urgency to bleed

This song is ridiculously beautiful. It's one of those songs that is so beautiful it actually nearly hurts to listen to. But a good hurt. The kind of hurt you want to feel over and over and over again. And it's so beautiful that that's about as far as I can go in using mere words to describe it. Seriously, you're better off just listening to it and hearing the magic yourself. So go. Click that play button and be prepared for some of the purest, prettiest music you've ever heard.

Also, speaking of beautiful, I'm not very well-versed in the world of Sigur Rós (though I plan to try to fix that in the future since I'm enjoying Jónsi's solo album so much) but there is one song that I adore and was rather obsessed with for awhile several months ago, "Fljótavík". It tugs at my heart strings nearly as much as "Tornado" and is basically another four minutes of pure ear bliss. So I'm offering that one too since I probably should have posted it ages ago.

Song of the Day



Hedwig and the Angry Inch - The Origin of Love (composed by Stephen Trask)
 

Most of the time, when I hear someone say how such-and-such changed their lives I just roll my eyes at how casually such a massive claim is thrown around. There aren't many things, as far as art or entertainment goes, that I would say have actually changed my life. And I don't think I've ever felt that way about a movie before; sure, there are a lot of movies I love and enjoy watching but, when I really think about it, there honestly aren't any I can say are absolutely vital to me. About two weeks ago, I watched Hedwig and the Angry Inch for the first time and that all changed. I went into it without any expectations - I was possibly even expecting not to like it - and came out wondering why in the world it had taken me so long to get around to seeing it. It was as completely over-the-top and campy as I imagined it would be but it was also surprisingly touching and full of real emotion and passion and anyone can relate to Hedwig's journey to self-discovery, whether you have anything in common with her or not. I'm not sure if I can say it has legitimately changed my life but it has at least left a huge impact on it, an impact which only a handful of other things have ever left. For a movie especially, this is an impressive accomplishment.

So why is this relevant here, on a music blog? Well, because half of the reason it's so amazing is the music! I honestly have not been able to get these songs out of my head for a full two weeks now. They aren't even the type of music I usually listen to and I typically don't get attached to the songs in a musical (though I think I'd rather use the term "rock opera" here; I don't generally like it but "musical" is not nearly bad ass enough to do Hedwig justice) but, well, I guess I've learned that this movie is anything but typical. Its songs are just so full of life and refreshingly unique compared to most of its counterparts, plus there's a little bit of everything - aggressive punk rock, beautiful and touching ballads, a passionate, stadium-sized closer, even a very tongue-in-cheek country ditty! Though the biggest reason why I like them so much is probably John Cameron Mitchell's vocals. Even without the visual side of things, you can still tell he has poured his heart and soul into performing these songs.

This song especially is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard, from a make-believe band or a real one. Despite what I said about not requiring a visual, it really is best experienced on video; Mitchell's expressions and body language as he performs are so subtle yet affecting and really make the song all the more powerful. A moment like the sudden eruption into "AND FIRE! Shot down from the sky in bolts!" is very powerful on its own but the song's slower moments, especially the segment starting with "The last time I saw you we'd just split in two," are so much more so when you can see the sadness and longing in Hedwig's eyes. It's really rather stunning. And with that I'll shut up. It's just that I really needed to write about this so forgive my long-windedness.

( Lyrics + Video )

This song is impressive because it does so much with so little. It's really a very simple, organic, restrained song but there's this intensity lingering just beneath the surface, it seems to build and build even if it remains at the same slow and steady pace. Its sparseness gives it a real honesty; it's quietly cathartic, hauntingly beautiful, almost spiritually enlightening, which is a feeling that not many songs give me. Amber Webber's voice deserves credit for much of the song's emotional impact; as gorgeous as the instrumentation behind her is, her delicate, earnest, warm honey croon - which lies somewhere on the drunken warbling scale between Cat Power and Jolie Holland - is the true driving force here. The last minute-and-a-half is simply phenomenal. I never use that word but I'm going to use it for this: phenomenal. I dare you to listen to that dreamy, hypnotizing swirl of vocals and not feel some sort of awakening in your heart.

The most obvious comparison this band will draw is to Eisley though their louder moments are heavier and more aggressive and their quiet moments are darker, less sweet and more bitter. Patricia Lynn is like a viola-wielding Sherri DuPree, her stirring instrumental melodies just as vital to each song as her emotive vocals. This song is the obvious high point of their debut album, Shapes, and offers the best of both their louder and quieter sides, starting off slow and almost lullaby-esque though this is a very bleak, depressing lullaby, with a sinister edge and an intensity that threatens to disrupt the peace and doesn't take long to do so. This intensity builds over a long and increasingly moving instrumental break before erupting into a burst of devastating, aggressive, heavily-distorted vocals that will hopefully take your breath away as they did mine. As far as the entire album goes, it isn't perfect but this song is a promising glimpse at the kind of heartwrenching music the Soldier Thread could be producing in the very near future.