I'm still listening to that same Slaid Cleaves album, and this was the song that got me this morning. I noticed it on my first listen-through -- I even turned to Josh after the first two lines and said, "Oh, man, this is totally about a hanging" -- but what didn't occur to me until this morning was who's telling the story:
It makes me think about how some places just feel different. Imprinted by the past.
Or maybe all of that is in our heads. I dunno.
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Previously:
"Black T Shirt" is my current favorite. Reminds me of some very specific kids I used to know.
I've also come to the conclusion that what I like most about his songwriting is the very specific feel of cheerful pessimism. It's very Greek.
Posted by: cc | 09 March 2011 at 10:16 AM
Yeah, I was planning on posting that one today, actually -- and I had a similar reaction. It feels like this perfect description of so many kids in my high school, and I wondered if people from other parts of the country would have the same reaction -- if, in other words, what I was thinking of as Maine-specific was actually more universal. (Within the bounds of our culture, obvs.)
And yeah, despite the Bringing The Melancholy, it's not a downer of an album. Because some of the music itself is upbeat, of course, but also because there's a lot of hope in the words and in his tone, too. He's really good at emoting -- conveying a different emotion that you'd think he'd be describing, or a combination of different emotions. I dunno. Not everyone can do that. Not many even make the attempt, I think.
Well, I certainly went on and on there, didn't I?
Posted by: Leila | 09 March 2011 at 10:37 AM