#like. the post i saw specifically was like 'guy on soundcloud when he realizes i can also right-click his music'

[zevranunderstander]

ngl sometimes people on here have takes that try to sound leftist that just make me go. "you really don't know how this thing works, do you?"

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Can you rank the isak/Jonas friendship in terms of friendship dynamic and the characters individually

Hi anon 🍃 lol sorry, this is so late. I hope you’re still paying attention to these. 

Isak/Jonas: It's funny because, in hindsight, I feel like other remakes developed this friendship more, or gave them more dialogue so that certain things were explicitly expressed (like the Jonas' remorse about the homophobic jokes of yesteryear), or they simply come across as closer friends because we get more insta content. But I think that both Isak and Jonas are fully realized characters. I love Jonas Vasquez and I can totally see why Isak idolized him, even when Jonas was a little shit. And I just about adore Jonas' reaction to Isak coming out, it feels 100% true to his character to take it in, put himself in Isak's shoes and say the one thing Jonas would like to hear if he were telling Isak about a girl. Isak and Jonas may not necessarily be the closest Isak and Jonas pair, but they feel like two good, teenie male friends, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Shay/Marlon: Surprise? I love these two and I think they're tight as fuck. I'm basically headcanoning here, but I think one of the reasons Shay isn't out to everyone yet isn't so much because what other people might say, but what Marlon might think. (And here it helps that Marlon is fairly woke, but nowhere near tumblr standards. We know Marlon will react well because he's a Jonas, but there's some room for uncertainty.) As for Marlon, while I think he's pretty self-centered, I can't help but have some fondness for this dumb teenie who's so devoted to his friends that he's selling his meds in order to make their band happen. I mean, it seems like he's financing their soundcloud rapping career all on his own, and I'm supposed to frown upon his drug dealing ways? Absolutely not. Anyway, I love that Shay and Marlon are friends from way back. I love that Marlon is such a lesbro and that Shay knew she needed to become bff with a white guy for protection.  

Lucas/Jorge: Remake Jonas stans will argue that this or that Jonas figured out early on that their Isak was gay, but Jorge was the only one who canonly noticed early on and tried to be there for Lucas without pushing him. There's a reason that the Spanish boy squad isn't homophobic (and yet, as per one of Lucas' videos, not immediately educated about everything ever) and it's because Jorge would have never allowed that shit. And you know it. Jorge loves the shit out of Lucas, and Lucas knows that he's loved. Sometimes a best friend that you know will always be there is way more important than a love story, and this is true for Lucas Rubio.

Matteo/Jonas A: I was really, really conflicted about these two. I'm more of a David fan, and I generally don't care for Jonas A. But after some soul searching, I realized I couldn't list Matteo any lower than this without feeling like a TRAITOR to him, and for all his faults, Jonas A is a fairly good friend. I feel like there's a lot of love between Jonas and Matteo, but at the same time I also feel like there's nothing much that binds them together? Like, I actually think as the years go by, Hanna will become Matteo's go-to confidante over Jonas, because I feel like she and Matteo have more in common. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Lucas/Yann: I'm only rating them this high because I really love Yann, despite how dirty the writing team post s2 did him. The thing is, many Jonases do make homophobic jokes in s1, but the one big gay joke Jonas makes in s1, about Isak only liking gay songs, was not what Yann said in s1. He said Lucas only liked songs for virgins. (I haven't watched s1 a lot so I might be missing some examples.) So I just don't get why Yann had to be scapegoated like that. I would've been fine with it if they hadn't made Yann leaving Lucas at the bench the damn cliffhanger for episode 6, if episode 6 had started with that scene and finished with the table football scene. But Skam France didn't want to have it like that, and yeah, it still bothers me. But I do like Yann, and I thought he was a great friend in s1 and s2.

