Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

The best music we have is often characterized by the ability to do one of these two things: help us live in the moment or transport us somewhere unforgettable. I think My Morning Jacket’s catalog is not only versatile in genre, they’re versatile in helping us to achieve both of these experiences. “Only Memories Remain” always brings me to another place without fail.

Atmospheric. Spellbinding. Immersive. These are the typical words that we use to describe a lot of good music these days. But “Only Memories Remain” is so much more. There’s something incarnational about it. Jim James’ lyrics are so down to earth that they can easily become our own words and thoughts. We’re not in his head. He’s not in ours. Because strangely they feel one and the same.

“Sometimes life has other ideas. And though we both know how much it meant, now only memories remain.”