Walking home from yoga class this morning—I haven't been in quite a while—, I remembered and reveled in the way it makes me feel: energized, confident, at peace. I'm a senior at the University of Rochester, and this year is especially challenging for me. My professor claims that these are some of the most intense music history classes in the country, and I don't doubt him. It's stressful, and I have to find ways to raise my energy level and return my focus. Otherwise I get upset or angry with myself, feeling hopeless. I can't move forward, eventually making the entire process even more awful. My whole world stops abruptly, throwing everything off balance. This disruptive pause feels terrible, as I am suspended in an ether of procrastination and frustration. Yoga helps, but it's difficult to fit the classes into my already busy schedule. I go on the weekends, but those are often the least stressful of days. Last night, I re-realized a different way to bring my dejected self back to well-being. There is no music more powerful and energizing to me than Porcupine Tree's. I hear it, swelling up inside of me, and I become focused.
In the past year, I've spent a good portion of my listening energy searching for new music. I watch my Last.fm charts and recommendations, and I listen to interviews of my favorite artists and look up the bands that they mention. I keep finding new things, and I've let some of my favorites—my roots, really—fade away from my listening habits. I always forget how powerful it is to come back to these. And, while I've listened to Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet dozens, maybe even hundreds, of times, I am always taken aback by how moving it is. I am slammed against a wall of emotion and energy, charging me up, breaking down my stress.
Find something, find someone, find music that does this for you. I think music is the most pure and beautiful art form because of the sheer emotional weight woven into every vibrating note. Breathe it in. Live without pause.
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related bits
Fear of a Blank Planet | MySpace (low quality, but free)
blog post: Porcupine Tree: The Incident, not quite a review
