The other day on my way to a psychic,* I pulled up to Franklin Avenue and sat impatiently in front of the red stoplight, letting the hot rain hit the side of my face through the open window. On the current at that particular moment was Jeremy Messersmith's Franklin Avenue, the refrain of which pulled me out of my own thoughts and into the words seeping from my stereo.
Cars crashing, tires slashing, Franklin Avenue
Waiting for that sinking feeling
It's all that keeps me together
And I'm so scared to let it unwind
This beautiful song instantly made me feel re-connected to where I was in that particular moment, though it's hard to explain why. With a voice and lyrical street cred to match Elliot Smith, Messersmith won me over that day. (He's also feckin hawwwwt).
Maybe he wouldn't have if it weren't for that small coincidence, but sometimes serendipitous moments, especially connected to music, have a way of making you feel a little less lost. And as a Minneapolis native, I think I put some of my trust in JM that day to let the day take me where it would. Besides, he knew I was on Franklin Avenue didn't he? Maybe he was the psychic I needed.
[Some of Messersmith's other gems include Easy Lovers, Hardly Friends and Lazy Bones although I fall in love with a new JM track every day]
*I have an inexplicable obsession with psychics. Not because I think they are always legit, but because they fascinate me. And it's kind of like expensive, interactive therapy. You can feel free to judge me on that one.