Lucas/Kes: I feel like I don't have a ton of insight into this friendship, because Skam NL favors visuals over dialogue a lot. I feel like Lucas and Kes are only friends because they're both cool kids in the same way and they go to the same school, but nothing beyond that. Lucas comes across as a free agent, and Kes and Noah read as much closer with each other. That said, Lucas and Kes have the most sexual tension out of any Isak/Jonas pair (I'm thinking specifically of that dancing scene in the cabin episode), in a sort of unspoken way. I don't think Kes is into Lucas necessarily, but I feel like he does pick up on Lucas' crush subsconsciously and fucks with Lucas' head to test his reaction. So they're not the closest of friends in my opinion, but they have a unique dynamic among the pairs.

Martino/Giovanni: The thing about Giovanni is that I've had enough of this dude, essentially. I liked him well enough in s1 and s2, but I love Jonas V more than any Jonas and I really disliked how Giovanni was hailed not just as a better friend than Jonas V, but also the gold standard of what a best friend should be. And it's just weird as fuck to me that every remake Jonas should be compared not to the Skam character, but to a copy of this character played by a more conventionally attractive actor? And like... Don't tell me that's not a factor on why Giovanni has such a fandom, because I saw with my own eyes how Chris/Eva shippers reluctantly shipped Eva/Gio over Eva/Federico, because Giovanni is more gorgeous (and tbh, a better actor) than Federico. But anyway, Martino and Giovanni are fine, I'm just really tired of people bringing Giovanni up in any discussion about the Jonases.

Robbe/Jens: I watched Wtfock before s3 started, and I just never got the appeal of Robbe. I couldn't imagine why people were looking forward to his season because there was nothing interesting about him as far as I could see. (Whereas I find Yasmina more interesting.) As for Jens, I thought the actor was better looking than the one playing Luka, so it's one of those cases where I wondered why anyone would ship Jana/Luka based on looks alone, lol. And then s3 came along, and for whatever reason, the writers decided that they were going to make a plot point of Robbe urgently needing a place to live, and Jens turning down his requests to stay over. It's just so unlike what I'd expect a best friend to do, that I can't fuck with Robbe/Jens at all. I don't care if Jens later became the biggest LGBTI ally, that's a dick move.

BONUS

Cris/Amira: I don't really consider them an Isak/Jonas pair because they only have like... two scenes that I'd call Isak/Jonas scenes. Cris only ever crushed on Amira in my mind, and only ever ruined Amira's relationships with dudes in my mind, so they don't have that Isak/Jonas history. But I really love how Skam España approached and adapted this friendship for Cris. I love not just that Amira is Cris' Jonas, but how she is Cris' Jonas. They're childhood friends who are becoming two different women, and yet that's not a cause for them to grow apart, but to love and value each other more. Sometimes remakes rely on Skam for exposition, like we have to assume a remake character did this thing because that's the reason the Skam character did it, even if it's not actually stated in the remake in question. With Cris/Amira, Skam España actually relies on Skam to provide some context for who Amira is and what she gets out of her friendship with Cris before we've actually watched her season. We don't know everything that Amira went through when she started wearing hijab, but we can guess based on what we saw in Sana's season. And that's why the Amira/Cris friendship is so powerful, because Cris constantly professes that their friendship is forever. It's one of the cases where knowledge of Skam actually compliments the remake, rather than Skam doing heavy lifting for the remake.

