Spring break rocked. I went down to Wilmington, North Carolina. Home of “One Tree Hill” and “Dawson’s Creek.” Cheesy, yes, but absolutely amazing. It is so beautiful down there that I might even move there one day. This blog, however, is not about my trip. It is about the two awesome CDs I found while down there, shopping in none other than the CD shop from both shows, which is totally retro; I loved it.
The first CD I bought actually came out in September 2005. Since I was shopping in CD Alley and being a total WB-show fan dork I wanted to buy music by a band featured on the “One Tree Hill” soundtrack. This led me to Nada Surf and their most recent album, The Weight is a Gift. The track “Always Love” can be heard in season three of “OTH.” I was a little concerned with this purchase because I had only heard one track from the band and I only partially liked it. I mean, “Always Love” is a great song with a good message, but I can live without hearing it. The album was a pleasant surprise, however, complete with a track I’ve found to be a signature on alternative albums, the over seven minutes long with a silent interlude usually followed by the artist talking about something or more music. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard any other Nada Surf music so I really have nothing to compare this album to, but as a stand-alone album these 12 tracks are killer.
I found on this trip another CD that hits stores on March 6. Relient K’s Five Score and Seven Years Ago is their fifth full-length CD, although they’ve released an EP and a Christmas album as well. In these five albums, the band has made an incredible journey from boys to men. A Christian-rock band from Ohio, Relient K started out as high school kids singing about school and girls and God. The subsequent albums progressed through college and more girls and a subtler approach to God. The fourth album, Mmhmm, is the most mainstream the band got and included their hit single “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been.” The new album presents an all-adult Relient K, filled with songs about love and loss, wrongs and rights, and simply fun. “Must Have Done Something Right,” the lead single off the album, is an upbeat tune full of fun with the opening line “We should get jerseys ’cause we make a good team.” On the flip side, “Faking My Own Suicide” shows the other side of the picture, the story of it being so bad that you need to just get away from it all. This CD is the best one yet from this band and if they only keep growing we are sure to have more great music from Relient K throughout the years.
Overall, spring break was refreshing and maybe even life altering. I found great music and inspiration and good times. I found hope and possibility. Spring break was everything I needed it to be and the music I found is just what my collection needed to be even more complete than it already was. Good music helps life fall into place and that is all anyone can really ask for, a nice warm day, some good tunes, hair blowing in the wind, and the open road. Spring break gave me that.
