Kit10Phish Explains It All

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Indigo Girls Albums as Months

What month does each album in the catalog represent? If the albums were months, which would each be? I saw this on Reddit of all places, and thought I would apply it to the Indigo Girls. They have more than 12 albums, so there are sometimes more than one album/month. I think I got it right, though I could make a good case for rearranging two or three of these. What do you think? How would you place each album month-wise?

One Lost Day

2015

Jan

The Aquarius portion of the month, mostly. The water bearer is known for humanitarianism and being a visionary. This concept album featuring geographic location (Alberta, Findlay Ohio 1968, Olympia Inn, Southern California is Your Girlfriend, Texas was Clean) is them reflecting back on their lives. Thinking about community and how you fit in it. Like the eleventh sign, they are looking at universal truths, and synthesizing past experiences into progressive change.

Strange Fire

1987

Pisces Season Late Feb-March

The days are gray, but Get Together is the first hope of spring. More than that, Pisces symbolizes coming and going. An example of this on the album is Walk Away which talks about repeatedly getting together and breaking up. Coming together and leaving broken:

"Now walk away (Now the moon) Ah yeah walk away (Is a sliver in our eyes) Try to learn to look inside walk away (And we stumble)"

They just can't come together and make it work, despite the desire, and many earnest tries. Another song, Land of Cannan also alludes to coming and going or the cyclical nature of life,

"It's just a raging cycle (Just a raging cycle)"

Pisces are known to be:

Intuitive- "Oh, to reach through all your surface, Just to find an empty pool" (Left Me a Fool)

Sentimental- "I'm lonely tonight, I'm missing you now, I'm wanting your love and you're giving it out" (Land of Cannan)

Spiritual (the entirety of Hey Jesus).

Nomads Indians and Saints

1990

April

This album is clearly April. Sure there's the obvious, Southland in the Springtime. But more than weather this album speaks of innocence, "You precious kid" (Keeper of my Heart), beginnings (Welcome Me), and building (Hammer and a Nail). There is fertility in Watershed, which denotes spring and newness and birth and blooming: Milk and honey represents fertility and abundance. But in the same song there's reflection-- I look back on my life. Which brings us to a definite Phoenix sentiment throughout the entire album. Nomads, Indians, and Saints is so strongly an April album because that month (and this album) symbolizes new beginnings and renewal. Likewise, the phoenix symbolizes death/destruction and rebirth and new starts.

World Falls is a clear example of a Phoenix song. For every low there's a high, for every death a hopeful realization then mention of immortality (re-birth, continued life, a cycle). First, she's coming home, drenched and cold with a heavy heart, and her blues (depression) turn to black (death/suicide?). But there's always a face that calms the troubled lands (God, a trusted parent, a lover, her child-- any and all of those work). Despite the profound sadness, and tainting the land, this person also recognizes the beauty all around. And she's

"swimming to the edge of the sea and laughing under a starry sky".

This recognition causes a burning hope (of immortality). She says don't burry me, because the world was meant for her.

The song 1 2 3 uses the premise of a child's game (and more, don't worry, we'll get to that in a sec) to talk about heavier, adult subjects. We're all born in the devil's scorn is an example of the dichotomies to come in the song. Birth and evil are opposites. The song brings up young children of authority who play the game pick-up-sticks. But other cultures and indigenous people also pick up sticks (I told you we'd get back to the meaning of these sticks). The drugs of initiation point us in that direction. I don't think she's referring to the "gateway drug" weed here, though she could be, as smoking grass can allow someone to think differently. I think she's talking psychotropic drugs (Peyote for one example) used in spiritual ceremonies. They're used for deep insights, vision, and healing. Along the same lines, we've all heard of the 'talking stick' which is passed around from person to person so everyone has a fair chance to speak. When someone is allowed to speak, uninterrupted, it allows the audience to truly listen, and absorb the message. Leading to group and individual enlightenment. There's also sage sticks used in other cultures to purify, or cleanse. And this is very Phoenix as well.

