Mood Altering

Blog Post No.486

I remember being in a bad mood the other day. I was driving at the time (I can’t remember where or exactly when, so you can tell it wasn’t that big a deal). I could have been on my way home from the day job (a big but decreasing stressor in my life right now) or I could have just dropped over a hundred bucks on gas. The reason doesn’t really matter much. It was fleeting (like most of my moods are). But, at the time, I remember flipping stations on the radio and stopping on a song that totally changed how I was feeling.

I’ve always been a moody person. I’m not sure if it’s genetic or what, but over the years, I’ve learned to notice it and have tried to not inflict my moodiness on others. One of the benefits of having flippant moods is that when I am grumpy or angry, any simple distraction tends to calm me down and make me forget why I was upset in the first place.

With that in mind, music has always been the quickest and easiest way to change my mood. I know I’m not special in that. I was just struck at how fast my bad mood melted away. I suppose this post topic is more about what makes us all similar rather than unique.

I’ve written before about how much music plays a role in my writing. I spend a lot of time choosing the right album before I eventually get to work writing or editing. The key word being album. I can’t remember the exact year, but I remember the first time I realized the pleasure of listening to a full album. I had been listening to my They Might Be Giants tapes for years, but for all my other music, I was mostly interested in just songs.

One day, my brother mentioned how much he enjoyed listening to the full Starry album from The Killjoys. Not long after I bought Maybe It’s Me by Treble Charger (also on my brother’s recommendation) and discovered the joy of a solid album listening experience for myself. I can still enjoy the highs from a good single, but when it comes to keeping me in the right frame of mind, there is nothing like the experience of an album.

I have extra stress flowing through me since I’m at the end of the production of Snow from a Distant Sky. I always feel the pressure close to a release date. I’ve been listening to a lot of albums to keep the tension at bay. I’m getting close to the end, so it’s been a bit of a tightrope walk for my wavering moods. Thankfully, whenever I’m feeling low, I hit of good music can keep me going. Hopefully, by next week, I’ll have a cover to show off. I’m sure getting to that point will ease some of the stress. I’ll probably listen to an album in celebration on that day. It’s never a bad time for music.