My uncle Travis was the first person to introduce me to the band, “City and Colour.” During one of his [rare] visits, he shared an extensive amount of music files with me. I remember he had asked me, “what kind of music do you like?” It left me rather perplexed. I could not merely limit my music taste to one measly genre. In fact, my kind of music is vastly abstract. I answered with multiple descriptions, but my prime genre was what I call “mellow music.” If I were to define “mellow music” I would think of something intrinsic—Jack’s Mannequin, Augustana, Coldplay, Trespasser Williams, Analogous Rebellion, Freelance Whales, etc. It is something independent and alternative, something that incorporates poetic lyrics with unique instruments [like the classical touch of a piano or the indie string of an acoustic guitar.]
Travis replied with, “I think you would really like City and Colour.” He must have been very confident in his assumption because he immediately transferred every album to my computer storage and added it to my happy itunes family of “mellow music.” Such albums were Sometimes (2005-2007), Bring Me Your Love (2008-2009), and Little Hell (2010-present day).
The first song I listened to was entitled, “Body in a Box.” The song began with a musical piece incorporating a harmonica and an acoustic guitar. Immediately, my perspective of the band was that it provided a folk music perspective. It was a feeling I was rather familiar with after listening to The Weepies’s, “The World Spins Madly On.” The lyrics were poetic and stimulated every appeal: ethos, logos and pathos. In my personal opinion, I believe that the best music convey and provoke emotions and that is exactly what Dallas Green’s music does to his audience. The lyric’s contents were an exceptional juxtaposition of metaphorical and poetic writing and folk, indie music. If I were to annotate and generally analyze my interpretation of the song, my personal interpretation would take a vital stab at the idea of “death” as a metaphor (this can also be seen in Band of Horses’ “The Funeral). Although the idea of funerals, death and mortality in general are rather uncomfortable to discuss, Dallas Green implies that death can be a beautifully earnest moment in ones’ life.
After succumbing to a deep infatuation for the band, I spent every hour enjoying what my Pandora station could conjure for my latest obsession. Out of the many songs I had listened to by City and Colour the following had left a memorable imprint:
Casey’s Song
Although the song is seemingly short and simple, the acoustic piece is musical perfection—from the initial stroke of the strings to the chords in the repeated versus. The lyrics do not contain any thorough substance and are in fact rather vague. But with all honesty, some of the simplest songs are the best ones.
Comin’ Home
Really underlining the cliché, “home is where the heart is.” It puts a scrutinized eye on the idea of touring as an artist (with a rather tongue and cheek connotation, I might add) and explains this sudden sadness of leaving home.
Hello, I’m in Delaware
This song is one that exceptionally resonates with me. Green’s voice is by far utterly gentle and the song’s repetitive chorus “I will see you again” is my favorite reflection on Dallas’s talent as a vocalists. I had mentioned before in my first entry that this song reminds me of a tangible object. When I listen to the song now, it only reminds me of the fact that it would be the perfect song for a memorial service. I suppose it touches that melancholy and lugubrious appeal.
Save Your Scissors
At last! The song I have honorably used to title my blog. The lyrics are the perfect example of a musical juxtaposition. The instrumental portion is very mellow and calming and yet the lyrics are very blatant (maybe even unintentionally violent) in which Green discusses the controversial issue of cutting. I did not dedicate my blog title because of the lyrics (in my personal opinion, I believe that Dallas Green has other notable songs that I would have liked to recognize) but rather, I like the uniqueness of the name. It’s something anomalous, particular and spontaneous.
