Song of the week: Aquaman

My last radio show was about my favorite albums from 2014, which included Talking is Hard by WALK THE MOON. Listening to that album again inspired me to revive my "Song of the Week" series (adapted from "Song of the Day, which I realize now was an unrealistic idea), which is something I used to do on my old blog. Here is what I wrote about Aquaman...

Okay, so this really should have been my song of the week when I once listened to it 32 times in a row according to my Last.fm, but sadly this blog did not exist then. It is in fact Walk the Moon who inspired me to start writing about music when I became (re-obsessed) with them a couple of years ago, after finally listening to their album Talking is Hard. The whole album brings me immense joy and has easily jumped to one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time. I will definitely review it in full at some point, but for now: Aquaman.

Some backstory about this song: apparently it almost didn't make it onto Talking is Hard. It was only in the very final days of the recording process that the band decided they wanted to include it, so they basically went into the studio and banged it out in a couple of nights (source). The fact that they were considering not even recording it is completely unfathomable to me, because as you have probably inferred by now, it is my favorite song on the album.

I think this may be an unpopular opinion. This song is hard to appreciate on an album as energetic as Talking is Hard. It is probably the slowest track (except for maybe Come Under the Covers) and it's the very very last, meaning you have to be the type of person who diligently listens to whole albums to get to it. And when you finally do get to it, if you're mentally prepared for something as upbeat as the rest of the album, you might be disappointed.

In other words, if Walk the Moon's music mainly appeals to you for its dance-ability, then Aquaman won't blow you away. I know dance-ability isn't a word, but I really think that is a large part of their appeal: the energy and the pure, bursting-from-the-seams happiness of their music that makes it impossible for you to not want to move your feet. Where there are strengths, however, there are weaknesses, and for Walk the Moon it's that I don't consider them to be particularly strong lyricists.

That's where Aquaman comes in. It is completely the opposite. It doesn't have the same kind of energy that you expect from them, especially on this album, but lyrically it is fantastic. I mean, I am a sucker for metaphors, and this song is basically one giant metaphor, but it's a great metaphor. The concept of love as the ocean, and a protagonist who's afraid to swim in that ocean. The realization that by being cautious they may never find true love or deep connection: See the thing you've been chasing, honey / You'll never find it wearin' a life vest / You gotta risk your neck, know in your heart it will be worth it

The band themselves agree that this is the strongest track on the album lyrically (source).

If you don't like metaphors, or if you don't like love, then you're probably rolling your eyes. If it's the love part that's got you, then it may persuade you to see that this is more than just a metaphor about love. It's a metaphor about growing up and realizing you haven't experienced everything, and the importance of jumping into new and scary experiences in order to continue growing both physically and emotionally: Well I learned my lesson, honey / Just when you think you're all adult swim / Is precisely when somebody shows you to the ocean

If it's the metaphor part that you have a problem with, then, well... you won't like this song.

However, this song’s appeal isn’t only its lyrics. Stylistically it’s compelling because it relies mainly on a smooth, happy synth line, and something that invokes Sebastian playing the conch in The Little Mermaid, if The Little Mermaid were set in the 80s. The track certainly drips heavily of that time and in fact sounds much like something you would hear at a high school prom 30 years ago. This was clearly intentional, because (another fun fact!) in the beginning of the video for Shut Up and Dance, which was shot in exactly this setting, you can actually hear a few seconds of Aquaman. Walk the Moon-ception.

I only realized how integral the synth is to the overall appeal of the song when I saw them in concert and they played a ‘stripped-down’ version of Aquaman, with only Eli on guitar. I couldn't find a video of the exact performance, but it seems to be something they did all throughout that tour and you can see a similar rendition here. I hate to say it, but I did not enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, they still put on a great show overall, but I felt robbed of hearing this wonderful song in all its synthy goodness in person. Luckily, if I want to, I can just go and listen to it 32 times in a row to compensate for that loss - you might be inclined to do the same once you listen.

Nature + environment + existential thoughts

So Bastille released a song called Doom Days today, and it once again confirmed a trend in music I've been noticing for a few months: the increase in nature and existentialism as the subject matter, especially in alternative and indie music.

This first became apparent to me with MARINA's release from a few weeks ago, Love. She does not reference climate change at all, but all these feelings are there: there are a few songs about nature and the beauty of different places (Handmade Heaven, Orange Trees), and a few that ponder the meaning of existence and speculate on what it means to be human (To Be Human, End of the Earth, and now Life is Strange).

The recurrence of nature in Vampire Weekend's new music is not lost on me either. A few weeks ago they released Sunflower and Big Blue, following that Unbearably White. Slated to be released with the rest of the album are also Flower Moon and Spring Snow. On the existential side, This Life makes broad statements about what it means to be alive, including pain and suffering, and 2021 ponders how our today will be perceived two years in the future (and let's not forget the resurrection of I don't wanna live like this / but I don't wanna die in Harmony Hall).

It is interesting that these themes are so common in 2019. I think that there are many things going on making people thinking in existential terms, including the horrific violent incidents occurring around the world, and in America, what feels to many a hopeless political climate. However, the prevalence of songs about nature make me think there is also an element of awareness and fear of climate change on artist's minds.

While not obvious in the examples I've given, it is more so in Bastille's new release, which in addition to evoking fear for the future in its title, makes clear what is to be feared in its lyrics: We fucked this house up like the planet / We were running riot / Crazy that some people still deny it. Let's not forget either, Mitksi's also explicit reference to climate change in Nobody: Venus, planet of love / Was destroyed by global warming / Did its people want too much too? / Did its people want too much?

Although this is clearly a trend in 2019, it isn't entirely new. Gotye wrote a very straightforward song about the subject years ago; Eyes Wide Open warns about an end of the world caused by humans: But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human / You'll want to make a change if you won't / We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the moment / We walk the plank with our eyes wide open.

Of course, these lyrics could hint to other environmental consequences than just climate change. Within this broader theme of environmental disaster, more bands come to mind, like Death Cab for Cutie (Grapevine Fires, No Sunlight) and Of Monsters and Men (Dirty Paws). These are bands that write often about nature in their music, and often about meaning and death, but not always in conjunction like in these examples. It just seems that often existentialism and nature go hand in hand, and I'm seeing a lot of that in 2019.

It makes sense. Why are we here? What is our place in this world? What will the future look like? Sometimes searching for the answers to these questions manifests in fear and uncertainty, sometimes it manifests in love and appreciation for the beauty of life - and sometimes both.

Songs that remind me of spring