Artist: Lights
Album: The Listening
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Genre: Sythpop, electropop, indie pop, new wave
After reviewing the Lights album from 2011, I ended up going
to one of their concerts, and it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a
long time! I was inspired to get their
previous album from 2009, which turned out to also be awesome.
Some observations from the concert:
Lights is actually a lot more popular than I thought.
I also felt a little out of place not being a hipster.
Most in the audience seemed to fall in the 15-30 age range
(with the exception of teenagers accompanied by their baby boomer parents).
Anyway, back to this album.
Again, I think Lights has music that is both non-specific and very relatable. I would only list a few songs
that would be usable for therapy (I’m desperately trying to make these blogs
shorter!), but in fact, I really think almost every song this album could be
appropriate for therapeutic use, depending on who you are working with. Thus, this will be another long blog.
[The format:
A. Is the general tone of the song positive or negative?
B. Are there obvious triggering words/themes in the
song?
C. Mention of violence/drugs/sexual content? Language not acceptable at some facilities?
D. Religions or politics in song?
E. Are there any positive/possible therapeutic themes in the
song?]
1. Savior
A. neutral
B. nothing obvious
C. none
D. Clearly, this song has some religious elements in it! However, I would really mark it as something
more spiritual than religious as the most specific words in the song are “Sooner
or later I’ll need a savior”.
E. I think this song would be best for self-expression. The chorus of the song really seems to speak
to feeling stuck: “I just wanna run to you/ and break off the chains/ and throw
them away/ I just wanna be so much/ and shake off the dust/ that turn me to
rust/ sooner than later, I'll need a savior/ I need a savior”.
2. Drive My Soul
A. neutral
B. “now the road is a mine field” – possibly triggering for
veterans? Victims of violence?
C. none
D. seems like there are spiritual elements in the song, but
nothing specific
E. I would probably not use this song for discussion in
therapy, although it could certainly be used for self-expression. Here’s the chorus: “When you are gone/ Will I
lose control?/ You're the only road I know/ You show me where to go/ Who will
drive me soul?”
3. River
A. neutral
B. “put me in the undertow” in chorus, “burn” in 1st verse
C. none
D. There are possibly some spiritual elements in the song,
but again, nothing specific.
E. This could be a song for a discussion about dealing with
the changing world. Here are some lyrics
from the 1st verse: “And trees losing their leaves, and our faces
becoming tired/ I wish I could discover something that doesn't expire”, and
from the bridge: “I want to know where you're going, a follower following/ Changing
but never changed, claiming but never claimed”.
4. The Listening
A. negative
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. I think this song could be interesting for discussion as
well. It could good for discussing both
frustration from being unable to find the rights words to for self-expression
and wishing to take back what had been said.
Here are some lines from the song: “I never really ever know what to
say/ When all of my emotions get in the way/ I'm just trying to get us on the
same page (Wish I could explain)/ I always get it better right afterward/ When
all the wrong impressions are said and heard/ How come I can never get the
right words, I need to convey”,
5. Ice
A. negative
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. This song would be GREAT for therapy. For one, it could be good for
self-expression. For another, it could
be good to discuss how to cope with a person who does not accept an apology. Here’s the chorus: “What I mean is, all I need
is/ Just a little emotion/ Cause all I see is you not feeling/ And you're
giving me nothing nice/ I tried to do you right, why'd you have to go and turn
to ice?”.
6. Pretend
A. neutral
B. “prison in the body I’m living in”, “and when it’s the
end/ Our lives will make sense”
C. very, very mild - “we had soda for wine”, “we had water
in guns”
D. none
E. I can see a lot of people relating to some of the words
in this song, especially those transitioning into adulthood. Here are some examples from the lyrics: “Once
in a while/ I act like a child/ To feel like a kid again”, “Wish I were a
little girl/ without the weight of the world”, “It would be nice to start over
again/ Before we were men/ I’d give, I’d bend/ Let’s play pretend”.
7. The Last Thing On Your Mind
A. positive
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. Well…I don’t like this line too much as this is not a
good coping skill: “Don't think too hard, if you think it hurts that bad/ Don't
talk about it”. I do, however, like the
rest of the verse: “don't let it get you down/ It's only one part, of the
story/ Just let it go, don't let it bring you down now”. So, on one had, this is a positive song, and
on the other, we have some encouragement of negative coping skills…hmm. I think this could be useful provided there’s
a discussion of lines encouraging negative coping skills, and why those skills
could be negative. Overall, I do think
this song would be better for self-expression than discussion, but it could be
interesting to discuss what she means by saying “sing the last thing on your
mind/ the last word on your breath”.
8. Second Go
A. neutral
B. “how many coffins before there’s a crown”, “how come you
love me when I am ugly”
C. none
D. Now this song seems to have spiritual elements to it,
although that’s my own interpretation. You
be the judge!
E. I would possibly use this song in therapy. I think it has good elements in it, especially
for self-expression, with lines such as “No matter the weather there's never a
break/ Conquer a ladder then slip on a snake/ Cried 'til my river turned into a
lake”.
9. February Air
A. neutral
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. While I think this song has some potential for
self-expression (as many, many songs do!), I would not use this in therapy.
*10. Face Up
A. positive
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. This is another one that would be GREAT for therapy,
especially for those feeling hopeless who needs some kind of hopeful song stuck
in their heads… Here’s the (very
inspirational) chorus!: “The times you don't wanna wake up/ 'Cause in your
sleep it's never over when you give up/ The sun is always gonna rise up/ You
need to get up, gotta keep your head up/ Look at the people all around you/ The
way you feel is something everybody goes through/ Dark out, but you still gotta
light up/ You need to wake up, gotta keep your face up”, and one more line that
I really, really like is: “How come you concentrate on things that don't make
you feel right”. Yes, if I were working
in a psych setting at this time, I would absolutely, absolutely use this song
in therapy. I highly, highly recommend
this song. You should read all of the
lyrics!
11. Lions!
A. positive
B. “Death is a charade” (in chorus), “edge of sorrow’s blade”
(1st verse) could be triggering for some
C. none
D. nothing specific, but does mention crusades in 1st
verse as symbolism
E. I think this would be a very interesting song to use in
therapy. I think this line specifically
would be interesting for discussion: “You don’t have to feel safe to feel
unafraid”. Some other interesting lines
for discussion: “Lions make you brave/ Giants give you faith”, “I'm learning
how to get up off my knees/ and all it takes is practice”, and some inspiring
lines: “Be steady on your feet/ No matter the trouble you meet”. I really think this song could be a good
discussion about how to cope emotionally with different circumstances.
12. Quiet
A. positive
B. none
C. none
D. none
E. I would not use this song for discussion. This appears to be a positive song about a
relationship, however, so if you are looking for a song like that, I would
recommend looking up the lyrics to this song!
*highly recommended for therapy!
So of course, I would recommend this album for therapy, and especially would recommend the song Face Up. Really - go read those lyrics!
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