Two weeks ago a new song by the post-rock band We Lost The Sea was released. I planned to include it in my weekly A Penny for Your Songs post, but I decided against it. It deserves its own space. I'm sure once you've seen the video, you'll agree with me.
Awesome.
I've been a quasi-fan of post-rock ever since I first came in contact with groups such as Mogwai, Maybeshewill, God is an Astronaut. There has been a time when these bands, along with their heavier counterparts (Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, which I also love) were very popular, but alas the post sound can get old pretty fast, and lately it seems to me like we've all grown out of that phase a bit.
That doesn't mean post-rock is dead. Its influence has been huge on a number of other genres and acts, and the good stuff that still get released retain its strong suits: the ability of effectively like a soundtrack of sorts to our own life. The capacity to help us give freedom to our deepest thoughts, fears, emotions, without the burden of lyrics to "box" them into a specific category.
The new single by We Lost The Sea is awesome because it's exactly what it's supposed to be. A powerful instrumental climax (that reminds me of Isis a lot) that projects us into a stunned state for 8 minutes straight.
Terrifying.
I believe most people realize the dire state our society and our environment is currently in. Especially over the last month, what with fires covering pretty much every continent on earth, we've read some very depressing predictions about our future as a species. The word extinction doesn't sound that far-fetched anymore. At the same time we are assisting to the rise of some very dangerous, very hateful and very irrational ideologies all over the civilized world. If you live on this planet and you've got a little bit of sensitivity to your surroundings, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Yet, this descent into darkness has been going on for some time. We are apparently powerless to stop it, to some extent powerless to slow it, even. Our lives go on regardless. We get used to the idea that something wrong, we cancel it out with our own issues, our own matters. We live in a drunken stupor, made up by our things, our devices.
And still, that feeling of powerlessness is there, in our minds. That existential awareness that something is wrong is like a background noise to our daily routine. We can't let ourselves panic, but we can't really ignore the problem completely. Maybe we wish we could. But with every newspaper article, every alarmed shout, every bit of bad news our attention is turned to the world around us a little more. And that noise becomes deafening. That powerlessness becomes stunning.
That's what I feel when I watch this video. Small. Powerless. Panicked. And I've been watching it a lot. A Beautiful Collapse is about the destruction of all we know, and how morbidly beautiful it must look when watched from afar.
Sit back. Go full-screen. Awe. And terror.
Let me know your thoughts about it. And please, do yourself a favor and read the description of the video, written by the band. Their words are way more effective than mine.
How was that seven minutes? :O Felt like four at the most, but that's not the point. The point is, it's fucking mind-blowing. At first, I figured, you know, cool that you feel so strongly about this song to give it its own separate post and everything.
But then, it just swept me away. I just sat and became immersed in the video and everything that came with it - the inspiring quotes, the feeling you're drowning in a messed up world and the imminent need for anarchy and revolution. And the musical progression - wow. Just wow. It really comes on peaceful and then blasts you and you don't know when that happened, because it's not sudden, it just seems like a natural descent from calm to chaos.
Brilliant. Thank you for sharing this, really <3
You know, when I was re-watching it before posting, I read that first quote by Hemingway and it strongly reminded me of what we were talking about yesterday, about life and actions and things that end...I was hoping you'd get it, you'd like it. And you never disappoint :)
Thanks for your comment, really. Also:
Is this something you felt was part of the narrative of the song, or is this your personal thought? Not that I disagree. Actually, I feel exactly like that.
Yeah that Hemingway quote s been stuck in my head, too. I really love Hemingway 🖤
Hmmm both. I really believe that a more anarchistic approach is the only viable solution at this point. But it's also what the video inspired, the slow rise into action and destruction - anarchy, in my mind. I'm glad you get it :)
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Hello @ziofeda, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!