Dan Pye – Bedlam
If you’re considering becoming an artist, even a humble songwriter, take a very long time before making the choice. In fact, if possible, rethink it. If you’ve the ability to become a lawyer, doctor, or just work inside of an office, do that instead. You will still feel the urge to share your thoughts and dreams with others through art, of course, but that may not be wise.
The truth is that once you become an artist, you’ve revealed yourself. Once you’ve opened your mouth to sing, if you’re honestly telling the truth, there’s no way of pretending that you’re someone other than who you are. And, as soon as you’ve done all of that, there’s no hiding even from yourself. You’ll know just who you are and what you’re up against, as Dan Pye has.
“Bedlam” is a stunning song because it is the type of song that, simply, cannot be covered. It is created in a language that is entirely Pye’s own, but one whose beauty we can all understand. It’s not even a song, per se. It’s a cry of anguish. It’s a testament to the merging of beauty and pain, a monument to a moment so important that, once it happens, it needs to be remembered forever.
Hour – Ghost Bridge
You get really good at not thinking about problems if you try hard enough and for long enough. If you’re really serious about this art of avoidance, you could even use the time to become a multimillionaire, start playing golf really well, or become a professional criminal. Those are all wonderful ways to put off having to think about the things that make you uncomfortable.
But the recipe I shared with you, while it works perfectly, only works for a short period of time. Can’t you just have a refill? Sure, but only for a while. Eventually, you’ll have to make sense of why things in this life don’t really make sense. And I’m sorry to tell you that if you approach the problem head-on and logically, you’re unlikely to get anywhere. Calm down, take a deep breath, and instead, share in the process of question-asking started by Hour.
No, there aren’t any questions actually screamed out. But you can hear them if you try really hard. Hour challenges the concept that classical music is just a bunch of dull exercises in D# minor. No, this is complex music about a very simple idea, that of disappearance. It’s such a simple, powerful concept, in fact, that it requires a 13-piece ensemble and nearly 10 minutes of music to even end up asking the question. And once it’s asked, I think all of us who’ve heard it can imagine what the answer might be.
