Song Whores--October ZC

Song: Maybe I'll Hide With You

Band: Letting Up Despite Great Faults

Album: Movement

Time: 3:48

Photo by Ejen Chuang

So it's time for the post formerly known as song of the month. I cannot say enough amazing things about the Letting Up Despite Great Faults. I will definitely say this more than one time in this post...GO BUY THE RECORD. You can buy it from their website or amazon or cd baby. And now on to my review.

So Letting Up first and foremost has a very unique sound. I would say you could think Postal Service or Plus/Minus but that is just because of the electronic feel. Just think really good music. Music that evokes some emotion. There is a heavy emphasis on the piano and acoustic guitars. And an interesting side note is that the vocals are intentionally mixed as to not dominate the songs. The band feels that vocals are simply another instrument and should not dominate the mix. For me, my song of the month is undoubtedly Maybe I'll Hide With You. And as promised, I was able to spend some time talking (via email) with the Mike (the singer from Letting Up Despite Great Faults) about this track.

The first thing you will notice as you listen to this track is how beautiful the melody is. And around 2 minutes and 15 seconds there is a change that changes the way the song feels. I asked Mike specifically about how this musical change played into the story being told. Mike informed that lyrically this song was written about suicide and that when this musical change occurs it was for a very specific reason. "The "goodbye"-s came very naturally. It was a blatant statement about leaving the world but I think the fact that the music becomes more upbeat and the vocal harmonies (which later I re-recorded with Kent and Patrick) become brighter makes it ironically uplifting. This was something very conscious on my part when writing it b/c you can commit suicide (I'm not referring to the physical kind) and it frees you in ways you never thought possible." Now during this change in the song Mike sings "and we will all be there for you." He commented on how fake that statement can sometimes feel. How many times have we heard those words in tough times only to feel completely alone throughout. Mike calls it a, "play on the insincerity that can be expressed at our caring for one another."

Next I asked Mike about some specific lyrics in the song. He talks about a "town" that he can always hide from. I asked if this town was a real place or something more metaphorical. His response was, "The physical "town" I'm referring to is a suburb– well 2 particular suburbs in southern California. They exemplify how some people try their best to make everything picture perfect, but forget that sometimes that means sacrificing character and substance." We also talked about, in my humble opinion, the most prolific lyric in the song. Towards the end of the song Mike sings, "And all you say to me is hanging on to yesterday." I wondered how much that line played on the importance our past and how it affected our future. And maybe how other people view our pasts. Mike wrote me some amazing insight into this line. He wrote that the line, "was actually ad-libbed when I was recording. I needed an end so I just pushed record and sang (well sort of mumbled) that line. This is probably my favorite line in the song because I know I had to have meant it. I never wrote it down." He then expanded this idea with, "I think I meant that some people can be a bit over-obsessed about the past. Everything they say is something that is hanging on from the past. Sometimes it is best to let go as much as you can and not let the past devour the bright future you have. Sometimes you have to stop hiding."

Okay Two Mirrors readers. If you purchase one cd in the next few weeks, get your hands on a copy of Movement by Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Listen to Maybe I'll Hide With You and you'll understand. I assure you that it is worth your $9. That's right folks it's only $9 from their website.

Letting Up Despite Great Faults--Maybe I'll Hide With You

And you can also download a few other tracks from their website. Check them out.

And for even more Letting Up, listen to Shifted Sound Podcast #27