I love music, but I especially love when I find an album that I can listen to on repeat.
And I mean all the way through. No skipping tracks or just playing your favorite song.
An album where you only press one button – play.
The first song starts and you are filled with a rush of sound, your body relaxes, and you breathe.
This is music that knows you, understands you, speaks for you.
A few months back, I was listening to a playlist on Spotify (one of my favorite ways to find new music these days), and it included a song by a woman named Julie Fowlis. I put it in a playlist for later so I could go back and listen again, and moved on.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard another song that struck me. Lo and behold, it was another piece by Julie Fowlis.
I decided to investigate a little more.
Who is Julie? What is her sound? Where is she from? As a musicologist (music researcher), I love learning the details about musicians. Julie’s album alterum was the one that intrigued me, so I put in my headphones again, pressed play, and started listening.
Every single song struck a chord in me.
It was like the music was reading from the book of my soul.
Have you ever listened to an album that emulated your soul? A combination of songs that represented you with such depth that you felt as if you could have written it yourself?
This almost indescribable feeling is what I feel every time I listen to Julie’s alterum. It has been with me through the last 4 months and, in the midst of a lot of change, transition, and grief, it has brought me immense peace.
While this depth of connection with an entire album has only happened a few times in my life, these musicians and their music have continued to stay with me through the ever-changing seasons of life.
I wanted to share 7 albums to listen to on repeat with the hope that maybe one (or many) of these will be inspiring to you in the same way.
1. Priscilla Ahn – A Good Day
I’ve been following Priscilla since early high school. Her song Dream is one my earliest memories of listening to a piece of music that felt like it could have been written by me.
2. William Fitzsimmons – Gold in the Shadow
A college discovery, William has been my go to in the dark and shadowy seasons of my life.
3. Lianne La Havas – Blood
My older brother discovered this artist in college and I subsequently latched on. Her sound is incredible.
4. Us the Duo – Us
The year after college my sweet friend, Maggie, introduced me to this group. I Will Wait was the first song of theirs that I loved.
5. Chet Baker – Chet Baker Sings
This album was a favorite when my husband, Ryan, and I first started dating.
6. The Oh Hellos – Through the Deep, Dark Valley
Ryan also introduced me to this group, and it was one of the first albums where both he and I felt an instant connection to the music and to each other.
7. Julie Fowlis – alterum
Julie’s album, discovered only 4 months ago, has been a staple in my house. Many of the songs are in Scottish Gaelic which I find beautiful and mysterious.
Music is mysterious. We cannot grasp it, and yet it holds our attention. We cannot see it, and yet it is beautiful. We cannot touch it, but it can touch our inner being.
While these albums represent my life and experience, I truly hope this inspires you to find an album that reads your soul.
If you have yet to discover your album, I hope you will soon find music that sits with you in the joy, the grief, the uncertainty, and the contentment.
Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite album!
1 Comment
Thank you so much for these recs!
Can always listen straight through any Bon Iver album.