Straight Lines

I've been traveling a lot for work lately. While driving as much as I do certainly takes its toll on me physically, its great to get out of the office and break away from the monotony of crunching numbers all day.

One of the greatest things about traveling is having the opportunity to listen to new music or get reacquainted with old music. This has certainly been the case this week.

Earlier this year I posted my top five albums of 2007, one of which was Silverchair's Young Modern. The first single off that album, "Straight Lines", was quite possibly my favorite song last year. Today, I revisited that album while cruising down I-75 to Corbin. "Straight Lines" is such a tremendous musical accomplishment. I love the dynamics of the song. I love how it keeps building and building, as if the band are laying row after row of musical bricks that finally become a wall of sonic greatness. It also contains one of my favorite lines in any song, ever -

Lately I'm a desperate believer....

That line really resonates with me on several levels for one reason or another. What does it mean to desperately believe something? Does that mean you believe something so firmly that no one will ever change your mind (even if you know they're probably right and you're probably wrong)? Does that mean you want to believe something but you just can't? What makes a belief desperate? Why am I asking so many questions about one line in one song???

Simply put, this song just kicks a lot of ass, okay???

I don't know what's better: Discovering new music or reacquainting yourself with old music. It's kinda like asking, "Which is better? Making new friends or hanging out with old friends you haven't seen in a while?" There's really no correct answer to that question... But I digress.

Here's "Straight Lines" for your listening/viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy it - and if not, that's okay. That just means I'm cooler than you!