I’ve slowed down a bit on my listening to music, trying to find something that fits this nebulous definition I have of “different like the 80s post-punk era, but newer” music. Of course, while I am watching videos of nerdy girls building out their rooms on YouTube, the site is more than happy to continue providing me with music ideas to listen to, including Falco’s “Rock Me, Amadeus” (has there been anyone more absurd and apparently oblivious to their absurdity than Falco? Perhaps Boy George? Right Said Fred?).
Of course, there is only so much Viking-inspired music I can listen to, and Falco is not really someone I want to listen to on a regular basis — nor is that terribly “new”. So, I end up watching my videogame hype videos and largely ignore the offerings on deck.
That is, until the algorithm reminded me of a song that Chris Nelson introduced me to a couple of years back by a chap named Ren. Watching and listening to the song again (and this is a case where the song is best as a multimedia experience), I am still really, really impressed with this song. It does a lot of things that I wish I could do as a musician, but lack the talent to be able to do — both in the guitar playing and the presentation. The song itself is reminiscent of a manic Arlo Guthrie singing about a restaurant owned by Alice. Except not done for laughs and glitched on the part where they are jumping up and down yelling, “Kill! Kill!”
That’s an exaggeration. Honestly, I can’t quite place what this reminds me of except, maybe, some of the conversations I have in my own mind at times.
Warning. The content contains NSFW language and potentially disturbing subject matter about Ren’s struggle with auditory hallucinations growing up. In this video, he sings about two Ren’s having an argument about Ren’s intrinsic value as a human being. If such things disturb you, I recommend skipping this video and song.
This song really stands at the core of what I think music can do and should do more of: provide more than just a rhythm to daily life to elicit a visceral or emotional reaction that cuts to the quick.
Thanks, Chris, for introducing me to this song a few years ago. I need to give this young man more opportunities to play on my playlists.
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