The Dresden Dolls - Sing

“There is thing keeping everyone's lungs and lips locked,
It is called fear and it's seeing a great renaissance.”

I want to take a quick moment to tip my hat in respect to, whatever his name is, that works “Legends’ Lunch,” every weekday at noon on Q107.

They had a Bowie marathon to celebrate David Bowie’s sixtieth birthday, and naturally it was great. The next day, this individual, whom I can’t recall the name of, made the comment, “we didn’t play the best song off of ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, and the Spiders from Mars,’ yesterday so I’m going to play it now.” He played “Five Years,” which if you remember back far enough was my forth ever music in review. I could only nod in agreement as the song played.

Two weeks ago, or so, he played the elusive original extended version of Led Zeppelin’s, “All My Love.” Which if you posses any short-term memory can recall that was last month’s music in review. Only two weeks after I declare that version of “All My Love,” as unknown to all but myself and the company to whom I have shared it, this guy comes out and proves me wrong. Well down, whatever your name is, and keep up the good work at Q107.

Roughly two years ago I was hanging out with this one girl at my place she walked in on me singing along to, Jeff Martin – The Kingdom, I believe that was the song. Being a rather easily assumed individual she thought it was very amussing that I was completely unembarrassed at the fact she had walked in on me singing along.

My explanation was simple; roughly three years prior to her and mine specific encounter, I had made up my mind at work I wasn’t going to be embarrassed by anyone when singing along with the radio. My mentality was, and still is, that everyone does it. We sing in the shower, we sing in the car, we sing at home, we sing while we study, and yes many people sing at work, why should I personally feel foolish for being apart of a phenomena that the majority of the populace of man is involved.

Deeper into the topic it takes very little reasoning to see why so many people do sing along to music, and are completely in the right to do so. Music moves us, and having worked a rotten job, with many rotten people (not everyone of course), for painfully long lengths of my life, I can attest that nothing can brighten your mood more then music you enjoy. There is something so profoundly human about wanting to be a part of the music. Since most of us lack the musically talent of my friend and yours, Tom Throux, and realistically we can’t play guitar or bass while occupied with the tasks already mentioned, it is the easiest solution to simply sing along to feel a part of the music.

So when someone walks into the prep hall and I’m along singing along to Tom Petty I only stop singing when they look at me and I wait for them to address me, and only then because it would be rude to cut them off with singing.

Apparently my lady friend was quite taken by this. Though I have not talked to her in a long time now one of the last things I remember her telling me was that she no longer let herself feel embarrassed in the least when others looked at her weird while she sang along to music.

Sometimes I wonder just how powerful my subtle influence is.

Regardless, a full year ago my big brother Sean, sent me an email with the video for the Dresden Dolls – Sing. Simplicity was the key to the glory of this song; I knew this right away. There are only two members of the band Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione. She handles lead vocals and the piano, he at first plays guitar in the song then mid way through the piece he exchanges the guitar for drums. Simple, just a girl singing her heart out while playing piano, accompanied by her partner playing one instrument then another. There are no more then three sounds to take in at any time. But little did I realize initially just how true simplicity was the unique quality to this song.

On their first album The Dresden Dolls were all over the place. They had created a collection of tracks that were complicated and very difficult to perform. Basically they were showing off how raw talented they were, and while that album is decent no track on the album comes close to “Sing.”

For “Sing,” and presumably most of their second album the priority to create music had shifted from showcasing talented instrument playing ability to simply making a wonderful sounding song.

Sometimes I wonder just how powerful my quiet insight is.

Related thing back to my first point on this month’s review, let yourself sing, listen to the lyrics of Dresden Dolls – “Sing,” they are quite powerful words for this specific message.

“There is thing keeping everyone's lungs and lips locked
It is called fear and it's seeing a great renaissance.”

I think that sums it up rather nicely.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- Colin