"Music is what feelings sound like."

I've always had lots of emotional connections or feelings when listening to or playing music. We can express things with words but music somehow adds another dimension of expression that can't be conveyed with words alone. E. Y. Harburg puts it well. "Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought."

One of my favorite bands is Linkin Park. Most of their more popular songs from 5-8 years ago sound awesome but are honestly pretty depressing (i.e. "Nobody's Listening," "Numb," "From the Inside," etc.). I'm used to these older songs so when I recently heard one of their newer songs I couldn't help but think how cool it is to see how the message that the band portrays has changed. Linkin Park's earlier songs are painfully beautiful and express the sorrow, frustration, and pain that many of us feel. But, as I listen to Iridescent (Sept. 2010) I see an awesome transformation and am reminded of the reality that we do not have to be stuck forever in feelings of hopelessness. As we live, we learn and we grow and we begin to see things that we couldn't see before. The continued evolution of Linkin Park's music is like our dramatic experience of life. If you haven't heard any of their older music, I suggest listening to "Somewhere I Belong" or "Nobody's Listening" and then listen to "Iridescent"