• Alex Melton and His Genius Alternative Rock Song Covers

    As someone obsessed with finding innovative covers of my favorite songs, I was fortunate to stumble across Alex Melton’s YouTube channel. I first became aware of Alex through his collaboration with First to Eleven in their cover of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” a rare recent pop song that I quite enjoy. While his true talents weren’t…

  • Some Conflicting Ideals of Value

    Being so dedicated to the craft of writing, I’m faced with an important question: How do I deal with this perplexing system of value, which demands my participation, even as I strive to attain a utopian existence free from the tethers of capitalism?  That then begs another question: How can I reconcile these conflicting ideals?…

  • Thank You, Darkness, My Old Friend

    For many years, the darkness truly was my best friend. In the light, I was often judged unfairly. But, in the late hours obscured by darkness, I felt much freer. With many sleepless nights powered on little more than junk food, I made the most of my insomnia. I used this time to figure out…

  • Definition

    Definition

    In high school I became obsessed with the concept of the definition essay. Blame the SAT prep we were constantly doing in English class, I suppose. Between begrudgingly scribbling out five-paragraph essays with absolutely no effort put into them, I started taking some word that I wanted to vibe with and just tried to not…

  • The Cloud Walker

    I’ve always wanted to fly high above the sky, despite my overwhelming fear of flying. I remember a childhood dream of being a “Cloud Walker,” a being able to leap from cloud to cloud, then ride them wherever the winds took them. While I could never actually transform into such a being, it’s certainly fun…

  • My 6 Favorite Songs by The Kinks

    Growing up I mostly listened to country music as that’s what my parents mostly listen to, even to this day. But, thanks to some old vinyl records, I was introduced to a lot of classic rock including the famous band from Boston, called, um, Boston. Around the time I was introduced to Boston and James…

  • Chasing Starlight

    Have you ever found your eyes chasing starlight? Do you ever find your mind wandering, drifting off towards the heavens? Will you sometimes gaze and wonder at what’s out there in that great infinite beyond? Dare to dream that deepest dream. Chase it to the depths of the deepest seas if you must. Never let…

  • Breathing Through Corrupted Lungs

    For two nights in a row, it became too chilly in the back bedroom for my damaged lungs to cope. As I lay in bed, I could feel the chill creeping in. At first, it was just a gentle caress of cool air against my skin. But as the night wore on, the cold grew…

  • Album Deep Dives: “Red Earth and Pouring Rain” by Bear’s Den

    Red Earth & Pouring Rain is the second album released in July 2016 by the British alternative rock band, Bear’s Den. Bandmates Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones, who amicably parted with their third bandmate after their debut album, experimented with a more electronic and ambient sound on this album, while still maintaining their folk roots.…

  • When I Remember Too Much

    I’ve often failed at Love, and it’s such cruel irony that perhaps the greatest gift of all is often the most rejected. Even more cruelly ironic is that Love is often used as the best excuse we have for doing evil deeds. Love is often what leads us to lie, cheat, deceive, and suffer. I’m…