs that fit that type of rainy. This is probably second, only to Wait In A Line.

"Do You Believe Me?" - The Juliana Theory
A band I forget about, despite teaching myself bass to one of their songs. I missed this album when it came out, but once I found out about it made the effort to get it, and every once in a while it snags me from the shuffled playlists.

"Someday" - Cary Brothers
Zach Braff is the entire reason I know of Cary Brothers. First the Garden State soundtrack, then The Last Kiss, and now because of the Wish I Was Here Kickstarter. All of which you should check out, if you haven't yet. The Kickstarter is closed, but remember it when the movie comes out. I guarantee it'll be worth watching.

"Burying Luck" - Minus the Bear
To me, it's a very subtle song. But the lyrics that influenced the title are what make me love it most, the concept of someone burying your luck. And the acoustic version of it emphasizes the subtlety of it even more.

"Remains" - Matt Pond PA

"I can't remember which movie taught me purpose

I can't remember which movie taught me pain
I would've been the one baptized in all your water
I would've been the one submerged under your rain
This is not how I want to be forgotten
This is not how I want to leave remains"
Opening of the song, and it stuck with me. Just like the first song I ever heard by him.

"Oblivion" (feat. Susanne Sundfør) - M83
I saw the trailer for the movie Oblivion, and despite Tom Cruise, I wanted to see it. Then I found out that M83 was responsible for the soundtrack. That just intrigued me more. Sadly, I still haven't seen the movie. But I have at least listened to the soundtrack!

"Get Lucky" (feat Pharrell Williams) - Daft Punk
Well. It's Daft Punk. And the released an amazing album. And this was the amazing single. Pretty simple, right? And then, of course, there was this pretty awesome cover, and after that it was all over. Between the two, I couldn't get it out of my head.

Comics and Critters

Well, it seems that while I have mostly kept up with my music blogs, I have most definitely fallen behind on my charity resolution blogs.

Partly because I fell behind on donating in the month of March, but mostly because I am far from a professional writer and when my ideas come to me at work or in the shower, they don't do me much help. Especially when they make their escape before I ever navigate to a computer.

Because of this, and the fact that it is more than halfway thru May, I am combining my post about my charities for both March and April.

For March, I stayed local and donated to the Geneseo Animal Shelter, on behalf of them building a new shelter. Although the weather was a bit deceiving, spring was nonetheless on its way and with it many unintended baby critters. As much as I'd like to adopt a second (and third and fourth) kitty, in a few months I will be moving and unable to bring my Phoenix with me. At least initially. (I am beyond unhappy about it, but I keep reminding myself it is only temporary.) Because I can't offer my own place as a secondary shelter, I thought making my donation specifically for the new shelter would be a good idea.

HOWEVER, if you have a little extra room in your home and your heart, LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIES! They currently have an overflow and any help would be welcome! LOVE THEM. LOVE THEM ALL!

For April, I chose the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) because basically, well, fuck censorship.

Lazy, I know, but to quote their F.A.Q., the CBLDF is "...dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians  and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals." Basically, the CBLDF helps protect and defend those from stupid people who take offense easily. Helping keep books & comics from being banned in schools, freeing authors/artists from uncalled-for arrests, etc. As an avid reader and purveyor of arts in general, I wholeheartedly support this. And I hope that if you are my friends, you do too.

For such a late post, I feel like I should have more to say, but being as the world "charity" alone tends to scare people away, I feel less is more.

And once again, if you have any suggestions as to what charities I should look into for upcoming months, please share!

Lyrical Indulgence

"Live & Direct" - Sugar Ray
This came on shuffle a few times over the past month, and it would always make me chuckle, and then I'd forget about it. I listened to this album constantly during high school, but this song in particular... Well... Supposedly the lyrics are "Whata bye bye bye" but all I can hear is "What about my butt?" And now so will you, and because of that, this song needed to be first.

