Sometimes the best thing to do is “Sleep” on it

Most of us have different music for different times in our day.  You might not realize it, but our brains tend to categorize our catalog of music into our natural mood cycles.  We wouldn’t listen to metal when we’re winding down before bed, and we certainly wouldn’t listen to Beethoven’s 5th before heading out for a night on the town.

But, every so often a genre comes around that embodies our feelings to such a degree that it transcends these norms, and become a huge staple in our listening patterns.  A couple months ago I had a “eurika” moment, and realized that the albums that I’ve come to love on a deep and etheral level tend to be those that I listen to just before I shut the lights out for the night.  Albums that I felt moderately luke warm about after a couple of listens, but somehow manage to find some air time on my speakers in those hours, tend to grow on me at a rapid pace.

Some prime examples for me include the Killers Hot Fuss, which I absolutely hated for months after its release, and Interpols Antics album.  Both were well outside my musical taste, but I grew to love both of them in their own rights after listening to them in bed just before lights out.

I don’t know the science behind the logic here, but for me it’s pretty simple. That time of the day, just before closing your eyes, is probably the only real point in the day where our bodies fully begin to relax.  We absorb everything around us.  Every nuance the music provides, every missed note, every botched hook, and more important everything that makes rock a staple in our lives.

Next time you’re winding down your day and getting ready to pull the covers over your head, I really suggest putting on that album that doesn’t quite cut it for you. You might surprise yourself and fall head over heels for it by morning.  My two favourite albums to listen to during this time is Bon Iver’s For Emma, forever ago, and Boduf Songs’ How shadows chase the balance. Two amazing albums that probably wouldn’t have ever made my playlist if I didn’t sleep on it.