My Bones Are Singing is an acoustic/folk album that served as a coping mechanism for front man Aaron Graves to grapple with his diagnosis of a brain tumor. While the cancer is not directly mentioned, he discusses all of the existentialism, fear of the passing of time, and questions of religion that one would expect from someone confronting death. In the second track on the album “Oh My God”, Graves wrestles with talking to God. He communicates his struggle of not knowing if anyone is listening to him and feeling like he’s just talking to himself. Later on, “Lose My Mind,” deals with the ever pressing passage of time and how easy it is to get stuck into one’s own routine until death. In the situation that Graves is experiencing, this song is especially optimistic because it is an uplifting reminder to appreciate the life you have while you have it and at the end “When we walk outside the things we’ve made will shine so bright we’ll have to close our eyes.” While some tracks, do have the sadness of someone facing mortality, most of the tracks have a very sunny mood to them that seems to put the feelings of the listener, and the feelings of Grave’s personal friends ahead of his own. The album as a whole feels very unselfish frequently dealing with trying to be a better person and friend with the remaining time he has on earth. In my opinion, this makes his statement all the more relatable and tear-jerking especially to anyone who has ever experienced tragedy.
-Caroline Cook