21. Girlpool - “123″

There are certain emotions that balance on the cusp of contradictory meaning. They’re intrinsically connected and yet seemingly unrelated, alternating back and forth as your mind blows with the wind of the ever-changing present. One moment you’re leaning towards the negative, passing through the rippling shadows, and then the next you’re pushed back into the warm sunlight of the positive.

This song seems to split its time between adulation and remonstration, and in doing so perfectly captures the chaotic nature of young love. Bolstered by passion and lubricated by hormones it’s as if such love is caught within a perpetual gale, unpredictable by nature, and yet undeniably forceful. The love cannot help but be felt deeply. However, what it feels remains unknown. It’s almost as if the passion is empty or void of substance, or perhaps its stuffed too full to be clearly understood. It’s simply feeling to feel something, without caring to define or even be certain of what is being felt. The feeling, in and of itself, is enough, because the feeling is what staves away the haunting maw of nothingness.