CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE MUSICAL THESIS PLAYLIST

At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews aren’t about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.

What would it mean for you to be completely open and honest? As conversation, art, music, or any other creative expression as your medium, what would it look like for the world to see the skeletons in your closet? If you are anything like me, there is probably a pretty healthy mixture of shame and pride. Shame for those shortcomings and pride for those good deeds no one knew about you. For Thurston Moore’s “Demolished Thoughts” we are invited to an open and honest conversation; a rare treat and a tremendous responsibility for both us and the artist.

The conversation is about things falling apart and a man attempting to put it all together again. Music is the vehicle and the mirror. As Mr. Moore shares, we find commonality; the greatest tool and the ultimate achievement of any art form. We see his failings and ours. We see his moments of joy and recall our own. We learn lessons from the experiences of others. We are provided an opportunity that can only be experienced by spending time in someone else’s shoes.

After this is all done, we are left with the most profound lesson of this album; there is power in not going back “there” again. “There” can be anything. It can be when we were at our worst, a breakup, a person who failed us, etc. Whatever it is, there is power in overcoming it and choosing not to dwell on it any longer. This choice is masterful, and it reveals freedom. These lessons give us space to become more complete human beings and we have demolished thoughts to thank for the chance.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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