Josh Sherman
I’ve heard it many times before, “this album is the soundtrack to my life”. That’s not me, or at least the album that I feel that way about has yet to be produced (or I’ve yet to composure it myself? ;).
That said, there are a few songs that just make me feel. They evoke emotions that I can’t always explain. Some of them make me want to be a better me. Others just make me want to cry the night away. The tears can be happy or sad or something in between.
Music is, at least for most people, a very important part of their emotional well-being. Unlike scents, which are often attributed to memory recollection, music can easily be harnessed and reproduced.
I got to thinking more about this last December in Mexico when I was asked what my favorite concert experience was by fellow Sumo, Anton Sepetov.
Thinking about the question, I broke down in tears. Not necessarily sad tears but tears because I had connected a few dots that hadn‘t been connected before. It helped me understand me a little bit better. It was a bit overwhelming at the time.
In case you’re wondering it was Taproot, Deftones and Incubus at the USF Sun Dome on December 3rd, 2000. Why it’s important to me? That’s classified.
What I found really interesting is that when Anton asked me the same question a few weeks ago, my answer didn’t change but my reaction did. No tears and I was able to joke about the fact that I had cried the last time he asked.
Joking aside, the music is still very important to me. Talking about it ended up being it’s own form of therapy. Some would suggest that I need to go to a therapist to talk through some of this shit.
Because of that original dialog, I put together what I call my “The Feels” playlist. It‘s a complete work in progress and always will be. I add tracks and even remove them fairly sparingly. This list isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
What’s been great about having this playlist is that it’s immediately accessible. I listen to it when I’m in a bad mood, a good mood or when I just want to feel something.
Sometimes I get a little emotional while listening to it. Other times I zone out and think about the journey thus far. Regardless, I wish I had put the list together sooner.
I’m not saying that putting together a playlist that evokes emotion is for everybody, but it’s been great for me. It’s been so great that I’ve made my playlist public and I want to share it with the world:
