For this week’s intern pick we decided to ask ourselves what would put in a time capsule to open in 50 years! Time capsules have long been used to store moments, memories, and dreams and we each have five songs that we think do the same. We hold these songs near and dear and want to remember how special they were to us in fifty years.
Juliette:
My time capsule is reminiscent of my family and how they have played an instrumental role in my love and passion for music. In 50 years, I want to remember memories and songs that remind me of my family.
“Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies
The first song I would put in my time capsule would be “Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies. Cowboy Junkies is a band that my mother and I both love. Every time I listen to this song I think of my mom and how special it is to pass music down through different generations.
“Sound and Vision” by David Bowie
The second song I would choose to put in my time capsule would be “Sound and Vision” by David Bowie. If you know me you know I love David Bowie. This song is extremely special to me because my dad and I listened to this song on the streets of Berlin while walking near David Bowie’s apartment. “Sound and Vision” will always remind me of my travels with my dad!
“Baby Blue” by King Krule
The third track in my time capsule would be dedicated to my sister. I would choose the song “Baby Blue” by King Krule. “Baby Blue” is one of my sister’s favorite King Krule songs. King Krule is one of the first artists my sister showed me in high school. We got to see King Krule at the Brooklyn Bowl and it is one of my favorite memories from us living together in Nashville! King Krule will always hold a special place in my heart because of our joint love for such an amazing artist.
“Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette
My fourth song is “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette. This song is tied to both my mom and sister. We got to see Alanis at Austin City Limits together in 2023 and had some pretty fun and silly stories about Jagged Little Pill. Alanis truly sums up the experience of what it feels like to be a young woman. I might not have everything figured out in 50 years, but I will always remember that “everything is gonna be fine, fine, fine”!
“Change” by Big Thief
The final song I have on my lineup is “Change” by Big Thief. Big Thief is by far my favorite band of this decade because of their unique folk sound and their profound lyricism. Big Thief perfectly describes the bittersweet feelings associated with growing up and the passage of time. I think that this is the perfect song to listen to in 50 years because of its vulnerable and heartfelt lyrics surrounding morality and existence. The song reminds me every time I listen how the passage of time is deeply special and a blessing!
Casey:
“Waiting Room” by Phoebe Bridgers
If I was only allowed to put one song in the time capsule, it would be this one. This track was written by Phoebe when she was sixteen. It holds all of the big feelings we feel at that age, and often carry into each year. Feelings of unrequited love, fear, and a desire to understand why bad things happen. The song opens with the line “If you were a teacher, I would fail your class / Take it over and over ’til you noticed me / If you were a waiting room, I would never see a doctor / I would sit there with my first-aid kit and bleed.” Bridgers explains the desire to be seen and what lengths she would go to to do so. The last 3 minutes and 27 seconds of the song repeat the phrase “Know it’s for the better.” There is a build as she repeats this over and over again, adding in drums and other instruments slowly. This build brings about desperation and the ache to believe things will work out. I am an avid believer in everything happening for a reason, and this song is my personal reminder of that belief. I can listen to it at my saddest or on my best days, and the same message will reign true. Everything is in some way or another and revealed in its own time to be “for the better.”
“Breathe (2am)” by Anna Nalick
When it comes to monumental songs, it would be a crime if I didn’t put this song in my time capsule. “Breathe (2am)” has been one of my favorite songs since I began truly listening to music. At first, it was a song that I loved listening to. I was young, and I didn’t really dive into lyrics or meaning. I just liked hearing it, and because of that, it was a favorite. As I learned and grew, however, my appreciation of this song grew alongside me. I began to understand what Nalick was saying. I began to grasp what weight each word held. Anna Nalick is an artist that is able to create a clear picture with her words. “Cause you can’t jump the track, we’re like cars on a cable / And life’s like an hourglass glued to the table” I can picture it all as I listen now. I pictured the cable car with me inside, trying to figure out where I’m going. I can see the hourglass, unmovable, a representation of time and its inevitable control. This song encapsulates the fear that comes with life, but it also gives you a remedy. The chorus is a break, a moment to rest and feel. It serves as a reminder of our lack of control. “And breathe / Just breathe / Oh, breathe / Just breathe.” Sometimes, we just need to stop and breathe. We need to put into perspective how big the world is and how small each moment really is. We get so caught up in the hard moments that we forget to pause, and this song is a reminder to do so. “Breathe (2am)” has helped me through many hardships, and I am certain that it will continue to do so.
“Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead
“Fake Plastic Trees” is and always will be one of my favorite songs. It has that nostalgic feel that as we grow up, we long for. If I had to describe this song in one word it would be “Yearning.” It tackles the desire we feel to make a true human connection, and the challenges that inevitably come with wanting authenticity in the world we live in. It is the kind of song you turn on when you want to sit in your emotion, a cry in the shower kind of song. It gives you the feeling of being a main character, mid-breakdown, doing everything you can to piece together your life. The story the song tells is of a couple being deprived due to the state of the world. It begins with a woman putting all of her energy into watering a plastic plant. Giving everything to something that will not grow in response. It goes on to introduce her partner, a polystyrene man. This man finds the same depreciation as a plastic surgeon who, ultimately, cannot outrun gravity and the power of the natural world. Both characters are fighting to be what this plastic world wants them to be, but in the end are not enough. The song finishes with “If I could be who you wanted all the time…” An unfinished, neverending thought encompassing the thirst we feel to be enough.
“For the First Time” by The Script
“For the First Time” was released in 2010 by the Irish band, The Script. It tells the story of facing hardships and finding hope in the hardest times. I found this song with my family when I was in Elementary school. My dad, a huge music nerd, had heard it on the radio and immediately showed the entire family. The band quickly became our family favorite. “For the First Time” is one of the first singles released by The Script, and one of my favorites off of their sophomore album, Science & Faith. The entire album was a huge part of my childhood, but something about this specific song has stuck with me the most. It is a story that carries importance wherever the world takes us. It paints a picture of the unity that comes with hardship. In an interview with Sydney radio station Nova 96.9, lead singer, Danny O’Donoghue, explained “That’s when you meet each other for the first time, when you have nothing.” That is what has stuck with me. There are always going to be things we can’t control, but it is how we treat our relationships with others in these times that is important. The end of the song repeats the line “Oh, these times are hard / Yeah, they’re making us crazy / Don’t give up on me, baby.” There is so much desperation and emotion put into such a simple phrase. We need each other, and this song is a reminder to me that the people we surround ourselves with are what makes life worthwhile.
“Keep the Rain” by Searows
“Keep the Rain” is a somber track that drives a knife into the pain that partners with self-love. It is a melancholic, gloomy work of art. It dives directly into the questions we ask as we search for who we are. Am I enough? Should I try to become who I’m not just because that is who other people want me to be? If I show people who I am, will I be accepted? Do I even know who that is? These are just a few examples of how harsh we can be when it comes to finding our identity. The first time I heard this song, I had to have a moment of silence. I sat in my car for a good five minutes just thinking and appreciating. It had been a long time since a song had prompted this reaction from me. Searows is an artist that are able to articulate raw emotion with ease. With lines like “Am I comfortable in silence? / Or is it eating me alive? / Nothing’s ever really quiet / When you need distraction to survive,” and “I’m already going under / Nothing I can do but sit and wait,” Searows are able to express the lengths we go to in order to feel value.
Katelynn:
“Pool” by Paramore
This is my favorite song from my favorite album of all time. Paramore uses bouncy bass and drums, melodic guitars, and almost echoing background vocals to create an atmosphere that makes me feel like I am floating. To me, “Pool” is the encapsulation of what the album “After Laughter” by Paramore represents. The instrumentals are cheery and danceable while the lyrics reflect a more depressing subject matter. “Pool” is a sinister twist on a love song detailed using water, a common metaphor that Paramore uses when writing about love. With lyrics like “I’m underwater / No air in my lungs / My eyes are open / And I’m givin’ up / You are the wave / I could never tame / If I survive, I’ll dive back in,” Paramore paints a haunting image. This song was one of the first songs that propelled me to love music and that feeling only grows stronger each time I hear it.
“In Circles” by Sunny Day Real Estate
I have been hyperfixated on Sunny Day Real Estate for the past few months. “In Circles” is a song that frequently comes on when I am driving or walking. This track fills me with a deep sense of longing, yearning, and angst that puts middle school me to shame. The chorus switches between an eruption of yells before returning to the somber vocals that are present during the verses. Right before the bridge, there is this instrumental break that has listeners bouncing back and forth from what the drums and the guitars to catch the intricacies of each instrument.