"Love Is Greed" - Passion Pit
When this first came on, I realized I had heard it, possibly a few times before. I can't remember when or where, but it was extremely familiar. So this time I actually paid attention to the lyrics. I think it depends on context, but I really fell for the line "If we really love ourselves, how do you love somebody else?"

"I Couldn't Be Your Friend" - Tegan And Sara
Forgot that I had gotten Tegan and Sara's new album, and this song came on shuffle to remind me. I like the whole album, and there will probably be more on mixes in the future, but I mainly picked this one because it was the first that caught my attention and brought me back to them. I love these girls.

"Be Here Now" - As Tall As Lions
As Tall As Lions... in my opinion they're great lyricists. Again, one line caught me the most: "It's been a good life, I'll be sad to see it go." And the way it's sung. It just gives me goosebumps. Seeing this trend, I've now realized how to titled my mix. I usually write these posts after I finish the mix, but now I'm thinking I should write these before I actually publish it. Titles are always so hard.

"Walk On Air" - Minus the Bear
Well, besides the obvious reason being it's Minus the Bear, I should state that it's a new song from Minus the Bear, and it's glorious, and it's on the soundtrack of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Wait, what? Yeah. It's awesome.

"Wooly Mammoth" - Local Natives
This one was less about lyrics, and more... chord progression? for me. The underlying music. It snagged me and wouldn't let go. (Not to play down the lyrics, of course. They just weren't what first caught my attention.)

"Cough Cough" - Everything Everything
So much about this song I love. The background keyboards. The drumming. The subtle "cough cough." And of course, "I'm coming alive. I'm happening now." Yes. Just yes.

"Brennisteinn" - Sigur Rós
I'm not sure how to translate all my Squees and jaw-dropped facial expressions into a proper explanation. So I'll just leave it at that.

If guessing isn't good enough, there's always Google.

The title is pretty self explanatory, and the main theme around why I picked a lot of the music I did. There are many times when I'm not able to look at my iPod while music is playing, and I do my best to track it with last.fm, but is not 100% fool-proof. So sometimes I have to resort to memory, digging through my library, and Google.

"Swift And Unforgiving" - Boys Night Out
This was the first offender. It took me two days from hearing it to finally figure out what it was. Mostly because I only was using my iPod and phone to investigate. I remembered a few lyrics, and I attempted to Google on my phone, but apparently "drown" and "tidal wave" are both pretty common in songs. At least in the form I originally searched. Then I scanned through all the artists in my iPod to see if any rang a bell... but even though there were a few I thought could fit, I couldn't place it by song title, so I took a break. The next day, I gave it one more go at Google, and somehow managed to re-arrange the words I remembered in a more searchable manner. Which is good. Because I HAD to find out. These things really exasperate me.

"Tribulations" - LCD Soundsystem
This is one I had heard multiple times, though I'm positive many of the times I heard it was NOT on my iPod. I wanted to know where I had heard it, and of course, what it was. I never found out where I heard it from first, but I did (obviously) find out who it was.

"Futuristic Casket" - Phantogram
This one, I was 83% sure it was Phantogram. I was able to check, and Bingo! High five, me!

"Help Is On Its Way" - Murray Gold
This one was on in the background, so some of the subtleties were lost to other noises. Because of that, when I first heard the crescendo-ing brass, I immediately wondered how I got a James Bond song on my iPod. But I knew better. And it didn't take me long to figure out it was Doctor Who.

"MY KZ, UR BF" - Everything Everything
Once again, Minus the Bear members turn me on to new music. I learned from the last time that I shouldn't delay as long as I had with Macklemore. This time, within a few days of Erin Tate posting about Everything Everything, I looked up one of the videos he had recommended. And immediately got it stuck in my head. Checked out more music, and bam! Hooked.

"Heavy Feet" - Local Natives
I found out through Spotify that Local Natives was coming out with a new album. (Or perhaps already had, but Spotify only had the single at the time I heard it.) There were actually four songs listed on Spotify, but this one was the only one available outside of the UK. So be it, because it's good.

"La Boulange" - Yann Tiersen
This one was merely figuring out the title. Yann's work is very distinctive, and this one kept randomly popping up throughout the month.

