In Which I Take A Road Trip By Myself and Listen to Great Music

Alright, so I wasn’t on route 66 exactly. However I have grown up with the belief that this is the ultimate road trip song, so naturally I am using it to set the scene. 

There is something romantic about road trips, it cannot be denied. Although if you really think about it what could possibly be romantic about spending hours in a hot and stuffy car while polluting the planet? Somehow when you are on the road, sun shining in and music playing as the landscape rushes by on either side of you, those things are quite easy to forget.

I had to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles on Tuesday to bring my car to school, where I will obviously now use it to bribe people to be friends with me. I was dreading the trip at first because of the obvious reasons; it can’t be very often that someone is dying to drive seven plus hours in a car they have driven only briefly, entirely on their own. That being said, it just so happened that a solo road trip through the beautiful California countryside was just what I needed. When you live in the middle of the city, it is so easy to forget how beautiful nature can be, and this trip was the perfect reminder that sometimes the simplest things make you the happiest.

It was entirely by chance that I put together the perfect road trip mix. In an effort to not crash my car while fidgeting with my ipod, I simply scrolled down to the section of songs containing my unknown tracks (you know, all those CDs that the computer was too incompetent to recognize and I am too lazy to name) and pressed play. The result was the perfect musical blend, relaxing, exciting, sentimental, and fun all at once. Behold, the albums that kept me company on the road:

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials. I finally added this to my itunes library and for whatever reason itunes decided it was not a real CD so it was banished to the unnamed tracks. It added the perfect amount of rock and vocal power to an otherwise relatively acoustic playlist. Driving to this made me feel pretty epic, especially with the hills on either side and the long road ahead.

Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire. This was a recent acquisition from the Whack Ol' Lady (yes, my mother) and it fit in perfectly with the rest of my roadtrip soundtrack. I hadn't heard much Ryan Adams before this but I am definitely grateful that the Whack Ol' Lady included it in her Valentine's Day package! I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys being emotionally affected by music.

Ray Lamontagne - Gossip in the Grain. OK, it is becoming apparent to me (and I'm sure anyone reading this figured it out eons ago) that my ideal road trip music contains a great deal of achingly beautiful, sob-worthy albums featuring many songs about sad breakups and unrequited love... what can you do? Sorrow breeds the best music! I want to take Ray Lamontagne's voice and then roll around in it because I feel like it would be very soft and silky to touch. That weird notion aside, his lyrics are beautiful and the overall rhythm of the album is great to drive to.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver. Alright, yes I definitely have a thing for pretty/sad music. What can I say? I just love to be rendered emotionally unstable when I drive evidently. Bon Iver is great because the music is so relaxing and so gorgeous, it really matched the outside landscape. As long as you aren't in danger of falling asleep when you drive (this is not one for the 4am stretch), this album is perfect for the 'mellow out and appreciate life' section of the drive.

Natalie Angiuli - Hey Little Bluebird. This album was a nice break from the stream of sad and sentimental albums that made up the rest of the playlist (although to be fair she has some tear-jerkers too). Natalie Angiuli is a fantastic singer-songwriter and listening to her songs made me feel like the star of an indie movie in a little montage during the opening credits, or driving away into the great unknown to find myself in the dramatic climax. If you are looking for something sweet and fresh, you should definitely get over to itunesland and pick up her albums.

Dawes - Nothing is Wrong. This album is currently very close to the top of my "best-albums-in-all-of-time-and-space" list, so it is no surprise that it also happens to be the perfect driving album. Dawes (much like the other bands I've listed) has an incredible way with words, and their lyrics are some of the most beautiful I have ever heard. Even if you are just reading this blog so that you can feel better about yourself since you aren't me or something, I beg you to click this link and listen to this song. Their themes of love gone wrong (yes I'm aware this is very new and different for me) and the loneliness and bizarre nostalgia one finds in LA make for beautiful music that just happens to strike a serious chord with me. I still have yet to listen to "A Little Bit of Everything" without tearing up at least a little. My emotional instability aside, it is a truly fabulous album suitable for all times except maybe dance parties.

Ever since getting back to the city I have had this crazy urge to quit everything and run away to the countryside that I passed while driving here, however as that somehow seems rather counterproductive to being a functioning member of society it may have to be put on hold.

Craving more road trip stories and driving playlists? Not to worry, the Whack Ol' Lady and I will be road-trippin' it halfway across the country in May to return both myself and the newly acquired vehicle to our home state of Minnesota. Given our superior music tastes, it promises to be a trip filled with some fantastic tunes, which I will undoubtedly share with the world whether you like it or not. And that playlist will probably include some happier songs. Maybe.

In conclusion, listen to these songs and look at this picture and it will be almost like you are road-tripping with me!

And no that is not instagrammed and yes I was driving when I took this. Dangerous multitasking.