The Magic of Music

There is magic made by melody:

A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool

Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep

To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,

And floats forever in a moon-green pool,

Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.

- Elizabeth Bishop, "I Am in Need of Music" (excerpt)

Playlists to go with candles and body products? It may not seem a logical pairing, but music as the foundation of our entire vision for ApothoGothic was never a question. We both have musical backgrounds, though different in nature. Taylor is a singer who grew up singing at school and church. After high school, she realized she wanted to sing for a career. She began auditioning and singing with bands throughout Chicago until eventually joining Brian Wilson's band, who she toured with for 12 years. Lauren is a clasically-trained pianist who competed and performed for 10 years before getting a degree in piano performance. Both of us have been surrounded by music for as long as we can remember. Even with very different paths taken, we not only speak the same language, but learn from each other regularly.

One of the major similarities we found early on was that for both of us, music shapes almost every part of our daily lives...so it was a no-brainer that music would shape this new adventure as well. We didn't create a scent and match music to it - we created a playlist and let the playlist tell us what it smelled like. We know, it sounds crazy. Take a second to think about it though. Music can transport you to any place, any time, any person, and any memory. You hear a song from your 6th grade summer camp and within moments you can feel the log that you sat on for campfires and smell smores being roasted over the fire. The music evokes all of the senses if you'll allow it - it enhances everything.

As we're knocking on the door of summer, thoughts of vacations are starting to swirl as well - some of them we'll take, and some we won't. We can't always jet off to the islands over the weekend, but it comes pretty close when you let yourself be swept up in some of that island music. Music isn't just sound - it's the springboard for sensory transportation and transformation.

Wrap yourself in a blanket of music and see where it takes you!

In the spirit of summer. we've put together a summer party playlist that you can FIND HERE or on our EXPERIENCE THE MUSIC page. We have so much fun putting these together - what is your favorite song on the list?