Artist: Ben Folds Five
Song: Army
When I look through my iTunes and see artists like Fallout Boy or Disturbed, I find myself thinking things like, “What the fuck did I used to listen to?”. Half the songs in my music library are complete trash; remnants of artists I used to like or never got into. That said, Ben Folds Five’s “Army” is one song that has truly stood the test of time in its ability to give me chills. Maybe it’s the lyrics; telling an immediately relatable account of Ben’s own insecurities and struggles with identity in college. Keeping with the band’s tradition of forthright lyrics, Ben starts off singing “Well I thought about the army/Dad said son you’re fucking high”. The song truly peaks during the bridge, when a symphony of horns joins in and Ben seems to come to some sort of acceptance, singing “cause my peers they criticize me/and my ex-wives all despise me/try to put it all behind me/but my redneck past is nipping at my heels”. It’s a song about growing up and learning to be independent, and for a lot of people that’s a scary thing. Ben’s able to encapsulate the feelings we all go through, and even if things don’t always wrap up neatly like a fairytale, the emotion he’s able to produce is beautiful.
Charles Gare
Artist: Fallujah
Song: Levitation
It was tough selecting an individual song off of “The Flesh Prevails” by death metal band Fallujah, because the album as a whole was the most emotional piece of music I have ever heard. If I had to choose a single track, it would have to be “Levitation”; the song is simply above and beyond almost everything I’ve ever heard. Fallujah, unlike the majority of their kin, fuse drone music, with melodic metal, creating a wholly unique sound. The beginning slowly crescendos, until dark pop mistress Roniit ushers in the song with her beautiful vocals over a bed of ambience, drums, and bass, reverberated just enough to give me chills every time. I love “Levitation” because right from the start, the layers of quasi-cosmic melodies sooth my mind, while the driving force of Fallujah’s technicality moves it through their soundscape. Hearing and comprehending everything within this blissfully dense song at the same time takes me somewhere and makes me feel so much of something, but I’m not quite sure where and what. The song continues to build and build until it breaks into this astral bed of ambience and lead guitar work; I still remember the goosebumps I felt from hearing it for the first time. I’m not trying to sound hyperbolic here, but the section bathes me in audio ecstasy. I don’t know (although I try) know what it is, but “Levitation” simply clicked with me in every single way, showing me what I didn’t know I needed to hear.
Ian Barbour
Artist: The Venetia Fair
Song: A Man Like Me
Trying to figure out which song in my music library is the most emotional was about as hard as I thought it would be. I generally love really angry or sad songs; it’s as though their strife matches mine. That being said, The Venetia Fair was an obvious go to for me. Their song “A Man Like Me” pushes enough boundaries and expresses all stages of depression and rage. The lead singer denounces his terrible cheating ex throughout the song. Though it’s a topic that’s been done to death, the catch is that Venetia puts absolutely no limits on the things they to say. With lines like “And I could blame this on the pills, or your family and friends but let’s be honest, you’ve always kind of been a whore” he croons and yells his disdain. Something about the raw and real anger touches a sentiment in me. It’s not that I’ve had a boyfriend nearly that horrible; the experience the lead singer portrays is actually quite detached from me. Yet I can relate to the feelings of anger and betrayal. These guys say exactly what they think and I admire that they have the guts to do so. I’m not ashamed to say their music regularly bring tears to my eyes. It’s emotional because it’s true and that gets to me more than anything.
Becky Burlak