"Foxglove" - Murder By Death
Finally, this one was a similar situation to Phantogram, except I knew without a doubt it was Murder By Death. I just couldn't remember what album it was on. However, the intro and cello were very unmistakable  so it was hard to find just by skipping through the tracks. Goodness, how I love that cello.




Now, be honest kids... How many of you actually click the links I include?
Maybe not all of them, but I hope you investigate a few. Each one is something different (but related), and I even made sure they open up in new windows.

Fleeting Days

Fleeting Days from meganagitor on 8tracks Radio.

"Going, Going, Gone" - Stars

This song I was first introduced to by Sierra If I remember correctly, it was the year that I graduated High School. Oi. I'm old. This song came on via shuffle a few times this month, and I just like it. Liked it the instant I heard it on the mix she made, way back when.


"Annan Water" - The Decemberists

I could be taking it completely out of context, but I love the line "You may have my precious bones on my return," and how they seem to be sung with just a little bit of contempt.


"Next Girl" - The Black Keys

For some reason I couldn't get away from this song during February. But, it's The Black Keys. So I'm not complaining.


"Wily Kataso" - Amadou & Mariam, ft Tunde & Kyp of TV On The Radio

When I first looked into the newest album, Folia, this caught my eye specifically because of TV On The Radio. And it did not disappoint.


"Kill" - Jimmy Eat World

The album Futures was released a year after I graduated High School, and for some reason this song made me nostalgic about my Junior and Senior years. And for some reason, it still does.


"Yet Again" - Grizzly Bear

This is a song I just can't shake. I don't know when I first took the time to listen thru Shields, but this song stuck out. I've listened to it multiple times throughout the last few months but when it comes time to make my mixes I always managed to forget or overlook it. But not this time!


"Madness" - Muse

I acquired Muse's recent album 2nd Law but never took the time to listen to it on its own. This song came on via shuffle, and instantly I knew it would get stuck in my head. And it did.


"Svefn-g-englar" - Sigur Rós

I love this band, I love this song. I feel there needs to be no other explanation. If you ever get an opportunity, watch Sigur Rós live.

Live Proud, So That Others May Live Free

At the very beginning of the February, heck, even the end of January, I was still gung-ho for my "A charity a month" idea. Not to say I'm not still enthused by it.

But February just snuck up on me. I didn't even mail/write out a single Valentine this year, if that gives you any indication.

(If it doesn't, I've been known to spend over $100 on postage to send candy, or spend the whole day writing [sometimes] witty Valentine messages to every single person I am friends with on Facebook.)

Initially, I found this video at the end of January and thought "Wow, found it already!"

Then February came and went and it's already a week and a half into March.

I was hoping for other people to chime in on charities they'd like to see me donate to (and I still am!)

However, that did not happen during February. So I went back to that video, and clicked the link they provided. There are a lot of great ideas on that page, however I had no info about any of them except Landfill Harmonic, and unfortunately the last mention of plans appears to be written in 2011, about what they hoped to accomplish in 2012. This does not give me great confidence in what my money will be doing. Because of that, I decided to find a different charity for February, though I plan to keep checking on Landfill Harmonic, because I truly hope it is still underway.

Now this left me scrambling, I had no suggestions and my one idea didn't seem optimal... So I resorted to a more well known charity, that I have known about for a while, but never delved into.

Welcome to the It Gets Better Project.

(I was going to provide a video from their site, but I teared up over every single one that I saw so I figured I'd spare you. However, their main pages has a few featured and the ability to browse the most popular [if you feel like bawling, I recommend Pixar's submission] but also if you just want to search the videos, you can do so here.)

I think this one might not need as much detail as my January charity, but I'm gonna play it safe.

The It Gets Better Project message is simple. It gets better. You are a wonderful human being, and your uniqueness should be a source of pride and strength  not insecurity and doubt. This message is for everyone, but the project focuses specifically on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning youth who need to know that they are supported and that it does indeed get better.