In another song, the line:

"And maybe you lost something precious, God'll save you from losing yourself" (Pushing the Needle Too Far)

speaks of desperation and endings directly. But the song implies new beginnings because the main character knows what's wrong, prayed, and didn't lose themself-God prevented that. And they were able to wake up in the morning. And though the morning was gray, the person at the center of this song was still alive.

The ups and downs continue in other songs in the album. For instance, the push/pull is described in You and me of the 10,000 Wars:

"The heart of a skeptic and the mind of a child"

is very much like the Needles Too Far person. Both main characters have someone straying (from God, or from the path they were meant to take, or from health) losing themselves/religion, possibly doing hard drugs. Both Needles and Wars people are suffering (identity crises/loss of faith vs desperate addict). They're just in different places on the spectrum. And they both display positivity and hope: Needles is praying and happy to make it to morning, and Wars is skeptical, sure, but they also have the open, hopeful mind of a child. Both people show the same dichotomy--just different levels of severity.

You and me of the 10,000 Wars, also includes an explicit Phoenix reference:

"Everything once up in the air has settled down, sweep the ashes"

[Sidenote: Honestly, I know punction should be included within the quotations, but if the quotations are a song title or something, but at the end of my sentence, I feel like the period shouldn't be inside that end quotation mark?] And 'Prodigal daughter' meaning she strayed, sinned, but is now back to the fold, born again, devout once more. There was an entire trajectory captured in those two words that goes with the album theme of destruction and rebirth.

But the symbolism shows up in more subtle ways as well. In The Girl with the Weight of the World in her Hands, she is a consecrated martyr. Which in non-Bible lingo is a virgin (pure, new, untainted) who succumbs to death upholding their (spiritual) beliefs. Again, it's Goodness and sin, birth and death.

The opposing ideas continue into other tracks. Hand me Downs shows this same pattern:

"That emptiness brings fullness, and loss of love brings wholeness to us all"

is absolutely talking about destroying the old and negative that leads to new, more optimistic beginnings. So their 2nd album is very strongly April.

All That We Let In

2004

April

The cover had me saying March with the bright blue, springy optimism (title track).

"The summer's coming, but the rain's still heavy" (Rise Up).

It's a tricky album with the track list is secretly less positive than it appears. The first single, Perfect World. On the surface, just humming along it seems like a hopeful and optimistic tune. Look into the lyrics and you see it's a calling out and call to action. We have serious problems and cannot be lulled into complacency. It's time to act to MAKE a perfect world. And we're swimming and the sun is blistering the black top road ( Perfect World). The car needs warmed up. And the kids are on the field practicing FB (Something Real). But given the context clue, fresh boys, which is very British/European usage of freshman, we're talking football meaning soccer (to the US). In April football/soccer is played globally. That makes summer coming, rain, and very hot weather in the same month! What is one of the most tumultuous months concerning weather-April.

Come on Now Social

1999

June

The shoots are starting to spring (Andy). The kids are getting wherewithal and individuality. Coming of age, being enlightened. About to graduate from school (we're still showing up to school according to Cold Beer & Remote Control). It's a perfect month for protest marches and parades. Go, Go, Go is the ultimate pump up song for getting political. Springtime has revealed the flood plane and the berries are starting to show (Ozilline). The days are getting longer and it's warm enough that we can camp and wade in the river (Peace Tonight).

Shaming of the Sun

1997

July

According to Cut It Out, it's Alaska in the summer (June to Aug). And the corn is high (May to July) says Get Out the Map. There's sun in the early morning, and apparently it's warm enough in the middle of the night to go, 'road block trippin'. So I'm inferring everything's in bloom and you wouldn't even know Chicano City Park is there. Activism (Burn All the Letters). Travel (Hey Kind Friend). This album makes me think of Powwow season (Everything in Its Own Time, Leeds, Scooter Boys).

