Meagre Martin – Never Thought
Eventually, all the great artists became children again. That’s if they got it right. That’s if they followed the right muse. Picasso used to say that all of his life’s work was a process of acquiring skill and technique and then figuring out how he could ditch it. What to do instead? Paint in the way that a child would. Paint in a way that someone who has no knowledge of what modern painting is would be able to recognise.
The same can be said about poems or songs. The greatest ones are those that we will learn in kindergarten or the early years of school. They’re simple, fit together perfectly and capture so much truth that entire treaties are written about them. They are so good that the modern poets, regardless of all of their studies and hard work, cannot write in the same way.
Meagre Martin’s “Never Thought” shines within and because of its simplicity. It’s the vocals and lyrics, in particular, on which the spotlight falls. They resemble a children’s carroll or some ancient mantra. But they are extraordinary as they capture the depth of the surprise of having the object of your desires fall madly out of love with you. It’s such a powerful subject that it deserves clear, sharp words like this and the music that can weave around these truths. “Never Thought” is the kind of song that few adults, let alone modern songwriters, could come ever come up with.
Two Fields Over – We Have
Some of the things that happen during a concert cannot occur in any way in the so-called “regular life.” I’m not just talking about black metal shows where they string hooded, naked people on crosses. That wouldn’t happen because it is idiotic.
No, all of the things that deal with emotion cannot occur in society because they would be deemed to be bizarre. People jump and scream, cry and look in the distance while attending a concert that they really like. They wouldn’t do that in an office or when having coffee with acquaintances.
But why would it be any different? The great poets, who are the precursors of the rockstars, lived their early lives propped up by illusions. They dreamt of great heroism, incredible love affairs, and tragedies. It was only afterwards that they sought out all of these things.
Listening to emotionally charged music is a kind of uneasy truce between the audience and the artists. Two Fields Over’s “We Have” is beautifully poetic folk music. It is also a song that requires near-perfect silence. Holding your breath wouldn’t be inappropriate, either. But if you choose to believe in these kinds of things in the true romantic potential of living, there is no reason why you shouldn’t. Artists live off of dreams, and so do their audiences. Two Fields Over is supplying those dreams.
