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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 are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.  

And you will go to Mykonos 
With a vision of a gentle coast 
And a sun to maybe dissipate 
Shadows of the mess you made 

The year is 2020 (everyone’s least favorite year). I am driving across the country from Oklahoma to Washington. The country is reeling from a misguided approach to the pandemic. Fresh off a failed attempt at a thru-hike of the Colorado trail and a few weeks at my mom’s home, I decide it is finally time to return to Seattle. Waiting for me is the prospect of a terrible job market and an extended stay with my future in-laws.  

Hoping to find some inspiration in the mire of ceaseless bad news, I drive toward the Devil’s Tower National Monument. From there, I will continue onto the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park.

I spend hours alone in the car. There is nothing but an endless playlist to keep me company. When I must stop, I keep my distance and eat alone in my room. This much solitude is a blessing. I need time and space to think. I need to process. I have turned my life upside down. I am only beginning to understand what the last three months have done to me.  

As expected, each stop is more breathtaking than the last. It has been said many times, but the national parks system is America’s best idea. When I arrive at Glacier National Park, it is nearly empty. I know this is normally not the case at the height of summer. I decide to take advantage of the situation and slowly drive up “Going-to-the-Sun” road. For the next few hours, I stop as many times as I want and snap photos with a sense of awe. Gladly, the vistas and music steal my attention. The album I chose to guide me through the park is Sun Giant by Fleet Foxes.  

As I absorb the music, stare longingly, and search for undiscovered angles, I hear folk music in a new way. I also proclaim this is a road trip album destined for the perfect national park. With Mykonos on repeat, I feel free. I feel released from the claws of the pandemic and see a world where everything is new. Pain is on the way out. I think surely this cannot be the thesis of this album. On this day, for me, it holds true. It continues to hold true.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan