This first song came from a movie. Well, I came to it because of a movie. Last week I posted about Cameron Crowe's movie, We Bought a Zoo that mainly featured music by Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi.
Crowe is known for choosing excellent music for his movies. And I first really noticed that in Elizabethtown. I know it got horrible reviews from critics, but I love this movie. Perhaps it was the timing of when I saw it to where I was in life. It just really struck me.
It was my first year living in the Chicago area. I only knew a few people. My housemates primarily. (Congrats to them, they just had their first child, a beautiful little girl the other day!) It was early days living there and hadn't really taken root in my church/work places yet.
I had picked this movie up cheap, and watched it. It really struck a chord in me. And after watching it a second time later the same week I looked for the music. It's a great soundtrack. One song leaped at me more than the rest.
Song 71
"Hard Times" by Eastmountainsouth
In writing this post, I've now discovered that this song is a version of a "parlor song" from 1854, by Stephen Foster. The content certainly fits that era. And, sadly, it could easily fit in today as well. It's not the happiest of songs, but it is beautiful.
Starting out with light instruments, and carried mainly by the duo's vocals. It has an almost magical blending in their voices. It almost feels as if one person is singing with two voices. I also think this particular song opened my heart up to "folk" ish music, and bridged the gap that I would eventually cross to enjoy the likes of Mumford & Sons, Elbow, and more.
The tone, and feel, and era that this song suggests (especially now that I know it's origins) really takes me into the darkest parts of this season. Like a cold, wet forest in late November. Maybe ice on the ground and your breath clinging heavily to the still air. Not a lot of sound drifting about. Just cold, still, and grey.
This song just hits hard as it's tittle suggests hard times. The lyrics are moving and powerful. It describes a longing for better days, and for the difficulties to cease. It something I think many of us can relate too. Maybe on different levels, and for different reasons, but there it is. This line has always haunted me...
Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly graveTake a listen, and check out the both Elizabtethtown albums!
Oh hard times come again no more.
--
This next tune comes to us all the way from the last year of the 20th century. Or for you commoners 2000.
I was still in college, and washing dishes in "the caf" at Evangel. I had hear one song from this album and went straight out to buy it. Downloading wasn't really a "thing" then. Well, not legally anyway. I remember hauling in a mini cd player so I could listen to this album repeatedly while I worked. Several song's really hit me, and this one in particular.
Song 72
"Everything" from the debut album No Name Face by LifehouseI'm not going to launch into who this song is directed at definitively. It could interpreted as a song about God as easily as it could be about a girlfriend/wife/whatever. That's the thing about releasing something into the world, is that everyone will take their own view on it, regardless of your intentions for it.
Ultimately, it's about someone who cannot deny the presence of someone in their life. And that someone saying that just being together is the best thing possible.
It's a beautiful song however you want to hear it. And it's sweeping build from mellow instruments to the huge climax later in the song is just moving. The strings are what really pull me into Autumn on this song. I love the sound of cellos and violins. I'm not sure what is in this, but I think I hear them in it. And the cello really pulls me into Autumn. It just has that deep woodsy voice that seems like an ancient tree telling stories from a different era.
With that, I leave you for today. What's left of it!
grace, peace + hope
-Jesse
No comments:
Post a Comment