A jittery TV
Glowing white like fire
Nothing is for free
I called out, I called out
Right across the sea"
Hope everyone is having a nice Saturday. Mine's a bit on the lazy side as it's currently cold and raining. Perfect weather for reflection and relaxation. The pic to the left is the current scene in our soggy backyard. Poor Saint Francis is getting soaked!
I went to a funeral last week and as us humans tend to do, we start contemplating our own mortality. It's something that I don't dwell on much but every once in awhile events like that stop me in my tracks. I start to take inventory thinking about friends, family, current life status, goals, what's it all mean, etc, etc. It was a Catholic funeral which is the religion i was raised in. I remember as a kid learning that the afterword was everlasting. I couldn't comprehend infinity as a child (well I still can't) and I thought going on forever sounded kind of awful and terrifying. Normal anxiety of an elementary school kid? Well I guess it depends on what religion was first introduced to you. To quote the Jeff Tweedy song, Nobody Dies Anymore, "I love how every song ends."
I would guess other than love, heartbreak and loss is the topic of most recorded music out there. For whatever reason I'm a sucker for those lost love, tear in my beer, heartbreakers. From Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks to Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love to every Blues and Country album ever recorded, some of the greatest work from creatives comes from a difficult place. Joining the ranks of those masterpieces is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 2016 album, Skeleton Tree.
During the recording of the album one of Cave's sons tragically died in a hiking accident. While most of the album was complete, Cave would alter some lyrics to express his grief and loss. This album was on repeat for me quite a bit at the end of 2016/beginning of 2017. I recommend front to back but for today's pick, lets go with the title track.
Since it's a weekend it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. While the rain can bring on less uplifting feelings it's also a great excuse for jazz. Here's a classic that sounds like a perfect rainstorm accompaniment to me. Mine as well throw in that Tweedy song too as it's relevant to the topic. As always, thanks for reading.