Despite Our Differences

2006

July

I thought with the Little Perennials, we were looking at birth and spring. But we have firework shows (Three County Highway) and cutting weeds (Dirt and Dead Ends). The birds are still out (Fly Away), parties (Lay My Head Down) and concerts still in full swing (Rock & Roll Heavens Gate). I know the concerts are their year round jobs, but we attend them mostly in summer. Cancer season brings a heaviness to the long summer days (basically every track on the album), but it's decidedly summer.

Look Long

2020

Aug

Swimming (K.C. Girl) and popsicles. It's Independence Day, the kids can have a lollipop and a popsicle, OK? Probably the second most obvious main album (after Beauty Queen Sister, and discounting Holly Happy Days) to categorize as a month.

Rites of Passage

1992

Aug

Travel. Airplane to Nashville. Driving through rural America (Chickenman). Feeling the past on sacred, historic land. Warm enough to go outside and enjoy the trees (Cedar Tree) and stars (Galileo) but past rosy optimism (Let it be Me). Summer heading into fall. It's an assessment prior to the closing of summer, and then the year.

Swamp Ophelia

1994

Virgo Season late August to September

I first had this album as February, because it's a bit depressing and dreary like that month. Then I had it as January because there's a lot of looking back and reflection. I actually think it's Virgo Season (late August).

A couple of clues to which month we're in was the song, Mystery,

"When summer's beginning to give up her fight".

Secondly, Fare Thee Well:

"And now I think of having loved and having lost. But too thick the heat of those long summer evenings. And this strange season of pain will come to pass, When the healing hands of autumn cool me down".

But as you can see, in the Fare Thee Well, lyric there is a definite analysis of the past and of relationships going on. Another example is

"Now it's coming to you, the lessons I've learned" (Fugitive)

and

"I remember the time when I came so close to you. What makes me think I could start clean slated? Oh, I'm just a mirror of a mirror of myself" (Least Complicated).

These songs are sifting through the past in fine detail. Similarly, Virgos are known for analysis, and focusing on measurable outcomes. Fitting with that theme is The Wood Song:

"Sometimes I ask to sneak a closer look, Skip to the final chapter of the book, And then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took, To get us where we are this far, this far (Yeah)".

She is scrutinizing. And she's trying to influence the direction of the relationship based on the details she learned. Same with the lyric,

"And there was steam on the windows from the kitchen. I said to you the one gift which I'd adore, Unwrap a package of the next ten years unfolding. Begin my studies with this paper and this pencil, And I'm working through the grammar of my fears" (Language or a Kiss).

She's laboriously studying every detail of her fears, and how they impact the relationship, and what that will lead to in the future. It's painstaking, and perfectionistic--like a Virgo. Power of Two also features somebody keenly aware of the small things and working to prevent negative outcomes.

"Chase all the ghosts from your head, I'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed, Smarter than the tricks played on your heart, We'll look at them together then we'll take 'em apart".

They're literally dissecting any troubles or issues in order to avoid confrontation or break up.

One sentence that can describe a Virgo mentality is in Touch Me Fall.

"I'm trying to hold it like rain in a river, Everything is getting bigger"

which describes somebody trying to keep track of details (raindrops) but the wider context (each drop blends to create a river) makes that impossible.

"The neighborhood is green, All the sounds I've missed, all the years, Come down to wedding, death, and fear."

The main character feels like she's in a dream because she's come back to a place that was central to her life. At first I thought the place was a physical location, because it makes sense a touring singer would have to spend long spans away from 'home' where you miss large events (weddings/funerals) due to concert schedule. And that might be part of the song. But I think this 'place' is actually the known. Or the common, socially acceptable state of being. It could even be the mentality the author grew up with. Because some of the next lines remind me of queer [blanket term for LGBTQIAA+, which is unruly to say & type] closeting. She says,

"Come with me now, it's not worth it if you don't, Are you hiding? I am hiding".

