WELSCH: Songs soothe the soul from the stresses of school

Casey Welsch

Over Spring Break, for the second year in a row, I made my way to the Eastern Seaboard with Noah Ballard. We tooled around the tri-state area, including NYC, and it was nice. I needed the break. I was losing my mind, overwhelmed by money issues, school, the radio station and this God-awful job. Spring Break revived me. I used the time to collect new ideas and to try to center myself on what needs to be done. As Gavin Rossdale once sang, "Everything zen."

I bought a handful of books while on holiday. I bought a copy of "Hagakure," a 33 1/3 series book about "Another Green World" and an anthology of the best music writing of 2009. And I got to read more of the Alex Ross tome "The Rest is Noise." These readings pointed me to a number of songs and, in combination, were of great help in restoring my aching mind.

At the risk of seeming self-centered, I'm going to feature the Top 5 songs that helped me through break. My hope is that you can relate to the way I was feeling and use them for similar good, or at least follow a similar path towards rejuvenation.

Casey's Top 5 musical discoveries that helped him back into a human state.

1. "Discreet Music" by Brian Eno - As I was reading the brilliant 33 1/3 take on Eno's "Another Green World," one of my favorite albums of all time, writer Geeta Dayal pointed me to another Eno classic called "Discreet Music." The album consists of a 30:35 title track on one side, and three different interpretations of Pachelbel's Canon in D on the other side of the record, and it has well-documented healing powers. Eno received several letters after he released the album, including one from a woman who worked with autistic children who claimed the album helped a sleepless child to sleep and a speechless child to speak. The album was also the soundtrack to David Bowie's rehabilitation after he hit rock bottom. Now I can give testament to its healing powers. It's soothing textures and systematic phases are truly calming. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it is truly effective in removing distractions and centering the mind .

2. "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai – The Album" by RZA - I love Jim Jarmusch's "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai." It is an entertaining film that also has a message about the last days of old ways. On top of all that, it is scored to hip-hop perfection by the RZA of Wu-Tang fame. The Hagakure is a translation of the way of the Samurai and is heavily quoted from in the film. The basis of the way is a calm and resolved mind, selflessness and clarity. I don't know how, but RZA somehow translated this into music. The film's album is one of the smoothest, grooviest, unpretentious hip-hop records I have ever heard. All of the songs are original, and they each reflect a different parable. It's a great listen.

3. "Dare" by the Human League - While in the City I managed to find my white whale. At the House of Oldies (35 Carmine St.), the greatest record store in the world, I found an original, mint, vinyl copy of "Dare" by the Human League. I've been looking for this record for a long time. It's the record Lester Bangs died while listening to and the first album ever to be recorded using only synthesized instruments. My favorite song on the album is the opening track "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of." Apart from the pioneering synth work of the song, the lyrics tell a tale about all the little things that make life great. It's a good message. Simple things like music, good food, travel, friends, all of these are the things that dreams are made of. And on a side note, having it on a perfect vinyl copy makes it shine through all the more clearly.