so, i’ve had a bit of a rough go of it lately. my flash drive which contained ALL of the books i’ve written/am working on/have outlined for the future ceased working and even though i sent it to one of the premier data recovery labs in the country (who i ought to point out, is one that NASA goes to when they are in a scramble to recover data) wasn’t able to recover anything. so i’m stuck with work last saved on my computer from several months ago (HELLO, over 100 pages plus LOST. *weeps*) and then i was in a car accident, in which some asshat totally failed to pay attention when he pulled away from the curb and proceeded to crash into me and then had the audacity to contest what happened, thereby rendering me (and my kids, and anyone who has kids knows how impossible this’ll seem) carless for nearly three weeks.
but this isn’t a pity-poor-me post. it’s actually more of a sometimes you go through crap but the sun will always come out kind of post.
well, ACTUALLY, it’s more of a “hey, bishop allen has this really great song called rain and it’s about somebody going through a crap time and figuring things can only get better from here on out.”
the band, who hail from brooklyn, is centered around justin rice and christian rudder, although a number of musical collaborators, such as singer darbie nowatka, come and go. known for recording and producing an EP a month for an entire year, the band has a quirky sound that often falls more into the catchy category rather than the artistic one. that’s not to say they aren’t a quality band, for they are – but a number of their songs are so infectious that a listener can become lulled into crush mode without having to delve into the deep end to examine lyrics.
one of the best examples of this has to be their song rain. here are several reasons why this song rocks:
* hand claps (which instantly make all songs better. no, really)
* peppy beats despite discussions of depressing subjects
* boy/girl choral choruses (which are always fun when done right)
* toy piano! (which i’m a sucker for. always makes any song instantly more charming)
in short, it’s beyond likable. it’s like an instant mood-lifter. crappy day? no problem. play this song, let bishop allen talk about how lame things are for them, and revel in how it comes across so damn happy. and then feel better that your day isn’t as bad as theirs.
one has to wonder if these guys listened to a lot of smiths growing up. because, let’s face it. morrissey set the bar for playing cheery sounding slit-your-wrist songs.
bed clothes, why am i in bed clothes?
watching out the window
watching what i don’t know
on the fire escape now
hands they start to shake now
ready for the rail to break now
and i’m awake at last awake
cursing, rattling and cursing
go ahead and do your worst then
your worst that i can take
oh let the rain fall down
and wash this world away
oh let the sky be grey
’cause if it’s ever gonna get any better
it’s gotta get worse for a day
morning, where am i this morning?
now it’s really pouring,
crawling up this shore
and i walk the neighborhood
and umbrella does no good
and i guess its in my blood
couldn’t stop the flood
drowning, everything is drowning
go ahead and take the town
the town is yours to take
oh let the rain fall down
and wash this world away
oh let the sky be grey
’cause if it’s ever gonna get any better
it’s gotta get worse for a day
calling, calling, falling, falling
grab on my guitar
and paddle with both my arms
headed where the voices are
i’ll end up far so far away
oh let the rain fall down
and wash this world away
or let the sky be grey
’cause if it’s ever gonna get any better
it’s gotta get worse for a day
it’s gotta get worse for a day
it’s gotta get worse for a day
it’s gotta get worse for a day
i know
it’s gotta get worse for a day
(mp3) rain by bishop allen
a slightly toned down acoustic version during a walk through vienna in, YES, you guessed it, the rain! now, that’s dedication, peeps:
buy the broken string, the album rain is off of, HERE.