driving

I’ve never really had my own car, although I am currently working on that. When I went to college cars became a rarely used luxury – if I ever went anywhere in a friend’s car, it felt strange and surreal. So whenever I went home over breaks, I took every opportunity I had to drive around and listen to music.

I’ve always liked to sing, and the move to college brought another change: I no longer had a car to drive around, and I was no longer involved in any choirs. I have an okay voice, but I don’t really like it when people hear me sing. The car became my safe haven for all sorts of singing, provided that no one else was there. I would become selfish – trying to reserve long drives with me myself and I, with my cd adaptor and a selection of discs at hand. In fact, my selection of driving music usually depends on who’s going to be with me – I don’t want to waste my good singing music when friends who want to hold a conversation are in the passenger seat: it would be rude of me to sing and drive me crazy not to.

Some albums, of course, are much better for the road than others. (Just as some albums are better to study to, and others are great as workout partners.) And of course, some albums are better to sing along to. Personally, I’ve always had a penchant for anything with a vagina that sings. It isn’t some sort of feminist artistic mission to enjoy such music; I just happen to like music that I can sing along too, and girls just happen to be better for that.

My favorite album for in the car singing ends up being a pretty easy pick. That Dog – Retreat From the Sun. From a critical standpoint, this is album is nothing spectacular. But it suits my sing-a-drive-a-long needs perfectly. Whenever I sing, I like to imitate the person who sings whatever song I am singing. And Ms. Anna Waronker’s voice seems to mesh with mine pretty damn well. I like Mirah, but sometimes her wispy voice is just too, well, wispy. And Corin Tucker, with the crazy vibrato…I just can’t do it, even though I love her so.

Oh, but That Dog. There are not one, not two, but THREE compatible female harmonizing voices that I can choose from. It’s like a choose-your-own-musical-adventure. I drive around and I sing my lungs out and I rewind to repeat the parts that I like the most. Somehow, listening to that album outside of a car is just strange and out of place.