Different flurries of lyrics and melodies served as the background to my life when I was growing up; in our house, music was playing constantly. My Dad used to carefully select certain bands and songs to play around my siblings and I when we were little, Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and any song by the Beatles, Green Day or Train being some of his favorites. He used to tell us he did this because he wanted to ensure we had an appreciation and love for music once we got older. And it worked.
Music has been an incredibly important part of my life for as long as I can remember. I could talk about my favorite songs for hours. I can describe why certain lyrics mean so much to me and analyze the meanings behind my favorite albums. I’ve found that music reminds me what it means to be alive, and also serves as a connection to so many other people. To put it simply, even though I have not one ounce of musical talent myself, music is my love language. With such a love for music comes an intense loyalty to and pride in the bands and artists I listen to. And one of my favorite things is talking about these artists with others.
One of these artists that I just simply adore is Jack Antonoff, whom I personally think is a musical genius. I was first exposed to Antonoff through the band Fun, where he is a singer, guitarist, pianist and drummer. Fun’s hit single “We Are Young” was my anthem when I was 12, and I still enjoy their songs “Some Nights,” “Carry On” and “Sight of the Sun.” I then realized that he helped write and produce some of my favorite albums of all time, Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Lorde’s Melodrama, among many others.
When I was sixteen, I was obsessed with the song “I Wanna Get Better” by the band Bleachers. After I started digging more into their music, I finally put together that this was Antonoff’s solo project, and in the last four years, Bleachers has quickly accumulated a spot in my top five favorite artists of all time.
What I love most about Bleachers is that their music is powerful yet vulnerable, uplifting yet heartbreaking and just so real. The two albums Antonoff has released under Bleachers are epic anthems about loss and love, about change and growing up. Their sound is unique and their lyrics are honest, with magnificent storytelling and lots of saxophone solos.
I found their music completely by accident many years ago, and I now consider some of their songs my all time favorites. This band means a lot to me. You may have heard of them before or maybe you haven’t, you may listen and either absolutely hate it or absolutely love it. Either way, I like the idea of listening to an artist with a blank slate, and while this could have been an album review, it is instead an invitation to dive into their music with no great expectations and see where the experience takes you.
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