“Dizzy On the Comedown” by Turnover
Those who know me are aware of how much I have listened to “Peripheral Vision” by Turnover and trying to find just one song from this album to put into this capsule was quite difficult. “Dizzy On the Comedown” is one of the rare happier tracks from this album and is one I have a lot of fond memories tied to. The track reminds me of falling in love and that swept up feeling is encapsulated in lyrics like “Would you come here and spin with me? / I’ve been dying to get you dizzy.” The sparkling guitar parts and the steady drums set the perfect pace for you to dance or spin your heart out.
“Things She Said” by Kent
This is a song that frequently gets stuck in my mind. The way in which the vocalist approaches the lyrics and the acoustic guitar drives the progression of the song is so catchy that you just want to listen to it on a loop. The opening lyrics are “Down underwater / I’m pale blue / Deep down the chlorine smells like you,” instantly captivating you and keeping you intrigued in what storytelling is to come.
“Is It Really You? by Loathe
This song is the anthem of yearning. I remember my roommate putting her noise cancelling headphones on my head and playing this song for me for the first time. I felt like I was in space and my spacesuit had disconnected from my spacecraft and I was just drifting through the universe with no end in sight, and I still get this feeling every time I hear this song. The lyrics “Let’s search the sky for a while / You and I / Collide like two stars for a while / You and I” capture that feeling of longing and faint melancholy as the moments are fleeting and become out of reach. The vocals and instruments on this track bounce around you in a way that feels all-consuming and keeps you in this other dimension throughout the duration of the song.
Jack:
“Let’s Go Outside” by Far Caspian
The first song would fall around the end of my summer after my freshman year in college at Belmont University. In August of 2022, I released some music and played a show in my hometown of Springfield, Ohio but that simply wasn’t the end of that night. A couple hours after the show, I drove with one of my best friends to the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus and took a flight to Florida at midnight to relax for a week before starting our sophomore years. With the flight being in the middle of the night, we ended up staying awake for roughly 48 hours. There was this one track that I played over and over for that time and through the week: “Let’s Go Outside” by Far Caspian. I loved the vibrato filled guitars with lush spring-reverb; it felt like a true masterpiece with tropic flair, which was exactly what I needed for this trip! I’d listen to it on the airplane, as we drove to the beach, to dinner, and before I slept. Those were warm and sunny days paired with a salty taste in the air due to the cool breeze of the ocean.
“Cut Thru” by A Beacon School
The summer after my sophomore year was full of songs I feel deeply connected to. I worked at a rolled ice cream shop in Springfield which was a blast, I loved working there! In the cool mornings, I would drive down North Plum Street and listen to a deep cut called “Cut-Thru” by A Beacon School every single day. I loved the angular arpeggiated guitars, the ambience that occurs in the middle of the track, and the breakdown at the end. Since then, A Beacon School has become a regular in my listening habits.
“Spring Bug” by Helena Deland
Along with that track, Helena Deland released “Spring Bug” that May. I just started getting into folkier tracks just a few months earlier and this was the cherry on top to keep me listening! I loved the way the guitars were played so tenderly with her voice gliding over the mix.
“With You” by Jaguar Sun
After this part of my summer, I traveled to Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine. I remember looking over Somes Sound, a beautiful inlet of water, and listening to music. Randomly, my YouTuve algorithm queued a song called “With You” by Jaguar Sun. He presented an interesting mix of dream pop and folk which I found to be very compelling to engage with. This track just sounds like the cool northern winds of Maine on my hikes up Flying Mountain. I have fond memories of listening to the album that accompanies this track and enjoying the fresh air and pines of Acadia.
“Alone, Omen 3” by King Krule
This past summer, I lived in London for some time, and in getting to know the city I listened to artists that live there or have grown up in the city. To get around London, it’s useful to understand the underground system (the subway in our terms). I would use my time in “the tube” to listen to these artists as I navigated the neighborhoods. The one that would always come up is “Alone, Omen 3” by King Krule. My favorite memory was taking the train home from Queen’s Park as the sun was setting with not a single soul with me. It felt fitting to listen to a track that screams “you’re not alone” while reading the local newspaper on a dead train. Something about it was comforting to me — existing in one of the largest cities on earth while being completely alone. King Krule hit the nail on the head for me that evening and I always pair this track with that memory.
Tune in to 100.1 FM and lightning100.com all week to hear more songs like these on Lighting 100! #Internpicks #2024
