Off-topic: I am Paul

I'm hardly a music critic, but I know how music can define a pivotal moment in your life.

We all have albums that conjure up a childhood memory, a summer road trip or a painful breakup. But there are rare occasions when an album seems to understand how you're feeling and sympathizes with you, letting you know that you're not completely alone.

Tonight, I spun "Stereo" by my musical hero, Paul Westerberg. When I bought this disc five years ago, I instantly liked it. It's a raw, off-the-cuff affair. In the liner notes, Paul justifies the production value this way: "Unprofessional? Perhaps. Real? Unquestionably."

Even though I know "Stereo" inside and out, when I play it now, I'm hearing it with different ears. I experience a deeper connection with this album more than ever before. Every song deconstructs layers upon layers of confusion and frustration and eleganty repackages those feelings in a poigniant three-minute burst. The brutally honest lyrics, combined with the bare, stripped-down music, boil down mixed feelings into a simple, unfiltered -- and unquestionably real -- message. And you know what? It makes me feel better.

It's fitting that this happens soon after I finished reading a novel called "This Song Is You."

Right now, I am every song on this album.

"Let the Bad Times Roll"

"Boring Enormous"

"Don't Want Never"