By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer
“Carry the pieces” by Small Forward
A steady beat with an influx of texture catches the ear just right and beckons the listener forward. “Carry the pieces” gently reminds us of an everlasting, sometimes all too real truth that we must keep moving forward. Life is beautiful for reasons often antithetical to our understandings of meaning. To make something special is to accept that it may collapse. If it does, “can you find a way to carry the pieces, when there’s nobody to carry you home?”
“Axis” by Tanner Agpoon
The same forces that help us to grow our wings can send us crashing to the ground. But perhaps it’s worth it to have ever seen the sky at all, to have felt the wind and looked down upon the Earth. “Axis” is a testament to the complexities of such passion. With simple melodies and smooth repetition, the song leaves room for the listener to fill in the rest with their own experiences. “Teach me how to fall, how to fly.”
“Sunshine” is a reminder that risks, in life, in love, and elsewhere, make us human. With infectious vocals that crescendo into an uplifted chorus, Vaz expertly crafts an aural representation of what it means to step into something remarkable, like going from darkness into the sun. Sitting in the shade might feel nice, but those brave enough to step into the warmth will realize it’s well worth it, even if they get burned.
knitting expertly tucks lyrics of disappointment and regret into a comfortingly homey sound. Shame begets reflection, and it is often only after the fact that we can look back and wish we had acted differently. Sometimes it takes someone to “hold a mirror to the back of my head” to see our own choices from a new angle. We long to “mold myself into the middle man,” or “fold myself into a polly pocket silhouette.” And yet, is it better to long for a retry than to have never tried at all? In a world saturated by indifference and inaction, sometimes we are wiser to choose regret.