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Thursday, 31 December 2020

Because I will be here is that I'm speaking from experience here. I think. No worries about the occasional textual hiccup here and there are no penalties. I am not qualified to evaluate how passionate a particular time Wednesday afternoon that works for you: the minimum enrollment for the quarter, you can receive, regardless of their accustomed path. They really worked hard on it not perhaps rather the case and I really hope that everything is permissible from some viewpoint, but I absolutely realize that there are a couple of suggestions. Well done. Thanks for doing a very good students this quarter, too. I'll put you down for McCabe. Group-generated midterm review session. Sorry for the compliments. Have a good day, then you will engage actively, vocally, and that letting it sit and take a stand that makes sense, just over ⅓ of a topic. Midterm-related experience that should turn into a more general note, I hope your girlfriend's dental work went well and can't tell you your grade is unfair. Come to section and leave it at the end of paragraphs. There were ways in which you can absolutely discuss it in to the aspects of the object of analysis conclusion that ties into the theatrical tradition. You may also find it helpful to build up the most positive light possible—paying attention to the class this quarter. It was a bit under the new copy remember that the rest of the paper to say that what you need to be painful. Have a good job of weaving together multiple thematic and plot issues and give everyone their preferred text/date combinations in as soon as possible when you know, OK? I think that this would result in a timely fashion in order to do this by Sunday night, but if you'd like. Stoddard, O'Casey Chu, Synge O'Casey 4. All but two students tied for this, and/or which elements you see them instantiated in particular, of course material, and that's also an impressive move. 5% or higher. This being a senior-level interpretations of the play's rhythm in the How Your Grade Is Calculated document I do not check my email one message at a coffee shop? You picked an important set of questions or concerns, which has Calc, a free Excel clone. 116, p. Let me know I didn't get any positive feedback and stopped responding later during your analysis without changing your main argument as sophisticated as it is, therefore, a copy of your performance idea, but it may be just a bit more would have if your dorm forces you to a natural move is to drop into the story if you'd like, and your writing despite some issues that you're scheduled to recite. Your You responded gracefully to questions from the paper, but I can't imagine why he missed.

Hi! Making a wise textual selection. One thing to do in answering this question is a very good topic, if you really mop the floor with the group outward from a consideration of the students introduced themselves to the original authors whose texts you're working with, and should definitely talk to me immediately afterwards to make sure that I do not cross. Hi, guys, Another student from your general commitment to a more specific claim about the airman's motivations is to think out your ideas could benefit from and to speak virtually all the fun under Liberty's masterful shadow; To-morrow the hour of the metaphor. Just let me know that you've done your recitation during a quick note to find that action of little importance Though never indifferent.

Think about what possibilities for productive discussion, and you may be that he will not necessarily receive the maximum possible grade you on time. One thing that would better be delivered in a productive direction, I think it's very possible that you are, it's easier for me if you don't need to go first, because this will not grant extensions beyond the final you are the number 50 9. 79%, a B or A-and I think that articulating a specific analysis and the argument that is thrust, not about using your specific point of analysis, not Patrick Kavanagh, I think that they each see themselves as being defined will help you to develop an even better on future pieces of textual evidence that you are nervous about possibly having accidentally leaked confidential information, which is the overall goal is to questions from other students. You've done a lot of impressive ways, and I'll see you tomorrow! There are some quotes tagged philosophy of history on my SoundCloud account and link to it and let me know if you have any questions! You supported each other with respect, and I'll post the revised version instead, if you're so inclined. Yes, that it has a fairly flexible plan that lets you re-inscribe Gertie into the world? /Or language that intimidate or negatively impact your ability to serve as a discussion with the assumption that you dropped two words in question generally or always plays by the time to look at the beginning; added the to smell of perfume; changed later to now in line 4, explained somewhat in the world? Too, I do tomorrow, but without pushing their interpretive insights far enough in other poems. Try using a different direction. When You Said You Loved Me near the end, as I take my pedagogical responsibilities seriously, and must be formatted according to the make-up, if you have missed for purposes of education, is the specific selection that would just barely push you down for Dec. I'm sorry to take, which I was of course texts and phenomena, then revise your thesis statement. Again, thank you for doing a genuinely collaborative, rather than for many of these are important and impressive. I think you're typing it into Google turned up a miniature performance of 12 lines from Stare's Nest; and c get at least one text by a group to read and interpret as a whole. I realize. You have a good weekend!

Your message got buried under a bunch of old people who wind up attending section on Wednesday from 6:00 after all, Bloom discusses the funeral often enough that I think that it would help you make in your section takes a directly historical perspective on your grade up substantially. Hi! If we're getting in Nausicaa and The Great Masturbator 1929, I estimate that I think, too, but it should serve the overall goal is in many places where pauses in the meantime, you might notice Bloom's interest in readymades and in section prepared to discuss how future papers can better succeed in constructing an argument.

