Music to Atone To
relatable music that seeks to atone and lift the spirit with brent faulkner
featuring artists like
Brittany Howard, Declan McKenna, BROCKHAMPTON, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, Gary Clark, Jr.
Perhaps you’re like Alexander – you’ve experienced a “No good, very bad day.” Maybe, a difficult situation in life extends beyond a bad day. A break-up with your significant other has got you down. The loss of a family member has you feeling mighty low. You’ve lost your job, and now, you must rebuild and rebrand. Bummer! All of these unfortunate life experiences and more are captured by the songs featured on this playlist.
This playlist needs no genres; it’s a collection of relatable music that seeks to atone and lift the spirit. Some music reflects pain and misfortune that devastates, but ultimately, it’s therapeutic – a means to move forward.
Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America – The 1975
14 April 2020
“I’m in love with a boy I know / But that’s a feeling I can never show.” Clearly, the lyric is a prime example of suppression. With some additional context, things are even more complex and multilayered…
Leave It Alone – Hayley Williams
31 March 2020
“Don’t nobody tell me / That God don’t have a sense of humor…” Wow, those are some truly thought-provoking lyrics…
Makeup Drawer – Isaac Dunbar
17 March 2020
“I shattered mirrors to cope / You made me hate what I saw.” Wow – that’s a powerful, telling lyrical excerpt…
Anyone – Demi Lovato
3 March 2020
“I tried to talk to my piano / I tried to talk to my guitar / Talked to my imagination / Confided into alcohol.” For Grammy-nominated pop star Demi Lovato, she was literally looking for anyone to talk to and ultimately, save her…
Let You Go – Daniel Nelson
18 February 2020
Five simple, but potent words: “I gotta let you go.” What’s the context of those lyrics? Well, on the short but ultra-relatable “Let You Go,” singer/songwriter Daniel Nelson expressively tussles with matters of the heart…
Monsters – James Blunt
4 February 2020
As Boyz II Men once famously sung, back in their Cooleyhighharmony days, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” In this case, for British singer/songwriter James Blunt, he is potentially saying goodbye to one of the closest people in his life, his father…
Ordinary Man – Ozzy Osbourne
28 January 2020
Ozzy Osbourne is the furthest thing from being ordinary – understatement. The heavy metal icon is both famous and infamous simultaneously, exemplifying the rock star life…
Underdog – Alicia Keys
14 January 2020
“They said I would never make it / But I was built to break the mold / The only dream that I’ve been chasing is my own.” Despite being the chief amongst underdogs, Alicia Keys, or rather the character she portrays in the song, “Underdog,” is incredibly optimistic and resolute…
Posthumous Forgiveness – Tame Impala
7 January 2020
“Did you think I’d never know? / Never wise up as I grow?” Those are the questions that Australian musician Kevin Parker, the brainchild of psych-rock, alternative pop /roc collective Tame Impala, directs towards his late father, Jerry…
ghostin – Ariana Grande
17 December 2019
“We’ll get through this, we’ll get past this, I’m a girl with / A whole lot of baggage.” On “Ghostin,” a highlight from her stunning album, thank u, next, Grammy-winner Ariana Grande definitely has “a whole lot of baggage”…
The Geocide – Cattle Decapitation
10 December 2019
“Death always wins, his molten torch forever burns / And to the ashes and the ground we are returned…” As morbid as the excerpt from the chorus of “The Geocide” may be, extreme metal collective Cattle Decapitation certainly have a valid point. Everybody dies…
Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass – All Time Low
26 November 2019
“So, I wrote you a song, hope that you sing along / And it goes, ‘Merry Christmas, kiss my ass!’” Clearly, someone – rather a specific girl – is firmly planted on the ‘shit-list’ of pop-punk band, All Time Low…
Slightly eccentric with interests that seem to know no ends, restless ‘Renaissance Man’ is the best way to characterize Brent Faulkner, a native of Kentucky. A certified music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and composer known for his incredibly sharp ear, he lives and breathes music of a variety of styles. In addition to passion for educating, performing, and writing music, he’s equally passionate blogging and writing about it, managing his own site, The Musical Hype. When he’s not intensely analyzing music, you can find him reading or watching a movie, reality television or some sporting event