even with nothing to say

song: …off by heart – artist: city & colour

Knowing of/about City & Colour a few years ago, there was a moment in time where Dallas Green briefly interrupted my loop of Bon Iver. But I was soon re-entrenched in Justin Vernon’s vocal stylings, and it was quite some time before I started breaking out for longer stretches.

As 2010 was nearing its end, I realized I was meandering through playlists and my music library in search of something to quench whatever music thirst seemed to be arising. I was still spinning some Bon Iver, and enjoying it, but I could tell the need wasn’t there anymore. After three solid years of hardcore love for all things Justin Vernon/Bon Iver, I was facing a new possibility; 2011 just might be the year that I found a new constant(s).

Then it happened. City & Colour started getting some serious airtime in my listening vicinity. It started with a "shuffle" on the ‘Pod. Then I was purposely selecting it. Often. Repeatedly. I was seeding Grooveshark playlists with City & Colour and then just reverting to listening to all City & Colour all the time.

Then, one day, as I was scrolling through "cover flow" to get the City & Colour pumping (if you can really "pump" City & Colour), I realized something. Over the last two, or so, years I’ve had significant breaks from my looping of Bon Iver. And as I was mentally thumbing through those artists who comprised those significant breaks, and now adding City & Colour to that roster, a pattern began to emerge. There were two very distinct qualities all of them possessed. Qualities that are capable of being captured in a photograph. So, I present you with a collage:

There’s a possibility that predicting whether or not I’m going to like an album just got a whole lot easier.