Post by JVH (f/k/a Bob Dubilina) on Apr 28, 2007 1:04:10 GMT -5
The Ghost of You:
The Best Songs of 2006
[/center]The Best Songs of 2006
Haunted. That's how I spent most of 2006. Haunted by relationships gone sour; haunted by dashed hopes and dreams; haunted by broken promises and personal failures. It was particularly rough in the fact that within the first three months of the year, I had lost the majority of my best friends in a nasty domino effect. Soon after Laurie – my "second mother," confidant and best friend – died abruptly of liver failure on New Year's Day, the fine balance that I had found within my messy, convoluted relationships had suddenly become precarious. It was as if I were a match carelessly lit too close to the powder kegs that my closest friends had been sitting on. With each angry outburst came the frustrating repercussions that ripped apart each relationship in such a way that I would never want to repeat it nor wish it upon anyone else. And as much as I would like to point fingers at the other parties involved for nurturing their grudges and mistrusts for so long that there was nothing that could stop them once set free, it was without a doubt that I did plenty to set this chain reaction on its inevitable course.
Sometimes I didn't step back when I should've; sometimes I should've listened more and been less self-involved; and sometimes I should've let go sooner. As we all know, hindsight's 20/20, and that especially doesn't bring much comfort. I spent the rest of the year trying to accept and cope with these terrible losses and do my best to move on. I pursued love long-distance. I moved away to start a new life with that love and explore new opportunities. Hell, I traveled the world to capture new and exciting memories that were separate from those nagging thoughts of disappointment and despair. Alas, no matter the distance or the change of sceneries, I still found myself haunted by all the mistakes that had been made and the friendships that had been lost.
However, not all was bleak in 2006. With time came perspective and with that the promise to do better. Exhausted with being angry and depressed, I decided to fault on the side of optimism this time around. No matter how upset I felt at any given moment, I chose to believe that it would pass soon enough. Little by little the hurt would fall away. It wouldn't come easy, of course, or happen overnight, but someday soon I would put my burdens down and walk away stronger and wiser. I would put these ghosts to rest, and that which haunted me would be nothing more than a bad memory, a harsh lesson.
Thus, The Ghost of You: The Best Songs of 2006. As you already know, my favorite songs are oftentimes those with dark lyrics, a defiant attitude, a sinister connotation and/or a bittersweet resolution. And, yes, there are plenty of them on this four-disc compilation. Still, after putting these 78 tunes in proper order, I couldn't help but notice an entirely different theme appear throughout this soundtrack: Hope. Whether the primary focus or an allusion to what lay ahead, hope is what threads these songs together. It's a refreshing change of attitude, and it is my sincere hope that you enjoy this mix even more than the previous ones. After all, this music reflects the hardships, the losses and the growing pains that I endured in 2006. It was also the silver lining that made everything just a little more bearable and – at times – even saved my life. May it do the same for you.
On the bridge to better days,
Justin Holt
"Bob Dubilina"
BFN Networks
Bob@BFNinYourEars.com
May 6, 2007