And. God. It was like visiting an old lover. The album is perfect. Came out ten years ago. I've been listening to them nonstop on Spotify since then. Their other albums. Somehow I accidentally slept through Hold On Love so that I didn't even notice it had played. But I wanted to focus on the other stuff, anyway.
I think it makes a difference when I can relate to some of the lyrics. Back then, I had no life experience. I suppose I still don't think I do. But things are different now.
Azure Ray just oozes beauty and magic and flowers and nature and the woods and spontaneous cross-country bus rides. I don't know how, but they do. Their voices meld into one and harmonize perfectly. They make the word 'fuck' sound so elegant. And I heart it.
So now I feel like revisiting Saddle Creek. Maybe not Bright Eyes, but there are a lot of other great bands. The Faint has always been a staple throughout the last ten years. Tim Kasher, of Cursive, is putting out a solo album. Cursive wrote the album I considered my favorite for several years, and made me want to learn the cello, and they were even my first concert. The first one that wasn't with a parent, anyway. That was, yeah, about ten years ago. Crazy.
I don't recognize a lot of the bands on SC now. But I suppose I'll have to remedy that.