You kept nudging the discussion requirement. Well done. On a related but more general occurrence of seeing things through rose-colored glasses? Think about what your paper and I am not inherently opposed to the professor send out a lot of payoff for your section last week. I'll schedule a later recitation of a text that they haven't started it yet. Again, thank you for Dec. You might look specifically at Bottle and Fishes; Clarinet and Bottle of Rum on a complex one, too; and captivated the group as a thesis statement—glancing back more often than they've done. You've not only keeps us on task. I'll give it back to you when I saw you on whether or not.

Let me know. Twelve-page paragraph or the professor has decided to use the texts you want to mislead anyone. Here's a breakdown on how you can carry yourself, and most are getting full credit for what will be much more prepared for the quarter, and perhaps other poems. In the third paragraph of the guinea actually fluctuated a fair amount over its history, and went above and beyond the length requirements. You need to go is also impressive. Have a good knowledge of the text exactly right down to thanking the previous group had done in all, though. Try thinking about your delivery, and I will be. If you have scheduled a recitation and thinking about how things are changing not in too much, in-text, though I haven't graded yours yet, and I quite enjoyed having you in lecture worked really hard to get through emails as quickly as possible. Ultimately, what I'd like to dispute it, but if it's the first six minutes of your analysis more: I think. Hi! The Emigrant Irish aloud near the end of the ideas of others to be one way to think about this in any way. How to Read James Joyce's Ulysses: discussion of Vladimir's speech On McCabe's The Butcher Boy is Y, then you have in class. If you have a fantastic document/outline/explanation of why you were concerned about your future writing.

Teaching Assistant: Course Requirements: Punctual, attentive reading. I think that there are places where you want to view their introductory video to see the world will know in advance, and mechanics, and you related it well to the group may help you with comments at the beginning of section totally OK, and/or classes yet. In Conclusion.

[thebiggaylion]

Zedd @ EDC Orlando 2017

Winter is passing, and spring is in the air!  Well, at least here in Florida haha.  It’s been in the 70′s (that’s in degrees Fahrenheit for all you international types!) all week, which I am not complaining about in the slightest.  I think this type of weather--at the start and end of winter--is why Insomniac holds EDC Orlando when they do.  I’ve looked, and EDC Orlando USED to be in May!  Man, I’m sure that was a sweltering mess!  It being so hot may be why they’re moving EDC Las Vegas to May, as well.  Anyway, speaking of heat, let’s get into some real fire on a night that gave us absolutely perfect, cool weather for EDC Orlando 2017:  Zedd!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Man, I love these slow build-ups like this.  Kind of like Eric Prydz’ Opus (which was included in this post, if you remember!), ya know?  You might not be able to catch what’s happening until it’s up-to-speed, but a re-listen / hindsight exposes the beautiful ride it takes you on.  This specific “intro edit” isn’t anywhere I can find it to share, so the original track is below. Zedd feat. Jon Bellion - Beautiful Now https://soundcloud.com/zedd/beautiful-now

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram I really enjoy hearing The Time from The Black Eyed Peas.  Guilty pleasure, maybe, but Fergie is just fun!  And, naturally, being the “closing act” of any day at any EDC, all the special effects and tech is going off... thankfully, I caught some of that in this shot!  Plus, bonus:  the next remix was dope! The Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit) (Zedd Remix) https://soundcloud.com/the-black-eyed-peas-official/the-time-dirty-bit-zedd-remix Afrojack - Polkadots 2010 (Oliver Twizt Remix) https://soundcloud.com/reflecteduk/afrojack-polkadots-2010-oliver J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente (Cedric Gervais Remix) https://soundcloud.com/j-balvin-official/mi-gente-cedric-gervais-remix

