My Thoughts on Music

This is going to be my first real post of substance, since I like to think of the other one as more of a prologue to My Instantly New and Improved Life (which, now that I think of it, I'm glad I didn't title this blog. And speaking of titles, that's exactly what I've been meaning to talk about today.)

The very short and random history behind why I chose to permanently stick with, after much debate and internally confliction, "The Case Study of The Rabbit-Hearted" includes the following:

1. I thought it was awesome.
2. I procrastinated, and it was the best I could come up with at the moment, and I wouldn't change it for anything - even if you offered me an actually rabbit with irresistible eyes and a cute tail. Must ignore the urge to freak out over that adorable mental image!
3. It's a fitting allusion to a Florence + the Machine song that I love dearly.
4. It makes my current endeavor sound like a mixture between a professional research project, a bizarre fairy tale, and something that's entirely significant to me.
5. And because (the most important factor involved), I flat-out like it.

So there it is! I didn't want to bore you with the specific details in between. Hopefully, I'll get into those plans later on.

If you don't already know the song I'm referring to, "Rabbit Heart" by Florence + the Machine, it has to be one of my favorite musical compositions to ever grace my ears during my particularly humble existence. Feeling sad? Listen to Flo. Feeling lonely? Listen to Flo. Feeling ecstatic and happy and like you want to jump straight out of your (closed) window due to intense joy and mania? Take necessary iPod with so you can dance down the street like a crazy person to Florence. (Which I don't recommend unless you know what you're doing. But even then! Please don't get arrested!)

I love Florence + the Machine. I think she's a goddess who came down from the sky with her equally amazing band when the clouds split open to play music and kick ass while doing so. It was my love for the feelings that their first album, Lungs, elicited within me that helped me through the rough parts of the symbolic road of life. Similarly, Ceremonials gained a meaningful place in the course of my life. Whenever I sit down, close my eyes, and actually listen to the album in all its glory - beginning to end with no skipping in between - I'm transported back to that one memory place that has been waiting for me the entire, exhausting week. And my muscles flex and my ears open up and I begin the process of relaxation. It actually has therapeutic effects on the body!

And it's not just that. I can also relate to it, which is why we even listen to music in the first place. Whether it's a connection to a certain rhythm, a melody, the lyrics, or the pure emotions released by the musician, music is one of those things that float in the air, waiting to imprison our souls. Which is a very dramatic statement to make but, come on, you have to admit it's true! And it's happened to you, as well! Even with the Top 40 songs that have an annoying habit of getting stuck in your head.

Like Plato said in a quote I really like, "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything." Now I have no idea if those were his actually words, since I've never been given the privilege to meet him, but whether the Internet is correct or not, it's still a quote I like to carry around with me whenever I feel like I need a reminder of the beauty in life.

As an amateur piano player who also writes her own compositions, I have to say that regardless of whether I decide to reveal my work to others or not, I get the feeling that I'm ultimately sharing it with myself. Which, personally, I think is the best feeling of all.