Technically I was a victim of bullying, even throughout High School. But nowhere near the extremes that media reports today. Partially because I didn't (usually) let the hateful words have any power over me, but partially because there were other kids besides me to pick on. Don't worry, I'm not getting out my violin. I know that despite the trouble I had, I was lucky. Other kids had/have it much worse. But that's the point, everyone at some point in their life gets told that who they are is not okay, that it's something to be ashamed of. AND IT'S NOT.

So although I did not do my research this February, I have no qualms about donating to the It Gets Better project.

Be proud of oddities and uniqueness. It makes you a beautiful, beautiful human being.

And I know this wasn't a motivational essay and I didn't really tell a story, but whether you wandered here by accident or on purpose, if you or someone you know needs help/support they have a list of wonderful helplines. 

Also, I am always available for hugs. I may not check my blog on a daily basis, but that matters not. Whether I'm here or not, I love you all. <3

Hey, Who Turned Out The Lights?

Hey, Who Turned Out The Lights? from meganagitor on 8tracks Radio.

"Silence In The Library" - Murray Gold (Doctor Who: Series 4)
I do not have triskaidekaphobia, however that doesn't mean I couldn't love The Bloggess's fix, In The Library.
"Everything that happens in the library is just preparation for the next year. That means if you fuck something up this year it's fine."
And after reading it, I knew what my first track would be with certainty.

"The Spicy McHaggis Jig" - Dropkick Murphys
This is just a song I could not get away from. Not that I was actively trying to. But I know I only have this one version, in all of my songs ever, and only this one version just once on my iPod, yes it came up on shuffle a numerous amount of times. And I smirked every single time.

"Secrets In Mirrors" - Spitalfield
This one just stuck. For some reason the chorus of "How long..." would keep ringing thru my head at odd hours. And I've always loved Mark Rose's voice.

"Ocean Avenue" - Yellowcard
A lot of Yellowcard came up throughout the month, but Ocean Avenue made the cut not only because of nostalgia from my late teen years, but longing for the future where Ocean Avenue won't require a plane.

"So So Cold" - Hot Hot Heat
I wish I had something more introspective, but what made this linger in my head was the chorus relating to current life. Winter weather, and a penchant for feeling cold even if it were 70.

"Imagineer" - The Imagineers
You can thank Craig Ferguson for this one. I didn't even have an antennae hooked up to the telly until New Years Eve, and it was some point after that, that a random Late Late Show episode came on from when they were in Scotland. And thus, I learned of The Imagineers.

"Lazarus" - David Byrne & St. Vincent
Despite everyone I (trusted and) knew raving about David Byrne in general, I always kept my distance. Not actively, I just didn't seek out his music. But then St. Vincent came along and changed that. I had to hear this new album, regardless of who else participated. And now I am plotting the owning of everything else from David Byrne's catalog.

"Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Wanz)
I kept hearing bits and blurbs about this group called "Macklemore." Initially, I thought they were indie, in the misclassified sense of them sounding folky and mellow. Slowly, still without hearing them, I started to gather that they were hip-hop. Not a genre I'm against, but not one I seek out. However, some of the folks I was hearing about them from were from on of my favourite bands, Minus the Bear. So I got off my ass and did some research. Without knowing it was a hit of any sort, I randomly picked "Thrift Shop" to listen to on my way to work. It. Was. Glorious. When I got off work, I subsequently googled for a video, and found this. I don't care how many times you have or haven't heard it, if you haven't seen the video click that link. RIGHT NOW.


And this one is not on the mix, as I keep it strictly 8 tracks. But this was a (last-minute) runner up:

"Together We'll Ring In The New Year" - Motion City Soundtrack
I won't make it a habit of posting runner ups unless it was an agonizing decision. The only reason this one caught my attention (and with only days to go) was of the lyrics "I'm trying to find out if my words have any meaning. Lackluster and full of contempt when it always ends the same." It just felt appropriate, blogwise, especially for how this one started off. Maybe this year will tell me what meaning my words have.