Ingrid, again - Kait's Mixtape

'The Chain'
Ingrid Michaelson 

It was inevitable that I'd end up repeating artists. Choosing just one of Ingrid's songs was difficult enough in the first place and at the time I'd already done this drawing. I actually finished this piece late last year - as the very observant will notice when they spot the year next to my initials.

Like I said in my previous entry about Ingrid Michaelson, her lyrics have had a profound impact on my life. But something else I appreciate is how my understanding of a song can totally shift based on personal experience.

I would have to say 'The Chain' is not only one of my favourite Ingrid Michaelson songs - it's one of my all-time favourite songs that ever was. Since I first discovered it I believe it's not been on my OCD list for a period of about three months. Otherwise it's a permanent resident to the list of songs I could happily play three times or more in a row.

It has cellos. It has a canon - like the circular singing canon, not the Tchaikovsky 1812 sort of cannon, which is also awesome. The lyrics are poetic and heartfelt and her voice is lovely.

And then I lived it and my love of the song shifted to that of finding the words of a kindred spirit. It was a bit like the admiration a person can have for a piece of art they've seen in a book and then the complete emotional intensity of the moment they see the original hanging in a museum.

I love how my appreciation for a song can change over time. It often happens in reverse - where I'm happy to say my taste in music has improved significantly - but there's something so satisfying about hearing a song totally differently simply because of the way your life has changed.

As Is - Kait's Mixtape

What can I say about Ani? I first discovered her when I was in Junior High. A friend of mine burned me a CD of her music and I found myself captivated by her brilliant use of words to convey great passion about all manner of social and political issues. At the time I was a fully self-identified activist and the energy of her writing matched my own. 

As I grew older I would sometimes see how much anger there was in what she'd written and occasionally a sense of righteous indignation came through as well - turning me off of some of her music. But one thing has never changed for me. When Ani writes about relationships, about love and connection, about the very experience of being human, it has always resonated with me. 

For that reason many of her songs end up on my OCD playlist, the playlist on my iPod of songs that I can listen to on repeat, five times in a row, and not tire of. 

Ani Difranco - 'As Is'

Where Does the Good Go - Kait's Mixtape

Another one of my 'drawn lyrics'.

I'm quite pleased with this one and was extra excited because it involved using pastels. I adore pastels. They're just so lovely to smudge around. I like how they bleed over the edges and that my fingerprints can be seen in the final product.

Tegan & Sara have been a huge part of my life since I first attended one of their concerts at the age of 14. At the time the tickets were $5CAD and we were sat at long cloth covered tables with candles on them. It was an 'intimate evening' with Tegan & Sara.

I immediately bought 'This Business of Art' which became my favourite album ever, as not a single song on it grated me. In fact, for one summer that album was like my own personal soundtrack.

Each subsequent album, excluding 'Sainthood', has seemed to fit exactly with where I was at that time in my life, including most recently, 'Heartthrob'.

But I still visit their other songs frequently because so often what they have written captures perfectly exactly what I feel.

Tegan & Sara - 'Where Does the Good Go'