It’s been a pretty hectic week. Picking up your life and moving to a new city will do that, I guess. I want to fill every spare minute I have with some kind of activity – half because I know I should keep myself busy, and half because I want to try, finally, all the things I’ve been meaning to do for years. And the soundtrack to that kind of week has been what you would expect: fast-paced, high-energy, go-get-em stuff. Every day is a new adventure, and I’ve found myself gravitating towards music that expresses that excitement. A little Revocation, a little Oakenfold, a little Angel Haze. Stuff that won’t let me sit on my butt for too long, cause I’ve always got somewhere to be.
But sometimes you need to slow down a little bit, and sometimes you don’t realize that until you hear the right song.
I went into this post looking for a hyped-up track to fit this week’s mood, but this one caught my attention and wouldn’t let it go. I was hooked as soon the first words hit the speakers: “Living like an astronaut, outer space you can see/It hasn’t happened how I thought, but at least I see clearly.” Joel Compass, all of 20 years old, has a mature, confident presence that belies his youth. The beat trips along behind his soulful, understated voice, slow, placid basslines weaving through sprinkles of high-hat and half-time drums. The lyrics evoke yearning, distance, and perspective, emotions and ideas that go hand-in-hand with the track’s wistful sound. I listened to it all the way through, and then I listened to it again. It was the perfect antidote to the part of me that always wants to be running ahead to the next thing. Take a minute out of your day, slow down, and enjoy.