So that line makes me think that the old place is actually heteronormativity. And the author doesn't physically miss the occasions of weddings and funerals, she fears weddings (same-sex) because it means the death of her old self. Death of the known and normalcy. Death of reputation.

Another line from the song:

"Cypress moon, bald in June".

I learned that astronomers use the term, "bald" to describe small asteroids that are not covered in a protective layer of dust (regolith) like that of larger asteroids. Due to geological factors beyond the scope of this post, lack of regolith causes the rock to crumble internally. Once the main character declares her desire for this other woman, she feels exposed and vulnerable. And it gives her a lot of fear and possibly internal homophobia. And this (this being queerness, bucking social norms, feeling like something bigger than herself is driving this) well, it's all new so she will stumble.

A lyric in this same song,

"Swamp Ophelia"

and title of the album brings a whole semester of symbolism to the song. [Majorly beyond the scope of this post, and we are not going to get into at this time because it would be opening a whole can of worms requiring it's own series]. The phrase is used to represent drowning in emotion [simplified].

I think in part, [Sidenote: Part because this song seems to be based on some scholarly works and subjects, and it is very complex] the author of this song is talking about how are innate, primal emotions are destroying her inner world. She deeply wants the touch of this woman (she's falling in love). Acting on it is descending into madness (like Ophelia) because the social repercussions might end their relationship prematurely, kill her/their reputations, and make them both fall. Drown like Ophelia.

Bringing it back to Virgo Season.

In Dead Man's Hill, which, P.S. is a very emotion-laden title, that engenders mental images of crashes and death. . . Anyway, in it a month is specified:

"I told you what I feel most, And you kept it like a ghost forever. On the beach in July"

and the song continues,

"Spin the bottle steal the kiss, Postcards to the one I miss forever".

The song doesn't take place in July, the singer is looking back to July and comparing the postcards to her current sense of loss and feeling of longing. She has memories of this person that stay with her like a ghost, and she laments the person's absence. Virgos are known for their vivid memories, and rumination. They fixate on things that went wrong, and are known to audit their lives in order to move forward in the most practical way that ensures success and avoids past mistakes.

Reunion, shows how the Virgo sentiment is strong on the album. The main character is thinking back, but all she can remember are the discontented moments, and the misfortunes. It's not a negative outlook, it's pragmatic. The openness/naivete' of the past caused hurt so the person became more guarded afterward. The main character saw how her innocence led to bad outcomes and adjusted her outlook so that wouldn't happen in the future.

The next song takes the auditing to an even more serious level. [Sidenote: No disrespect intended, I'm not trying to trivialize genocide by bringing in astrology]. But even the very heavy, Holocaust imagery of This Train Revised is symbolic of making order out of chaos like Virgos are known for:

"These are the questions, These are the answers".

The song is exploring geopolitical relations, the military industrial complex, racial and social prejudice, and institutional harm in order to show the listener the outcome of complacency. It uses charged language to conjure vivid historical and present images. It's a sad, dreary song that provokes difficult mental call-backs. But the train is bound for glory. So there is hope, there is humanization and dignity, and those stem from knowledge and empathy. So the song is looking in detail to the past to help spur future compassion and advocacy.

Beauty Queen Sister

2011

Sept

The last wedding of the season (Able to Sing), preparing the farm (John) and the horses for winter (Feed & Water the Horses), and homecoming (title track). This one (aside from their Christmas album) is perhaps their strongest seasonal album.

Poseidon and the Bitter Bug

2009

Oct

We're in school (Drivers Education) Aug-June. That long span of time isn't super-helpful in ruling what month this album is. But sharks appear at port May-Oct (Fleet of Hope). And it's Daylily season according to Digging for your Dream, which puts the album May to September. The best song that narrows are timeline is I'll Change, because the Impatient flowers are dying. That happens late Oct-Nov. And it still fits, because Daylilies can re-bloom June-Oct. So the album is October, Scorpio season. Exploring inner forces of human desire, discovering deep hidden truths, and personal change are notable Scorpio happenings. The album seems wistful and does some looking back (the yearbook is out in Digging for Your Dream and being confronted by memories of the past in Ghost of the Gang) and thinking about change of self and others.

