track of the week
During these days of frustration and even, on a socio-political level, rage, the best medicine is a beautiful new musical discovery. I found that today with this track by a new (ish) band called Muzz, and they have quickly become a favorite. The trio is led by Paul Banks from Interpol, and is beautifully rounded out by multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaufman from The National and Matt Barrick, the supremely excellent drummer formerly of The Walkmen. It’s a gorgeous track that cries out softly from the onset, only to layer and grow into something grand and heart wrenching. Goose bumps galore, for sure.
As excellent as this song is fully produced, I have to say the true gem might actually be the acoustic version recorded for video, featuring guest background vocalist Juliet Seger. Her voice and the stripped down feel adds a feminine, immediate intimacy to the piece. More stunning, though, is that the video was clearly recorded in each artists’ individual homes during this very intense quarantine we are all still very much in. If you miss the connection of collaborating with others, this video might just break your heart. This is truly a staggering time we are living in. We are once again cowboys in the cosmos, carving out our paths in the dark, using the available starlight. I recommend using science versus ideology when you build that particular spaceship.
And yet, even in a time of online bickering, witch hunts and watching America relatively unravel at its cultural seams, sometimes all you need is to watch the making of art to get back to living the good life. I hope it inspires you to make some of your own. Let me know what ya think in the comments.
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A brilliant and before-its-time portrait of the modern “hero”, playing with its toys of violence, both to the approval and shock of an America that misunderstands its roots.