Category: 6/4

TOTD: Skysketch “Fox Wedding”

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I want to start off by sharing exactly what this song is about, and then get into my analysis of it. The song has a very specific meaning, and I want to make sure that point is understood. We focus a lot on the lyrics of songs and the meaning behind them, but when the song specifically revolves around a Japanese film that neither of us here at B-Side Guys has seen, we figure it’s best that the artist tell the story.

“The album ”Fox Wedding” originates from the movie Dreams by the acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, as the band admires both his works and the Japanese folk culture. The band imagines the suite of the excerpt named ”Sunshine through the Rain” from the movie, whilst combining Kurosawa’s story and the modern world’s problems with the weapons of mass destruction and existential dread in today’s war-ruled climate.

The band takes up where Kurosawa left off his story and knit it with their own narrative, telling two synchronized story arcs simultaneously, making them realize once again in the process how the Turkish and Japanese cultures mirror each other both in the present and in the past.”

As an American, there are very few countries that have a war-ruled climate like us, but Turkey is one of those countries that definitely know what it’s like to have a shoot first, ask questions later government. I feel like I need to watch “Dreams” to really appreciate this song, but even without those mental pictures for reference, this is a sweeping 7 minute ride that shows a child growing into an adult, forced to deal with the harsh realities of the world.

“And now he’s running 
Through the forest 
Hiding 
Do you think you can hide 
From their ever-piercing glaring 
When sun shines through rain 
Do you think you can hide 
From the fox wedding? 

Oh, oh no my foolish child 
Oh, it’s time you walk this path”

With sweeping post-rock melodies that feel akin to Glowworm in places, the haunting harmonies put you in the shoes of the child as it grows and learns to tackle problems until, “Every day, you grow taller, until your head punches a hole in the sky.”

 

Video of the Day: Jamar Carr “American Way (Prod. AZ Beats)”

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Alright guys, time to broaden your perspective a little bit. First, go watch that video, you don’t need my background first, you need to see it. Go. Now….

….okay. Are you back? Cool. I can’t even begin to get into all of the allusions that are going on in this video. I would suggest if you are interested in some of it, a great place to start is with the Netflix documentary: 13th. Which goes into a lot more detail about the history of mass incarceration of African-American’s in this country, and really hammers home how much of the issue centers around government policy, much of which is referenced in Jamar Carr’s music video.

 

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He also goes on to reference Colin Kaepernick, which I’m sure my conservative readers won’t find any issue with ;). Just kidding, we all know those people stopped reading/listening to us months ago. If you’re really excited to hear more from Jamar Carr, we are going to have him on a podcast episode soon, and will always be adding a Facebook Live interview with him in the near future hopefully.

In the meantime, go listen to his song on our Spotify playlist. 

Go watch 13th on Netflix and report back your findings.

And go listen to previous podcast episodes.

Mid Day Music Blast: Welshly Arms “Down to the River”

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Are you a big fans of bands like The Black Keys, Rival Sons, or Kaleo? Who isn’t right? Well I found another band to add to your collection: Welshly Arms. The song uses gospel a gospel choir song with some great blues riffs and grungy lead vocals to create a sound that mixes nostalgic rock and roll and blues with modern synth and bass backgrounds. It seems that a lot of this album was written in the past couple of years with all the turmoil that we’ve seen in this country, and I’ve often said that if nothing else, Trump’s America will have great protest art. I think the past year or so we’ve seen that come to fruition, and Welshly Arms is fitting quite nicely into that niche.

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Having been ensconced in the studio working on their debut album ‘No Place Is Home’ due this June, Cleveland based six-piece blues and gospel influenced alternative band Welshly Arms preempt the release with a brand new track ‘Sanctaury’ that follows on from the much lauded ‘Legendary’ released last year. The band are also due to perform at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival.

Of ‘Sanctuary’, frontman Sam Getz says, “We wrote ‘Sanctuary’ in a time where everything on the news and in politics seemed so dark and out of control. Nothing felt safe, nowhere felt like home and there wasn’t a lot of positive news to find hope in. ‘Sanctuary’ is a reminder that hope is always there in the people you keep close. Even as the world seems to be breaking down around us, my family, friends and the people I love are where I always find my security and my home.”

This summer, Welshly Arms will support Thirty Seconds To Mars on the last leg of their upcoming US tour, before crossing the Atlantic for an exclusive performance at 2018’s Reading and Leeds Festival.

 

Catch Welshly Arms alongside every other song we’ve featured in June on this Spotify playlist. 

 

Don’t forget to check out our podcast, I’d say it’s the best thing we do. 

 

-Caleb

 

Morning Commute: Kate Vargas “Roll Around”

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Feeling pretty rough on your Monday morning because of a weekend of fun and debauchery? Well get ready, because this song is going to see you at your lowest point, and kick you around a little bit. The song starts with the lyrics that ring out throughout the song,

“You can’t get lower than the ground, but you can roll around for a long time.“

Is it possible for the sound of smoke to be provocative? With a rasp that tastes of coal mines and three packs a day, Kate has a timbre to her voice that is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Now, just to clear the air here, I don’t know anything about Kate’s personal life, and she may have worked in a coal mine and smokes a carton a day. If this is true, I’m deeply apologetic. What is much more likely is that she had a cool rasp already, but honed her obvious gift and turned it into something spectacular.

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With lyrics that seem to deal with everything from seasonal depression to addiction, Kate really takes some major swings here, and nails on all counts for me. When people talk about how they’ve “hit rock bottom,” there is usually a counterpoint saying, “Well, there’s nowhere to go but up,” when in reality, you can just get dragged across the bottom forever unless you make proactive choices. Make whatever choices are needed to improve your life.