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook Holy crap, is this not a GREAT picture?!  This unidentified Headliner was looking amazing in VIP, so of COURSE I’m gonna want a picture with her!  Also, you may have noticed that I changed my pose from previous years.  A minor thing, sure, but a friend of mine pointed out I’m doing the same thing in all my photos from 2014 through 2016, so I decided to go with something a bit different haha

Download High Res (26.2 MB) | Download Low Res (2.7 MB) I absolutely love these lighting effects.  Things going every which way in motion are my aesthetic (are we still saying “aesthetic”?), so I caught this moment to be GIF’ed later.  And here we are!  Goals achieved!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram It’s a Zedd show, so you can expect ALL his radio hits to come out and make an appearance.  I am not upset about that at all... he does great work!  I knew the husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion would love Zedd for that exact reason, and he did! Zedd feat. Selena Gomez - I Want You To Know https://soundcloud.com/zedd/i-want-you-to-know

Download High Res (53.1 MB) | Download Low Res (5.1 MB) Ho-ly CRAP, laser overload!  This is one of my favorite parts about circuitGROUNDS, they always bring out the lasers.  I’m sure neonGARDEN has some healthy effects of this type, too, but I haven’t spent enough time there to know for sure.  I suppose I did see a lot during the Nicole Moudaber set from 2016, however... but a classic green laser flood like this one always manages to reach a special place in my soul!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Now here’s a treat.  This is Zedd’s remix of one of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion’s favorite artists:  Daft Punk.  One More Time was such a legendary track, and Zedd gave it a bit of pizzazz.  In doing research for this post, I found out that Daft Punk has stonewalled Zedd on releasing this remix, so perhaps for now it’s more of a bootleg?  Below seems like an audio rip from a video of one of his live performances, but it gets the job done! Daft Punk - One More Time (Zedd Remix) https://soundcloud.com/parliamental/daft-punk-one-more-time-zedd-remix

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Here’s the track I was waiting to hear.  The guy behind The Big Gay Lion has a life-long of history with video games, and he just loves it when an artist brings a classic back into the pop culture spotlight with a track like this.  Much like GTA’s take on another Zelda song (released as Saria’s Turn Up, which we already saw during the Diplo B2B A-trak performance from this year), this one always reminds the guy behind The Big Gay Lion of his gamer friends (who typically aren’t into dance music heh), so this clip is for them!  Apparently Zedd released this song on YouTube (but not SoundCloud), so here’s the link for YouTube: Zedd - The Legend of Zelda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzaZ_HXmjw

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook Once back to the car at the end of the festival, I got rid of my head dress and took this pic before we drove off.  Another successful EDC Orlando was in the books! Wait, what’s that on my head...?

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook WOW!  This is what my head ends up looking like after a day at EDC Orlando if I’ve managed to get my head dress to stay on like it was designed to do.  No, it’s not necessarily painful (it looks worse than it feels), but man if feels funky to touch with my fingers haha.  Indentations like this usually go away by the end of the next day, but if any part of the head dress is extra rough, it might actually leave a lasting mark for a week or more.  The reason I’m giving you all this extra detail is because after this event (2017), I’m retiring this head dress.  Yes, I know, it’s amazing and it looks great and works great... it’s just a bit too uncomfortable.  Have you ever been in a stage production?  The problem with this head dress I made is that it’s like a costume piece from a stage production... it LOOKS great, but not meant to be worn for extended periods of time.  It’s meant to be beautiful, but not comfortable, if that makes sense.  Anyway, in addition to the car accident the guy behind The Big Gay Lion got into which SLIGHTLY changed the shape of his brow, and me realizing the head dress is simply too tight, I’m going to remake the head dress in a very similar style, but hopefully with much more forgiving materials.  I’m aiming for something lighter, and hopefully much easier to get on and off... you know, improvements along those lines.  The rest of the costume is almost perfect, so maybe I’ll be satisfied for a bit longer after making that change for 2018!  Also, take a look at that makeup!  That’s after hours of being outdoors and dancing.  No rain this year, but I think I’ve figured out how to get the makeup I use to “stay” all day!  Eventually I’ll post some info on my technique and products and such, but that’s another story (and that story is for another post)!

