Desert Island Disc Challenge: ‘Walk The Moon’

Editor’s note: As part of CMN’s ongoing music journalism program, we asked our team of music writers to take on the age-old challenge of choosing one piece of music they would like to have with them if they were stranded on a deserted island. It’s an absurd notion, but also irresistible. See all the different approaches they took to the challenge right over here.

When posed with the question “what is the the one album you would take with you on a desert island?” I knew that my decision would not be easy.

As much as I love Survivor, I don’t envy the contestant’s situation. If I had to live off the land with only limited resources, I would need an album that would be able to lift my spirits and take me to another place where I could forget about all problems I would inevitably run into in this environment.

I would take WALK THE MOON’s self-titled debut album Walk The Moon, an album that is overflowing with positive energy and could remedy my bad mood no matter the situation.

The four man group is most know for their hit song, “Shut Up and Dance,” but the band’s older work is what got me hooked on them. I discovered the Ohio band when I was a teen, during a formative time for my taste in music. After the first listen, I knew I would forever be grooving to their loud rock-pop fusion.

I remember being elated to spin this record on my first turntable in high school. This is still the only album that can get me up and cleaning my apartment without complaints. I would be hard pressed to find a playlist of mine that does not feature a song off this album.

The first song the caught my attention was “Anna Sun,” with an electric sound that feels like a never ending party. This song became a theme song for me, enforcing the importance of passion and heart.

The gritty, heavy bass and sunny echoing guitars of “Shiver Shiver” and the uptempo crunchy synths of “Tightrope” turn them into songs that require you to get up and move. While most of the tracks are more lighthearted than that pair, there is variation in the slower storytelling track, “Iscariot” and the instrumental “Lions.”

As I was selecting from the few records I was considering taking to this imaginary island, one song pushed this album to the number one spot: the finale “I Can Lift a Car,” which preaches a you-can-do-anything message. If I am ever down, the self assurance I receive from chanting “Did you know that I can lift a car up all by myself” always leaves me feeling as strong as Rocky at the top of the stairs.

Time slowed for me in 2015 the first time I saw WALK THE MOON live.

I had the time of my life singing and dancing in a hazy concert hall that night. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca and the rest of the band ooze energy as they play and loose themselves to the music on stage. The positive atmosphere at a WALK THE MOON show is impossible to resist. They always leave me smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

I do more than just listen when I hear songs off Walk The Moon. I am reliving some of the of the best memories of my teen years. I still can feel the same passion that radiated from the band in the live show through my headphones.

If I took this album on desert island, I would be able to escape to the amazing experiences that the songs were a soundtrack to. For me, this album is more than just music.