Arrogantly in this moment, I feel that it’s relevant to point out that I’ve been a lover of music for 40 years. As a child I would skip around the coffee table in our living room singing along to the radio. I would also make mix-tapes by placing my tape recorder next to our stereo’s speaker and recording my favorite tracks right from the radio. I am also a modestly accomplished musician with three albums and around a couple hundred live shows under my belt.
Why am I telling you this? I assure you it’s not to boast, as any truly accomplished musician would likely chuckle at my stats, and call them a “warm-up”. I’m telling you this because I want you to understand how deeply I cherish the craft & art-form of music. I want you to understand—that because music and I go way back—I’ve become a bit particular with my tastes, and it might not be far off to label me a bit of a music snob. Truth is, I’m just a lot harder to inspire and impress than I used to be. I’m telling you this in order to create some context, because the song which I’m sharing with you today has affected me like no other song ever has, ever. And for me, that’s a big deal.
As I write these words, I am still in a bit of shock from listening to the track only twice. The name of the song is Black Sun by Death Cab For Cutie. The original version of the song is lovely as well (and appears on the band’s 2015 album, Kintsugi), but the live, piano version below, recorded and offered by The Current in May of 2015, is the entire point of this post. +
I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a melody line, and a collection of verses, that so perfectly capture a culture’s period of time as this song does. Our tension and our peace. Our lies and our truths. Our chaos and our love…it’s all there. It is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful song that I have ever heard. While listening, I was frozen and stunned to silent tears. I hope you will find something there too…
“How could
Some thing
So fair
Be so cruel?”
Whose lovechild…?
Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, and the Ether.
Below, you can listen to the live piano version of Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie, as well as music from their album Kintsugi, and connect with their website, social media & streaming/download platforms. Please support Death Cab for Cutie by visiting them online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!
Listen to Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie:
Listen to Kintsugi by Death Cab for Cutie:
Follow, stream, download & connect with Death Cab for Cutie online:
