Songs Other Than Let's Dance To Joy Division

A couple weeks ago, while I was sitting at work, I sent a text to my friend Brandon. It was maybe 3 pm, and I’d been sitting at the desk all day, staring at excel files to the point where my eyes hurt and my head hurt from straining my eyes. There are lots of things I love about Brandon, but one of my favorite things about him is his excellent taste in music.

I might have dressed up like an Ipod playing 'Let's Dance to Joy Division' for Halloween. Maybe.

So I asked Brandon to send me some music. Something I could listen to while I was trapped at my desk, staring at data until the numbers started to blend together and my eyelids start to droop. And man, did he deliver.

A good thing to know about my relationship to music is that if I am listening to a song, there is a 75% chance it is the song ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ by the Wombats. My obsession with that song is no secret, I’ve written about it a few times, and it’s become a joke among my friends. I love that song, but sometimes I need something else. Something different.

Which is why it was so funny when I got a link from Brandon to a playlist titled “Songs Other Than Let’s Dance to Joy Division.” The tags on the playlist, for just a little more laughter, are “not the wombats” and “let’s dance to other bands.”

It’s a great playlist. It blends together all kinds of music that shouldn’t make sense together but somehow seems to flow. I think I can safely say it’s the first time I’ve ever heard a transition from Joni Mitchell to Weezer. I love it.

It’s been nice to have something to listen to while I work. I’m at a desk 9-5, and I need distractions to keep my brain from leaking out of my ears. So I’ve been discovering new music again, something I haven’t done in a while. I think I’ve listened to every song Paperwhite has put out at least 5 times each in the past week alone. I’ve been rediscovering some old favorites. I’ve been listening to ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ plenty.

The great cover for a great mix

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts too. This American Life, has turned out to be just as good for time at work as it is for long car rides with my dad. With 8 hours a day in the office, I’ve been making a real headway in to the archives. Their list of stories told entirely in one location has been a particular favorite. Hound Tall only has three episodes so far, but each of them is great. You Made It Weird has been running for years, but I’ve only just discovered it, which means I’ve got plenty of episodes to catch up on. I think by now everyone knows that Serial is incredible, but I can only listen to it early in the morning or I’ll have creepy murder nightmares.

On the subway rides to and from work I’ve been devouring new books, reading on the kindle app on my phone. I finally finished Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, which was terrifying and incredible. It’s the weirdest book I’ve ever read about carnival performers—which is a weird topic to begin with. Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist was a delight on every single page.

It’s good to immerse myself in new things again. I’ve been in a weird media drought lately—kind of stagnant in the things I’ve been experiencing. Re-reading the same books, listening to the same song, watching and rewatching the same shows.

It’s fun to discover new things. It’s fun to get excited about things again.