Bringing me the rock

A song just playing on the iPod recently was a free track downloaded from emusic called "Clumsy Sky" by a band called Girl in a Coma. It features a slow opening that kicked into an up-tempo 4/4 beat vaguely reminiscent of that area of rock between punk and new wave. I kind of likened it to the sound of Midnight Movies, probably in part due to the vocalist also being female (and because that's another newer artist that an old fart like me enjoyed). A less herky-jerky Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Some Buzzcocks at times. I found myself enjoying the song out of the nostalgic elements but also because it wasn't just aping the sound of a couple decades back. But here's the thing: I've listened several times, and I still have no idea what any of the lyrics are. It's not that the words are sung in some kind of early-R.E.M. mumble; they merely didn't stand out above the melody (namely the driving guitar riffs) and rhythm. And yet that didn't affect my enjoyment of the track in the slightest.

Why should that matter? I've thought of myself as appreciating songwriting. A semi-regular feature on the blahg here is Song lyrics du jour where I offer some lyrics from a song I heard that day (generally one from my collection) that struck me in some way (although without offering any explanation as to why they struck me or elaboration about the song/artist/or references therein). And here I'm just letting the rhythm take priority.

Ultimately what I like about music is that I don't have to justify why I like what I like. I'm not trying to convince anyone else that they should like what I like, nor am I trying to convince anyone that they should give a crap what I like. In the end, the only point of me noting what I like is to allow a shorthand for strangers to use such preferences as a way of gaging whether they are like or dislike me, based on whether they happen to like or dislike some of the same things.

Even that, in and of itself, is not really sufficient for anything. The only way to make a determination about whether another is like me because we both happen to enjoy, say, the same song, is to analyze why we like the song, and if we happen to like it for similar reasons, then that demonstrates a genuine similarity, rather than just a coincidental affinity.

However, as just noted, the whole point is to eschew analysis, so me mentioning likes serves no purpose other than to give us something to kill time pretending to discuss. Which, I suppose, all things considered, is not entirely pointless. Discussions can lead to us reaching some understanding of each other, which could reveal genuine similarities, and serve a greater purpose, whether it's consciously realized or not.

Obviously, I have a tendency toward over-analysis (although I prefer to think of it as deconstruction) in areas where words are involved (case in point: this entry right here). Perhaps that's the real joy of a driving beat and blazing riffs: They don't require analysis; either they rock or they don't, regardless of what the lyrics are. (And if the lyrics are good, all the better.)

If only I had a good band behind me, it wouldn't matter what nonsense I was writing here.

~

No, I'm not sure why you're still reading at this point either. Some things defy all analysis or comprehension.