
Of course, at the moment it has 52 songs, so we'll go over them all in sections so I can do each song justice.
And since it'd be impossible to order them in a best-to-least-best fashion, we're going alphabetically by song title.
First up is Alligator Sky by everyone's favorite pop band, Owl City. I believe that the latest Owl City album, All Things Bright And Beautiful, is the closest thing to perfection on Earth that there ever can be. The only thing it needs is a slow, mournful song. Alligator Sky (played 46 times) is a more upbeat tune complete with a rapper (a never before-heard occurence for Owl City songs), and this is probably the only rapper cameo I like. Alligator Sky talks about rockets and space travel and imagination and it's just so...beautiful.
Next is Already Home by another of my favorite bands, Thousand Foot Krutch. Already Home (played 66 times) is definitely one of their most beautiful songs, full of mournful contrasts such as, "The trouble with peace is it never fights, the trouble with love is it's always blind", and the whole first minute of the song is composed of a heartbreaking ensemble of string instruments. There's something so piercing about a violin, especially in a rock song (Skillet, anyone?).
I'm not really a Josh Groban fan, but Bells Of New York City gets me every time. Maybe it's the fact that I first heard it in ballet class with my favorite teacher and one of my favorite combinations ever. But anyway, "Bells" (played 30 times) is a bit mournful and feels like a lonely winter night spent in an unknown city full of strangers. So, naturally, I love it.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams was the first Green Day song I ever heard (unfortunately, it gave me the wrong impression about the band), and it's still one of my favorite songs ever. Like "Bells", it brings to mind a lonely tale of a traveler in unfamiliar cities. "Boulevard" (played 104 times) has been a favorite for a very long time.
On the other hand, we have Clean Up Your Eyes by the little-known Scottish band The Dykeenies (yes, they are named after the creatures in Willow). This song (played 41 times) has many fond memories, from the music video of one of my favorite movies (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) to using it as an alarm during my Ireland trip. It bursts into life, with Brian Henderson singing out, "Clean up your eyes, and I'll dance alone with you in daytime!" Its a shame all their other songs are crap.
I happened upon Collide by Howie Day only a few months ago by accident, but since then it's become a big favorite. Another slightly melancholy song (are you detecting a trend?), Collide (played 44 times) talks about mistakes and misunderstandings, but how "I somehow find, you and I collide". I think what really made it awesome for me is the line, "Even the wrong words seem to rhyme".
I've always been a bit of a Plumb fan, but the only song I'll listen to repeatedly is Cut. If you thought the other songs were miserable, wait till you hear this one. The story of a depressed girl who only manages to feel anything at all when she cuts herself. It's a heartbreaking story, but Cut (played 50 times) does have a happy ending.
It's rare that I like an acoustic version better than the original, but Die Trying (acoustic) by Art of Dying is so. beautiful. The original version is a rock song completely with electric guitars and hard drumbeats, but the acoustic version (played 24 times) turns it into a beautiful ballad. Whereas the original has a determined tone under the lines "I will die trying", the acoustic holds a promise. "If it takes forever, I will die trying."
Owl City returns again with Dreams Don't Turn To Dust. I love this one (played 29 times) because it's reassuring, promising dreamers everywhere that "Dreams don't turn to dust." It also voices some of my own recurring thoughts with the lines, "I'm sad to see you go, but I'd rather be alone."
So remember that British guy, Alex Day, who read Twilight? Well, he's also a musician, and he recently released Forever Yours (which reached #4 in the UK charts! Go Alex!). I trully love this song (played 44 times). A song of friendship or love, whichever you choose, is like a conversation. "It will be forever mine, and it will be forever yours, that we own the night and it can't be undone. We'll never forget how it feels to be young."
What do you know, Owl City's back again! Galaxies really does talk about space travel. "Armor the airlock, blanket the bed rock, kiss the planet goodbye!" And then you actually get to space, and you get lost! "Dear God, I was terribly lost, when the galaxies crossed, and the sun went dark." But don't worry, you find home. "Dear God, you're the only North Star, I would follow this far." (played 31 times)
I understand that Good Charlotte is known for being bad, but I kind of like them. And I love Harlow's Song (Can't Dream Without You). It's quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs. Ever. "Harlow" (played 60 times) is most definitely a love song (or possibly stalker, but we won't go there), with the dream-like lyrics and chorus, "I don't wanna live this life without you, I don't wanna spend the night without you, I don't wanna know what it's like. I can't dream without you."
If you know me, you know there are two classic stories I'm a sucker for. Alice In Wonderland and Wizard of Oz. While I have plenty of Alice songs, so far Home by Breaking Benjamin is the only Oz one I've found. And it's awesome. It tells the story of Dorothy and her friends of Oz, even going from black and white to full technicolor. Home (played 70 times) also adds a more sinister take to the four Oz characters, with the last lines, "I don't wanna be bold. I don't wanna be cold. I don't wanna grow old. I don't wanna go home."
The next one is also called Home, but, unfortunately, Three Days Grace aren't explicitly referring to Oz. This Home (played 116 times) is an angry song about not having a home, only a miserable little house. "I'll be coming home, just to be alone."
I like most of Florence + The Machine's songs equally, but Howl is even more haunting than the rest. I also can't help but associate it with Howl's Moving Castle. It's hard to beat Florence's voice, and Howl (played 30 times) shows of her talent perfectly. I also get the feeling it's about werewolves, "You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl."
I'll be going through more of my favorites later!
--Persy