I have fallen horribly in love with this song - it happens - the last time was with Handlebars by Flobots and yes I can ride my bike without them – thank you Ms. Balchen! There’s so much to love about this track – the presence of the initial guitar tone, the arrival of the keys but I guess most of all – it’s the Lyric.
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaynekaye/3201389499/[/flickr] From Shayne Kaye on Flickr.
Kelli and I used to comment that a good song needs great music but a great song needs great lyric too.
It was a roundabout way of saying that not everybody is a musician – not everybody thinks in melody or can manipulate sound to create a platform - but pretty much everyone can speak, can write, and can string words together. Everyone’s a songwriter and if you ain't got something to say - then best not say anything at all.
It is typically the music of a song that grabs my attention, but it is the lyric that allows me to fall in love. And it’s not necessarily the semantic – the meaning of the lyric – it’s how the whole thing fits together. Listen to Rihanna’s Dream written Umbrella – it won’t win a Nobel for literature but that whole “Ella, Ella” lick just feels so damn good in the track.
Finally there is the guitar solo – and it’s perfect - I suspect that God always had the electric guitar in mind when he was developing anguish.
You can:
Listen to Lord I'm Discouraged on youtube
Visit The Hold Steady's Website
Buy The Album - Stay Positive Other recommended cuts: Magazines and One For The Cutters – good stories all!