Have you ever thought about what you really mean when you say "I like that"? I've often used the word 'mystery' when talking about this issue. When some music has particular resonance, there's certainly a feeling of elation — that the sounds are 'right.' But what exactly does that mean? I've been thinking about this for several days, mostly because of a show I went to last Saturday night. I'll get to that in a bit but first let's get at this 'right' thing.
There seems to be several flavors of 'right,' some explained more easily than others. Let's take the idea of a guilty pleasure as our first example. I know people who absolutely hate hip-hop, but will be powerless to quell the urge to bust a move when they hear "Baby Got Back." Yes, the Sir Mix-a-Lot classic is pretty silly. It's also a load of fun. Why is it 'right'? It's still mostly a mystery but hey, what's wrong with just giving in to a goofy song. It's like being a kid again. Sort of. Another angle on 'right' is the thrill of the adrenaline rush. The new Mastodon or Green Day record comes out and sum of the tunes light up the endorphin channels. This music is fast and tumbling with kinetic energy. It makes you want to bust stuff. It's a good thing. A third way we get to 'right' is via the warm wash of emotions that move in when we hear a song that brings back a good memory. Yes, nostalgia can be powerful stuff.
What should seem pretty obvious is that every single person out there owns their own definition of 'right.' Are some of them close to universal? Probably, though it'd be hard to make the language intersections work.
All of which brings me to last Saturday. The headliner of the show was Providence-based indie folk band The Low Anthem. They seemed relatively young and so it was quite interesting to see all of the instruments being hauled onstage during setup: beside the 'normal' drumkit, acoustic guitar and electric guitar/amplifier combo, there was an old pump organ, standup bass, cello, clarinet, Eb horn (I've only seen one use of that horn before and that was at a Bill Bruford/Earthworks concert. Django Bates played one, though he called it the "peck horn."), and a set of crotales (which ended up being bowed, not struck). Hmmm, now I'm really interested...
Article comments
1 - Pico
Can't wait to get my copy of Charlie Darwin from Amazon. Thanks for the tip, Mark.
2 - Tom Johnson
I didn't get the enviable experience of seeing them live, but after reading about them a few times, I listened to some clips. Hearing the high, perfect falsetto of the title track, it was exactly how you describe - it was just something I immediately knew I liked. The only thing I can liken it to is when you're thirsty but don't realize it, drink water, and you can actually feel the cold of the water filling your stomach. It's a great feeling, something that seems to happen very rarely with music - that absolutely "sure thing."
3 - Vernon Whitford
I had the great fortune of seeing these titans of sound play recently. They have my most unreserved adulation. The very fibers of my body seemed to resonate with their deep and rich melodies. I can say without hyperbole that this is the best act I will see in a decade. Driving home after the show I was forced to pull to the side of the road in an attack of emotion so powerful that my eyes became to wet to see. I looked over at my pregnant wife and I could see she was feeling the same thing. Later that night we decided to name our unborn child after their most recent album, Charles for a boy and Darwin for a girl. I am without words.