Mondays and memories: and emo kid manifesto

Today, as I was driving home, my ipod unexpectedly took me for a walk down memory lane via the band Bright Eyes.

I fumbled for the "next" button in a feeble attempt to shield myself from the barrage of laughter that would undoubtedly rise from my musically savvy friends before coming to realization.

I love Bright Eyes.

In recent years so-called "emo" music has gained a particularly bad reputation. When I first heard the melodic guitar and harsh vocals of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst way back in 2001 I was 15 years old and this music was unique. So unique, in fact, that it took me a few tries before I really liked it.

This was before middle school children with a vast knowledge of photoshop and broken hearts drawn on their wrists vacated MySpace. Before troubled souls and starving artists blogged via Facebook.

I will admit I indulged in a few of the trends such as black converses with checkered laces, pink hair and an assortment of band pins (one of them bearing the slogan "cheer up emo kid"... har har har). That is, until every heartbroken 12 year old followed suit and turned everything I was into a ridiculous trend.

For a quick laugh, look up the word "emo" on wikipedia. It contains detailed pictures about how to perfectly sweep your black bangs across your forehead and a comprehensive list of the most depressing music available.

Unfortunately the outcome of the "third wave of emo" was that the music got lost in the stigma of being an "emo kid". Labels gained as much popularity as the music itself and suddenly everyone who listened to this genre of music was one and the same.

To avoid being stereotyped as "trendy", I quickly began replacing Bright Eyes with Animal Collective and Brand New with The Decemberists but here's the thing- I still love those bands. For me at least, they have withstood the test of time and bring back the best memories.