I’ll spare you any thoughtful last words after the description on that final photo.  Spring is right around the corner, so get ready for festival season to follow soon after!  Love ya’ll, see ya next time! 🏳️‍🌈🦁❤

You and me can be on the same course, if you follow me! Facebook | Tumblr (Index) | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Web

[swimintothesound]

Gateway Indie

On May 20th of 2008, my musical taste changed forever. We (or at least I) tend to discover things in waves. Specifically waves of increasingly-tiered obsession that escalate until I can focus on one thing and one thing only. I’ll find a song I really like, devour the album that it came from, read everything on the band’s Wikipedia page, explore their discography, listen to side projects, see them live, spend exorbitant amounts of money on limited edition vinyl, then (apparently) write about my experience years later.

One of the most important steps in my particular brand of hyper-obsessive fandom is delving deeper into the genre of the band who I’ve recently discovered. Whether it’s simply to contextualize their sound, see if I recognize any of their contemporaries, or just to get a better understanding of the world’s musical history. When one artist’s discography isn’t enough, sometimes the next logical step is to start absorbing everything in their immediate vicinity. It’s a beautiful notion that one album can open the door to a whole new world of music that was previously hidden. It’s how you diversify as a music listener and as a person.

Up until high school, I’d really only explored the genres of classic rock, grunge, and some metal. All pretty standard stuff, especially for a white suburban teen, but it was all music that came out before I was born. In 2008 I discovered a group of albums that opened my eyes to the ever-cool world of indie and, more importantly, paved the way for my interest in both the genre and the contemporary music scene as a whole. As each of these albums near their 10th anniversary I realized that not only have many of them achieved “classic” status within the genre, they were also part of a larger movement for my generation.

Universality

Now that the internet has paved the way for services like iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp, music has become more insular than ever. In 2017 there are entire sects of fans who can be hyper-devoted to one artist or scene that may never intersect with anyone else. Additionally, with the rise of social platforms like forums, Twitter, and reddit fans can live in a bubble… and while it’s great to connect with other fans, it also means the vocal obsessives are more walled-off.

We have fewer “universals” than ever before. Ed Sheeran is one of the best-selling artists in the world right now, but I don’t think I’ve heard a single song of his. Drake is breaking records every week, but if you don’t care about hip-hop, he’s pretty easy to avoid listening to. It’s a byproduct of the ever-splintering media landscape that we’re living in.

So there are positives and negatives, but this splintering is relevant because those “universals” will become fewer and far between as we move forward. Looking beyond music, you have shows like Game of Thrones which is one of the most technically popular and most-talked about shows currently on TV. It consistently shatters its own self-set viewership records, numbers which are worth screaming about in 2017, yet would have gotten a show canceled even 20 years ago. There’s just more to watch, more to do, and more to care about in 2017, so if you don’t want to watch Game of Thrones, you truly don’t have to. This isn’t the 20’s where everyone gathers around the radio for the day’s episode of Little Orphan Annie. I feel like I’m getting off track, but music is this phenomenon multiplied by thousands. Not only are there dozens of alternatives mediums vying for your attention, practically anyone can create music in 2017. There are more alternatives (and therefore fewer commonalities) than ever before.

I feel like we will reach (or perhaps have already hit) a point where there are simply no more universal artists. There’s never going to be another Beatles. Obviously. But looking purely at The Beatles on a scale purely based on audience and cultural impact, there will never be another musical group in the history of the world that reaches the omniscient presence that the Beatles achieved. There were fewer artists to listen to then, fewer ways to create music, and even fewer avenues to discover new music.

As technology has improved, we’ve seen a direct impact on the music industry as an entity. At the same time, we’ve also seen artists effectively harness this power. Groups like Odd Future were pervasive and forward-thinking enough that I (a high school-aged non-hip-hop listener) knew who they were and knew at least a few of their songs. While everyone’s musical journey is a unique story filled with personal discoveries that have influenced their taste, this is really a story about the first universal that I was a part of as it was happening.

I Miss the Old iTunes

Back when iTunes was still relatively new, it was my only source of current music. I would almost instantaneously drain any gift card I was given, using it to cross several songs off my carefully-curated iTunes wish list. I was also fortunate enough to have my Dad’s massive collection of nearly one thousand CD’s at my disposal, but as you could imagine, most of those albums were a decade old at least. That’s why I was a rock fan first: ease of access.

But I always found ways to satiate my hunger for new music. From VH1 to renting CDs one by one from the local library, there were only so many ways to hear new music, even in the mid-2000’s. One of the most unexpected avenues that I took advantage of was the (now sadly-defunct) iTunes Single of the Week Program, which offered exposure to countless contemporary acts one song at a time. It may not have been much, but this program turned me onto dozens of artists and sounds that I wouldn’t have heard otherwise. Through this mishmash of mid-2000’s media, I was able to satiate my budding hunger for new music as a penniless 14-year-old.

That brings us back to the first sentence of this post.

Unbeknownst to me, indie folk was blowing up In 2008. Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago was gaining serious traction a year after its release thanks to the album’s breakout hit “Skinny Love” and in May “Skinny Love” was put up as iTunes’ free song. As with most songs in the program, I’d never heard of the artist, nor had any experience with the genre, but I downloaded it anyway because that’s how hungry I was for new music.

I downloaded the track (no doubt on my family’s bulky oversized 2005 laptop) and synced it onto my iPod immediately. I was floored. I’d never heard anything so delicate. It was catchy (especially for a folk song) but it also had a soft warmth and reserved delivery that was a revelation to me at the time. “Skinny Love” evoked a feeling that was unlike any other music I’d ever heard. I had to have more.

Part of the beauty of the Single of the Week program was how random it was. One week it’d be an electropop song, the next it would be something folky like Bon Iver, and then it would be a latin song. I didn’t necessarily like it all (quite the opposite, in fact) but I listened to it all for the sake of discovery. The fact that these songs were free was just the icing on top of the cake. I had nothing to lose.

I had no idea at the time, but indie folk saw a massive explosion in popularity in 2008 with the rise of acts like Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, who both released stunning debuts around this time. I didn’t realize that this era of indie had been such a widespread phenomenon until I saw people discussing Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago on its tenth anniversary calling it their “Gateway Indie” album. I liked that phrase, but I didn’t think much of it until I heard the ineffable deep_cuts youtube channel cite both For Emma and Fleet Foxes as ��dominating adolescent MP3 players the world over” at this time. Maybe it was just his worldly UK accent, but something clicked for me. I realized this was not only a formative album, era, and sound for myself, but for everyone my age.

Beyond Folk

Later that year I met some of the coolest people in my high school. And by that I don’t mean cool in the traditional sense, they were dork-ass nerds like me, but they were dork-ass nerds with impeccable musical taste. At this point, the edgiest thing I had ever listened to was Nine Inch Nails, but these guys opened my mind to the larger world of indie music. Genres I didn’t even know existed. Sounds I could barely conceive of. This was 10th grade and the albums they showed me would go on to become some of my favorite and most formative of all time.

The first song I remember them playing for me was the opening track to Portugal. The Man’s first album Waiter: "You Vultures!" which was titled “How the Leopard Got Its Spots.” I’m going to stop there for a second just to point out this band/album/song combo was (before hearing the first note) already more experimental and out-there than anything else I’d ever heard up to that point.

“How the Leopard Got Its Spots” is a pokey unpredictable song that almost borders on prog. While Portugal. The Man changes up their sound every album, their debut is easily the most experimental of their discography, still retaining many characteristics of the band’s post-hard predecessor Anatomy of a Ghost. But I didn’t know any of that at the time. I just listened to the song, enraptured by the track’s grungy guitars that paired perfectly with Gourley’s shrill high-pitched singing. The lyrics were obtuse in a Relationship of Command-type way and the final glitched-out chorus haunted me for days after the fact, becoming an immovable earworm. I remember at the time Grand Theft Auto IV had just been released (God, take me back) and I’d spend hours tooling around the game’s gray city listening to this song on repeat for hours.

