…but then, why would you want to?
I have a page-long list of things I’ve been meaning to blog about, but couldn’t seem to find any motivation for any of them. My iPod lended me just the sort of inspiration I needed for a day like today. I give you…
“The Light is You” by Said The Whale
My like affair with Said The Whale started this summer, during the Beijing Olympics. Being camped in front of our non-TiVo television for hours on end provided me the opportunity to see commercials. Lots and lots of commercials. I first heard this song, “The Light is You,” on an advertisement for fruit juice. I know, I know…totally cheesy. Nevertheless, I looked into their repertoire and learned that they are, for the most part, still undiscovered. Their only web page is on MySpace™, for heaven’s sake [and did you see the size of their Wiki™ article?]. I’m happy when I “discover” music that isn’t yet on the radio; I consider this a smashing success. No matter the venue, the music’s great. Have a listen.
Said The Whale has a very distinct sound about them, and I can only describe it as a mixture between The Shins, The Weakerthans, and another group none of you have ever heard of (from Mesa). Anyway, they’re excellent.
It was their album, Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia, that almost singlehandedly got me through my most recent solo road trip from Arizona to Canada. That’s 24 hours of driving time, people. And I rarely listen to one album twice in a row, so it’s saying quite a lot.
These guys remind me of boys that didn’t exist my year of high school: unique, independent, fashion-conscious [but not fashion-driven]… Clever… Intelligent… [I can say without a doubt that 2004 was the worst graduating class to try and find a date in. Slackers, the whole lot of them. Slim pickin’s.] At any rate, if these boys had gone to my high school, they probably wouldn’t have liked me, so there’s no sense crying over melted snowmen…
Speaking of snowmen, they’re Canadian (nice segue, I know). I really do believe there is a huge source of undiscovered talent north of the 49th parallel, and I’m glad to be living in a country with so much musicality to offer. Every time I hear a great song that came out of Canada, I add it to a mental tally of reasons I’m happy to be here (also on that list is my toothless husband and french fries dipped in gravy).
But seriously. Said The Whale. “The Light is You.” If this song doesn’t make you smile, it’s because you’re dead and your body has already undergone rigor mortis.
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