That Was Literally Music to My Ears
About a year and half ago I walked into Red Rocks amphitheater not really knowing what to expect, but having high expectations. My friend and I sat down as the chilly night air raised every hair on my bare arms. As the evening grew darker the first band came on and performed what was arguably one of the best opening “we don’t have a real website but we are on myspace” bands I’ve heard.
Then came the magic. The lights went out, the stage lights went on and Sigur Ros came out. Then that voice that could be recognized from anywhere started in that smooth falsetto that functions more as another instrument. I don’t remember what song they opened with but I do remember the tears (!) that came to my eyes when they began to play. And play they did. They had fun. They had emotion. They played instruments unconventionally. Violin bows instead of guitar picks, drum sticks on a vibraphone and guitar. The list goes on.
The amazing thing about shows like this is you get to see how they do all the sounds your ears drums have danced to since you bought the CD. I mean sure, you can go to a Taylor Swift concert and see the drummer, guitarist and bassist do their four chord thing and come away just as wise as if you had stayed home and listened to the CD. But this stuff, this is different. Go ahead. Roll your eyes.
I know that it sounds a little melodramatic, but when you watch them, it’s a little like coming to life. I confess, I like (read: LOVE) the Fray, they are sort of my guilty pleasure. But for a while I couldn’t figure out why. But I think I do now. They know the meaning of climax in a song. They fit their music to the intensity of the lyrics. And this serves and works for them well (Lyrics first then music). But this post isn’t about the Fray.
Sigur Ros knows the meaning of climax better than most bands because I think they make the music and then put the lyrics in there. (Music first then lyrics.) I think ( I could be totally wrong) that is where Sigur Ros especially gets it. Let’s remember music is about music primarily, not words. Am I ruffling any feathers? Sorry. I’m not saying that stories don’t come before the music. Or that the lyrics don’t matter. Or that music doesn’t dramatically improve the spoken word. But I think the best pieces of MUSIC are the ones that are free to be themselves- roam the canon of musisity (I think I made a new word and I like it. mu-SIS-ity) and come out stronger with the best possible outcome because of the freedom they have.
Sigur Ros will start you on your song and grab you, make you curious and make you feel. Then they take you deeper into the story, picking up minor chords and taking you through a proverbial dark forest. Then music gets intense and it changes tone and rhythm and then they keep you at that intensity for a long time. A lot of songs will do that for a measure. Whitney Huston’s “I Will Always Love You” is a great example. You get the dramitc pause then the “Thud. Thud.” of the music and then she just gets louder. The music doesn’t change much.
Remember back in the day when music wasn’t a big deal in churches? Most churches were lucky to have someone to play the piano well. In order to get through a four-verse hymn without feeling like it lasted forever, the much-anticipated key change was there to the rescue in between verse three and four. I’m pretty sure I could characterize late 80s church music by just saying “key change.” That key change served its purpose, but I think that the “new wave?” of praise choruses brought us something good. And to be sure, I’m not a fan of most of them, but with non-cliche lyrics and a good melody, well, you get the picture. Enter Chris Tomlin, for the win.
“The Old Rugged Cross” is such a great hymn. Packed full of rich theology and reminding the singer of the depth of Christ’s sacrifice. But up until a few years ago, the only hope for connecting to that song was lost somewhere in a run of the mill key change. Then Chris Tomlin added a couple of lines in between the verses, something that seems so natural and like it should have been there all along. He inserts what his soul was probably wanting to say after being reminded of the cross in the first two verses : “Oh! The Wonderful Cross! Oh the wonderful cross! Bids me come and die and find that I might truly live!” The cross is the climax of all history, so it makes sense that a song about the cross ought to come with a little musical height, if you will.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of “getting hyped up.” But,there is a big difference in getting someone to get emotional for the sake of getting emotional than to play/sing so intensely that you are only pouring out the natural way your soul is connecting to the music.
::Stepping off soap box::
To be continued.
