Wednesday, August 24, 2022

The Spider Accomplice Implore Us To "Fight"

Voltaire said he would fight to the death to protect someone's right to say something he disagreed with. Our current political landscape is calling for us to fight to protect the soul of democracy. And yes, The Beastie Boys said we had to fight for our right to party. The common theme is that fighting is a reality of life in every facet, wherein we have to struggle against the forces that seek to constrain and control us. Fighting is the ugliest thing humanity has ever undertaken, when for the wrong reasons, but the basis of heroism, when for the right ones.

After "Rebels And Riders" implored us to band together under our various freak flags, because we are always stronger when we embrace what ties us together, "Fight" points us toward our future.

"I cannot die, no matter how hard you try", VK sings to open the chorus. On the band's heaviest and hardest song to date, it sounds like a rallying cry for sure, as if we are riding the lightning that gave life to Frankenstein's creature. In this case, the creature is the rather progressive song that has captured our attention today. The sound is impeccable, Arno's guitars ring out with the power of a thunder clap, and everything carries with it the HD sheen of a 4K video. We'll get to that in a moment.

The Spider Accomplice is fighting for their future, and fighting for the sake of art. Would a normal band put out a song that has this much artistic exploration? No, I can't imagine you would hear your run-of-the-mill radio band daring to throw a shredding guitar solo, complete with tempo change, and a poetic soliloquy into a song released as a single. But isn't that the point? We fight to break out of the mold, because when we think inside the box all the time, we are trapped by its edges.

The vibe I get from this song, and the accompanying video, is quite similar to the seminal "The Black Parade". What we have are songs that are using the power of alt-rock to make a larger artistic statement. How I'm reading these songs is as part of a larger thought; art is too important not to throw your whole self into. VK sings, "in every song, in every line, I'll go on forever." That is the key to all of this. No matter the size of the audience who is listening to you right now, no matter how many gate-keepers at record labels would rather find something easier to sell, the music we make is going to be around far longer than any of us. Someone can try to cut us down, can try to drag us into their own self-loathing, but art is immutable.

"You know the words don't age. You know the truth lives on," VK continues. When you fight for something righteous, whether that fight gets you where you want to be or not, stories will endure about the struggle. Don Quixote tilted at windmills, but we still remember his name. (Quick aside - shouldn't the word 'quixotic' be pronounced like his name, since that's the etymology of it?) The people who fight against windmills today will go down as jackasses who think you can actually ground the jet stream. That's the difference between fighting for the right side, and fighting because being belligerent is your only personality trait.

Putting out music is a struggle, especially when you don't cater to the masses that expect to hear the same thing over and over again. The Spider Accomplice are persisting, they're fighting, and when you see and hear something like "Fight", it's easy to see why all the sweat and tears are worth it. "Fight" is a quick upper-cut of a song that then bobs and weaves, jabbing us over and over. And just when we think we're seeing stars, well, maybe we are. VK and Arno look the part in the video, with the lined tunnels of light showing us the darkness lives on the outside, and the band is where all the brightness is. They look like stars, and sound like them too. All that's missing is the black sky to put them against so they stand out. That's rock radio's playlists, right? I kid..... I think.

The point I'm making is that once again The Spider Accomplice does something rare; they surprise us with new facets to their personality. It's not something I'm artistically capable of, but I'm glad they are. They're a group I feel like I learn more about every time I listen to their music, people who have depth to them beyond simply wanting to rock. That is certainly a part of the fight, but it wouldn't be enough to push us forward.

"The Venomous Montage", when it arrives, sounds like it will be. Viva, las Spiders!

 "Fight" releases on Friday. Pre-save it, find the video, and more, here!

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