David Ford/Easyworld
A few years ago I picked up an EP by a band called Easyworld (the link is to their Wikipedia article, since that’s the most comprehensive info I could find about them) called Better Ways to Self Destruct (one of my all-time favorite album names). It was in the same genre of catchy guitar pop as a lot of British bands of the time, though it sounded much less produced, a little more organic, and a lot more fun. It never quite appealed to me enough to get into serious rotation, except for one song:
Lights Out – Easyworld
Shimmery, light, with a fantastic guitar riff, some nice backing vocals, and a chorus so catchy the CDC had to investigate it. One line from the song really explains the feeling that I get from listening: “You said it’s the best day of your life, well, that’s so damn true.” Really great song.
Unfortunately, Easyworld broke up after going through the classic “record company wants indie band to get big, indie band makes an even poppier record, indie band discovers their record wasn’t really any good, no one buys it, what do we do now” phase. I sometimes wonder if getting snapped up by a record company who wants you to churn out some radio hits is really that good for a band. Some manage the transition with a lot of grace, but others not so much. Meh.
However, the former members now have solo projects. One of those is David Ford, who has a “new” album out (it was released in 2005 in the UK) called I Sincerely Apologize For All The Trouble I’ve Caused. If you like singer-songwriters and all that implies, you’ll like this album. There are some pianos, some guitars, a generally quiet feel, with a few scattered explosive moments.
State of the Union – David Ford
This song is a perfect example. His take on love, life, society, religion, politics, and pretty much everything else, it does a great job of engaging the modern zeitgeist in a steadily escalating stream of short verses. It begins quietly and then just builds and builds. It is not a screed directed at any particular group or idea. Rather, it is a lament for 21st century life, with two short phrases being repeated throughout the song: “it’s a shame,” and “we are lost.”
This is nothing new, of course. Artists have been fighting against the meaninglessness of life since time began. But the beauty of this song is that it does not purport to be anything more. It is not an explicitly political song, except insofar as it reveals the difficulty in being a political being when faced with what can often seem to be a world gone mad. It is a song about trying to find your way in a world that often doesn’t make much sense. Nothing more, nothing less.
I was hoping to see him live, but another casualty of my decision to go to Kentucky this weekend is the lost chance to have gone to his show in Somerville tonight. Oh well.