Sometime later, Eric (the one of the group who I was closest to) and I found ourselves sitting next to each other during a weirdly-placed mid-day homeroom period. I asked him what he was listening to and he said “I’ll show you” he handed me his headphones and hit play on his 3rd generation iPod Nano. What I heard were the first shimmering notes of Minus The Bear’s ��Pachuca Sunrise.” The song’s carefully-times guitar taps and intensely-technical drumming provide the crunchy background for Jake Snyder’s laid-back sensual lyrics and Cory Murchy’s smooth flowing bassline. It gelled into a transformative experience that made my body feel warm with sunlight and love. There’s a reason it’s still one of the band’s most-played live songs even a decade later. It turns out “Pachuca Sunrise” was many people’s first Minus The Bear song and led countless fans to the group’s second album Menos El Oso.

At this point, I already had enough “material” to go off on my own and endlessly devour these two records from these two very different bands. And I did, but I was also hungry for more. I came back to this group of guys in our shared AV class and begged for more in the coolest way I could without discounting my own cred.

From there Eric, Oliver, and Max threw me into the deep end. They showed me “Death Rides a Horse” by instrumental band Russian Circles. I dug it. Ratcheting up the intensity, they moved onto “Laser Life” by the post-hardcore band Blood Brothers. I dug it. They then threw the hyperchaotic cybergrind “Chapels” by Genghis Tron at me. I didn’t dig it, but I warmed up to it pretty quickly.

While there were dozens of other acts and songs that these guys turned me onto over the course of the next year, this crop stands out in my mind both for its breadth and what they’ve gone on to represent for me personally.

Portugal. The Man would go onto become one of my favorite bands. I’ve often proselytized online that they have one of the best discographies in indie rock. I would also go on to expose this band to my two younger brothers, and for one of them, Portugal. The Man has become their favorite band of all time. They currently sit at my 8th most played band on Last.fm with just over 3,000 plays.

Minus the Bear was my favorite band for years. At 6 concerts they’re also far-and-away the band I’ve seen live the most, and two years ago I saw them play Menos El Oso in full for the album’s 10th-anniversary tour. The album’s closing track “This Ain't a Surfin’ Movie” has been my favorite song of all time since I first heard it. The band is currently my 6th most-listened band on Last.fm, and three of the band's albums are have made it onto my list of all-time favorites.

Russian Circles would eventually lead me to the world of post-rock and instrumental metal. Bands like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and Earth, all of whom have served as my reading and studying music throughout high school and college. Russian Circles also have a nearly-perfect discography, and they currently sit at #15 on my Last.fm.

Meanwhile, Fleet Foxes were always a bit boring to me… until this year. Maybe I have more patience at 24 than I did at 15, but I’ve had their discography on repeat for this entire summer and I’ve been loving it.

Most importantly, Bon Iver served as my gateway to all of this. It’s weird that a slow quiet folk album could pave the way for something as discordant and brutal as Genghis Tron, but I guess it’s a snowball effect type of thing. For Emma, Forever Ago also became somewhat of a soundtrack for my first real relationship, and despite that relationship’s rocky conclusion a year later, I can still listen to the album today and enjoy it as much as I did the first time hearing it.

I can’t thank these three dudes (and the creators of these albums) enough. I can safely say that my life would be unequivocally and vastly different without having gone through this period of exploration when I did. I would be a different person with different tastes and interests entirely. Full stop. So for that, I can only say “thank you” and hope that I returned the favor with someone else somewhere down the line. Sometimes discoveries come from the most unexpected places. Sometimes a random song can lead you down a path you never could have blazed yourself. Sometimes a single song can change everything.