Become You

2002

Oct

Still warm enough for running outside (Starkville) and camping (She's Saving Me). But it's a closing. Breaking down, breaking up (basically, the rest of the track list).

Indigo Girls

1989

Nov

This album has a sensitive Scorpio energy (Kid Fears) in the deep, dark chill of winter (Prince of Darkness). Lots of depth (Blood and Fire). The songs are heavy and emotional. Spirituality (Secure Yourself) and love (Tried to be True and Love's Recovery) feature.

Holly Happy Days

2010

Dec

Christmas. I wasn't sure I should even include it, but it's on the main album page. So obviously December.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Frasier Season Statistics Based on Episode Ranking

Season 10 was included in the bottom 4 hated episodes 3 times.

In the lowest ranked 12 episodes, Season 10 appears 4 times, and Seasons 4 and 8 both appear 2 times.

Seasons 3 or 8 do not appear in the top quarter of episodes ranked.

Conversely:

In the top quarter of episodes I ranked

10 3x

9 3x

6 3x

5 3x

11 2x

7 2x

From halfway point to the top quarter:

7 5x

11 3x

10 3x

9 2x

8 2x

6 2x

5 2x

Seasons 1 through 4 are not from 25-50% highest episodes at all

How seasons rated in the top half of my rankings:

10 6x making Season 10 both my very favorite (6 in top half, 3 in top quarter, and least favorite (3 hated and 4 in the lowest quarter) season!

11 5x

9 5x

6 5x

5 5x

The Bottom fourth of Episodes Ranked:

Seasons 1, 2, 7, 9 don't appear in the bottom quarter of episodes

3 1x

4 2x

6 2x

8 2x

11 2x

10 4x is in 2nd place for most low ranked episodes

5 7x makes Season 5 winner (loser?) of my most disliked episodes

Best Seasons

Season 9 had a good showing with 5 in the top half and none in the bottom half. And when the episodes were good, they were pretty great ( 3 in the top quarter, one in the top 10, one in the top 5).

Season 6 had 2 in the bottom quarter, but 5 in the top half. And it was in the top 10 episodes, and in the top quarter 3 times.

Season 7 wasn't in the bottom half of my rankings at all, and was in the top half 5x and top quarter twice.

Season 11 had a hated episode, but also my favorite episode of all time. There were 2 in the bottom quarter, but 2 in the top quarter. 5 episodes were in the top half vs. 2 in the lowest fourth of ranked episodes, edging it from neutral to a bit higher than that.

Season 1 only showed up once in the whole ranking, making it pretty neutral. But when it did show up it was in the top 10 episodes of all Series.

Neutral Seasons

Season 2 didn't appear in the ranking, so I guess that means it was exactly neutral?

Season 8 had 2 in the top half and 2 in the bottom quarter. So the lower ranked episodes were worse than the high points.

Season 3 appeared once in the bottom half only so it's pretty neural, just skewing lower than Season 2.

Low Ranked Seasons

Season 4 didn't appear in the top half, but showed up twice in the bottom quarter.

Season 5 had 5 high, including 2 in the top 10. It had 7 low, with 5 of those being in the very bottom quarter.

Season 10 had 6 highs with one of those episodes my 2nd favorite ever. and 6 in the bottom half, 4 of those in the bottom quarter of lows, with 3 of those in the hated category. So worse than neutral.

Best and Worst Seasons?

All said and done my favorite season was Season 9 and least favorite was Season 10. Seasons 6 and 7 were probably my second and third favorites. Season 4 and 5 rounded out my bottom three seasons. And the nearly neutral Seasons were 1, 2, 8, and 3. That leaves Season 11 as the most controversial with both favorite and hated episodes.

