My dear friends, let us step into 2021 with our heads held high, more confident and hopeful about our lives, while still honoring the battle 2020 has been, charged with good energy and a clear purpose to lead us forward. With this idea of transition from one time to another in mind, for this first month of the new year I propose the theme of “Passage” to represent the 8th edition of LAUREL Monthly Soundlust.
This new collection of songs brings an energetic vibe, the kind where Iggy Pop’s Lust for life can set the stage for the good things that we can play with this year, with better motivation and (self)appreciation, along with other pop & alternative rock tunes to pump our veins with beat & rhythm.
New year, new…
We’re coming from a period of stillness, of confusion, instability and we still don’t know for sure where we’re heading. Truth is, we never really know that, isn’t it? But to feel the freedom of movement and socializing is something we all linger. And for that we must let go of some things that weigh us down and start putting one foot in front of the other. Direction – onward.
Personally, I try to refrain from setting all sorts of extraordinary goals for myself – “new beginning”, “new me”, “new life” etc. Firstly, it’s because this “overnight switch of identity / reality” hasn’t really worked for me. And now, especially after what 2020 threw at us, it would be completely oblivious to do so.
Sure, the idea of starting all over, from a fresh beginning, on a blank page, can bring some deal of solace to some of us and motivation that we can, hopefully, erase just a little bit of the bad stuff. But let’s not delude ourselves. It’s still us, with all our baggage.
Instead, we could choose a healthier route and accept that our journey simply continues and we’re now walking on a bridge that we need to cross, towards a still unknown shore, but hopefully better. We can’t just wipe off all the things we’ve felt, seen, experienced, learned, just because the clock ticked into a new year.
The beauty of impermanence
One of the fascinating parts of a journey is its ephemeral state. Of course, when it’s all peachy and unicorns, we might feel differently about things not lasting forever. And that’s the whole beauty of it.
It’s all a transition from one thing to another.
Nonetheless, we can stop fixating over the past, over the things that already took place and decide what we really want to hold on to. What is really worth keeping in our lives.
It is a wonderful point in time for us to remember all that is important and good for us, reconfigure the contents of our backpacks and ease into the next phase of our journey with energy, strength and confidence.
Rites of “Passage”
Take the great lessons of last year, the stuff you want to address this year, set mindful goals for your inner journey and understand what your purpose is in this next sequence, who do you want to be accompanied by, what behaviours are healthy for you and what must be let go.
Like some sort of ceremonious attempt to welcome the long and largely awaited 2021, this new set of tunes is intended as a catalyst for a more dynamic listen, while still gathering beautiful and meaningful songwriting from the grands: U2, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, alongside many others.
You’ll find some feel-good songs, with drums, guitars and inspiring lyrics guiding our inner Northern Star through our days, and also some more heart-felt approaches to moving forward and this transition through phases of our lives.
So without further ado, I’d just like to add a quick “Happy New Year, everybody!” and may we all reach the other shore healthy, optimistic and achieve our goals for the upcoming times.
Enjoy the listen!