The singles grab-bag has been refilled, so let's see what we have this week:
Jules & The Howl - I Just Want To Feel Better
May is mental health awareness month, which is a fitting time for Jules to be releasing this song, which is centered on the struggle many of us have trying to keep our heads above water. It's a fact of life that pain leaves scars that never fade, while smiles only leave little wrinkles we try our best to avoid. When it is the hurt and the dark we remember most vividly, it's difficult to remember there is still a sun shining behind the eclipse.
Jules uses a different metaphor, singing about her mind being a merry-go-round that never stops, which is a familiar feeling. Catastrophizing does feel like the rush of falling toward the ground, and regrets can play in our minds as if on that loop, bouncing to the circus music like the meanest taunt of a scary clown.
Her questioning of fate comes in the form of a jaunty song, one that gives me feelings of the disco era, dressing up demons in sequined outfits to highlight how two-dimensional they are. As Jules sings the title in the chorus, along with layers of harmonies, it's a call for community, a reminder that many of us go through these times without anyone there to turn on the light and show us there's nothing hiding in the corner, under the bed, or in the shadows. Nothing but ourselves, that is.
The message of the song is important, and it's something I've written about myself. What I never managed to do was wrap it up in an uplifting package the way Jules has. This is absolutely one of her best songs, which sadly only seems to reaffirm the dangerous idea that great art comes from pain. Let's hope that is only correlation, not causation.
Yours Truly - Sour
To use those immortal words as a question, "I'm too old for this shit?" I'm being facetious, but the two songs released so far by Yours Truly for their sophomore album do have me wondering if the younger generation is indeed lost on me. As much as I loved everything they did through their early EPs and debut album, their recent music has taken a turn I'm not as in tune with. This song continues in that style, with a bit more aggression and a whole lot less fun. While "Self Care" felt like a cathartic breakthrough at the end of therapy, a song like this one feels like the seething initial recounting of why we end up on that couch. I miss the bit of optimism, yes, but what I really miss is the ability of the music to sound uplifting while the lyrics work through the issues. This simply isn't as enjoyable as a vehicle for the message, and I worry what it means for a record I so dearly want to love.
Deep Purple - Portable Door
On the one hand, I have to commend Deep Purple for staying so productive at this stage of their career. On the other hand, their commitment to coming up with the worst album titles makes it rather difficult to talk about their music these days. The first taste of "=1" is a short rocker that tells the story of the band at this age. Their style is locked in, so having a new guitar player makes very little difference to the sound. This is all about the organ and Ian Gillan's voice, which is perhaps what makes this song bittersweet. While it's a fine song with a solid hook to it, the line between sounding 'veteran' and sounding 'old' is fast approaching.
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