Stats of my Top Frasier Episodes

Stats

Top 5 episodes-Seasons represented:

S11

S10

Top 5 all from different seasons

Top 10 episode- Seasons Represented:

Most Represented Seasons in the favorites:

Season 5 and 9 in the top 10 twice

Seasons 3, 4, 8 not represented in the top 10

Commonalities of Favorite Episodes:

3 episodes of the top 10 have storylines where the main cast is mistaken as gay.

3 episodes of the top 10 deal with many lost connections and miscommunications.

3 of the top episodes show close-up dialog and interaction between main cast members only.

8 of the top 10 episodes are over-the-top.

Here's how my rankings compared to the IMDB rankings:

#10

8.1 by internet

Season 1, episode 22

Author, Author

Locked into a hotel room

I liked the progression from hope to belligerence.

9.3 by internet/top rated of season

Season 2, episode 3

The Matchmaker

Frasier unknowingly goes on a gay date with his boss while trying to set him up with Daphne

I love how oblivious Frasier is of flirting. The shock he displays is hilarious.

8.3 by internet

Season 9, episode 7

Bla-z-boy

Martin spills oil on Frasier's carpet. Frasier burns Martin's chair and throws it off the balcony. Niles teaches Roz and Daphne the piano.

The script and jokes were the highlight of this episode.

8.4 by internet

Season 5, episode 21

Roz the Schnoz

Grandparents of Roz's baby have obscenely huge noses.

Soooo many puns, all the puns! But also sincerity humanizes everyone.

9.5 by internet/top rated of season/top rated of entire series

Season 5, episode 14

The Ski Lodge

There are a series of miscommunication and crushes.

All the going in and out of doors, one character angling for someone who is angling for somebody else. The circular flirting, dialogue, mistakes, and humor is engaging and hilarious.

8.4 by internet

Season 6, episode 16

Decoys

Niles comes up with a diabolical plan. He asks Roz to go to the cabin a day early. Donnie is secretly invited too bc they used to date. Frasier and Martin come early but go duck hunting. Frasier thinks Roz and Niles are an item so he tries to get them to watch the sunset. Niles tries to keep Frasier away from Donnie. Then Daphne unexpectedly shows up. Chaos.

I like this one for similar reasons as the ski lodge, add in more scheming and it's brilliant!

8.2 by internet

Season 9, episode 15

The proposal

Niles plans the perfect proposal for Daphne with chef, choir, band, etc. When she is sick Frasier has to sneak everyone out of the house without her finding out & using physical comedy. Niles sweetly proposes anyway.

It's about time! Physical comedy and scheming puts it over the top.

9.1 by internet/top rated of season

Season 7, episode 15

Out with dad

Martin pretends to be gay so Frasier can date the nice. Martin pretends to date Niles to let Edward down easy.

OMG, it's so meta, first of all. And I like all the pretending and scheming and joking on one another-poking fun. And the ending is sweet. A+ episode.

8.2 by internet

Season 10, episode 11

Door jam

Frasier and Niles always have to get to the better spa. They end up at the garbage.

If you didn't know anything about the show, about Frasier, or Niles, watching this episode would explain everything. Their pretention knows no bounds. They angle to get to higher and more exclusive level after level. The brothers cannot enjoy themselves knowing they're not at the top tier--same as everything they do on the show. Finally they scheme themselves right out into the garbage--also reminiscent of every episode's resolution. They are humbled, but still don't learn the greater lesson.

9.2 by internet/top rated of season

Season 11, episode 3

The Dr. is out

It's a series of misunderstandings, missed marks, and communication breakdown. And the inside jokes and poking fun are endearing and hilarious.

Frasier has to wear Niles’ squash shorts. They go into a gay bar to check in Roz's bf. A caller “outs” Frasier. The opera writer picks up Frasier and it's the lifestyle Frasier always dreamed of.