Kiley Wellendorf | Blogger
Pulling out of our long driveway, I couldn’t help but feel like there should be a waterfall soaking my shirt instead of the small mist that hazed over my contacts. This was my last time at home, pre-college, and before I knew it, everything would change. Carroll, Iowa became a blurred picture in my rearview mirror as I drove quietly off into the distance. It didn’t rain the day I left, nor did the sun make an appearance, but the fog that set over the town seemed to fit perfectly. My family, an hour apart, and my best friends, four hours apart – what would I do without them? In the midst of my search, I found out a lot about myself. I found music that both soothed me and also encouraged me to embrace all the anxiety I felt. Everything did change, just as I had expected, but the process will always be something that lies close to my heart.
01: “To Build a Home” – The Cinematic Orchestra
Have you ever heard a song that just “fit?” I feel like this song not only gets me excited about the idea of moving forward with life, but also the ugliness that sets in once you leave something behind. One of my biggest struggles with moving to college was the idea that I would never get the chance to be a part of my friends’ lives the way I always had. No longer would I be the 3 a.m. phone call or the shoulder to cry on when times got tough. I wouldn’t host scary movie dates, offer to drive places, or be able to take spontaneous trips out of town. At the same time, I welcomed the newness that took over. Instead of driving places, I met up with my best friends in their new homes or we came together and visited for hours. I’m lucky for the distance between us, because it has allowed me to take a step back and analyze how I want to address situations. Words become so important when time runs out faster than you could imagine.
02: “Simple Math” – Manchester Orchestra
This song has always fit into the category of sad, post-fall, pre-Christmas music. I always imagine myself clutching a McDonald’s caramel-mocha coffee and maneuvering around snow piles whenever this song comes on. Besides the fact that I generally associate it with frigid temperatures and drives full of late-night talks and considerations, I always felt like this song exemplified hope. Instead of taking the lyrics in a negative way, I find clarity in the idea of proving someone wrong. This song is full of questions, and while it’s based off of the idea of truth vs. reality, it’s kind of fun to play around with both sides. I believe in the idea of following your dreams, and I whole-heartedly believe that anything is possible if you put your entire heart into a situation. If you want something impossible – reach for it; it will pull itself together. Things fall apart so better things can come into play, and everything surely must be okay in the end, right? I’d like to think so.
03: “Tessellate” – Alt-J
I recently heard this song on the Alt-Nation radio and fell in love with the different direction it took compared to “Breezeblocks”. There is such an interesting feeling with this song and I enjoy it because it’s a song I will always relate to Storm Lake because of its arrival. I enjoy this song because it describes a type of fight one must go through in order to get past an obstacle. It’s like, while someone, some place, or something holds the power to destroy you, you are the one who chooses to accept this type of behavior. Chunks of you will sink down to seals. Blubber rich in mourning, they’ll nosh you up. Yes, they’ll nosh the love away, but it’s fair to say, you will still haunt me. I absolutely love this song and how it sounds like something you’d listen to driving around at night. So bring out your flavored-coffee and sugar-free red bull and let’s talk for hours with this song on repeat.
04: “Malibu” – Hole
I’ve always been around Nirvana and Hole, because my dad would normally play this type of music at his shops or when all of us were on the boat together in Lake View. I actually heard this song for the first time on a mixed CD one of my best friends made me this past summer. My favorite type of music is the music you play late at night with your windows down, driving around town. For some reason I’ve always envisioned myself blasting a song and having people recognize the song I was playing and instantly know what type of mood I was in. (That probably sounds super lame, but I’ve always thought this would be the coolest thing in the world). Anyway, this song is absolutely wonderful, and I’m in love with the lyrics and Courtney Love’s edgy voice.
05: “Shot at the Night” – The Killers
My absolute favorite thing about my first few weeks at Buena Vista were the Friday nights I spent doing homeworking while listening to my music with the door wide open. I feel like this was the easiest way to establish myself with strangers because it’s so hard to leave an impression when you pass someone in the hallway or only stick to small talk. Let’s be honest, staying true to who you are while trying to make a good impression is always such an awkward transition. This song was shown to me at the beginning of the school year, and I absolutely love the new tone The Killers took on with this song. I swear I’ve played this song at least thirty times in my dorm, and I love how upbeat the chorus is. “Shot at the Night” is about taking chances, because sometimes opportunities are rare and odds are against you. I feel like this song represents the start of my freshman year, and I absolutely love it playing in the background.
Graphic by Grace Bodey
