Nudge the Antenna
Sleeping Lessons - The Shins (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
About an hour ago I stepped in some mud. I was walking across campus when a guy on a bike came in my direction, and when I stepped aside to let him through, I went to the grass and felt a softness that sunk my heart right then and there. Normally I don’t mind a little dirt on my shoes, even welcome it. But I’m wearing my favorite Vans, and it kind of felt like the world was against me at that moment. There’s no reason for it to be muddy — it hasn’t rained in days, and the weirdly warm weather should have dried it out! This sort of mildly inconvenient yet cosmically whimsical moment is exactly the type of thing that I think fits best with a song that I hold close to my heart, the one and only “Sleeping Lessons” by The Shins.
This is one of those tunes that’s been in my life longer than I can remember, one of the ones that I am told I had a certain reaction to even though I can’t recall the exact moment. It always gives me a feeling though, a weight that settles on my shoulders, both soothing and a little overwhelming (in a good way). “Sleeping Lessons” is best listened to on full volume with your eyes closed, because the images and colors it provides are some of the most vivid out there.
It has a slow buildup, a quiet crescendo that inches you forward without you even knowing it, until you hear the beauty of the peak that forces you to sit back. The warped vocals and muted strums of the guitar come in bit by bit, creating this air of mystery that leaves you wondering what’s next. And man, what’s next is one of, if not THE best moment in music ever! When I say the breakdown of this song takes my breath away, I am not being overdramatic. After hearing it more times than reasonably countable, I still get chills every single time. It’s something I hope everyone hears at least once, a moment that can open everything up, nudge the antenna just enough that everything is brighter and really in full color.
Even though there’s mud on my shoe now, I know that I can use a wipe to make it good as new. “Sleeping Lessons” is like a wipe for the mud that dampens the enjoyment of life… one listen and you feel shiny and rejuvenated, ready to conquer the world yet again!
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