Tags
Alien Human Emotions, Asylums, Chris Church, Graveyard Tourism, It Only Hurts When I Breathe, It's Good to be Alive, Michael Carpenter, Michael Oliver, Pandemic Diary, Richard Turgeon, Rob Elliott, Still Not Ready to Die, They Might Be Giants, Whateverly Brothers, wr fkd
We tend to be inspired by the world we live in so it’s not surprising that some artists are ruminating musically about our present pandemic. While the artists featured below are all over the map in terms of their responses to the situation, the results are all music to my ears!
Kicking things off, prolific poprocker Michael Carpenter teams up Michael Oliver for the slightly country, melodious, and oh so apropos “It Only Hurts When I Breathe.” Thankfully Michael-squared only seem to be suffering from heartbreak rather than lung dysfunction. Whew! Tilting the mood somewhat, the one-off single “wr fkd” is from the Whateverly Brothers, aka Chris Church, and its churning grind of delicious jangle definitely captures how a lot of people are feeling right now. Again, it might be love problems motivating these musical sentiments but, hey, if it fits the bigger picture why not use it? Another deliberately displaced tune comes from Asylums’ last album, Alien Human Emotions, but here too I think the song speaks to our present moment. As some lobby for a quick return to economic normalcy, one has to wonder if the results won’t be a kind of “Graveyard Tourism.” Dead rich, that’s what they’re really aiming to be. Planning to defy that end game is LA’s powerpop grunge-meister Richard Turgeon on “Still Not Ready to Die.” It’s a brand new song that is definitely about what is happening now and it rocks, in his reliably hooky way. Let’s end on an up note with America’s most cheery musical iconoclasts, They Might Be Giants, and their eminently pleasant, uplifting and predictably quirky “It’s Good to be Alive.” Maybe play this one a few times, just to up your dose of good feelingness. And don’t forget to click on all the artist names to give them some money-coloured love.
Today’s feature graphic is courtesy Toronto pop artist Rob Elliott. If pointed laughter is your thing, head over to his Pandemic Diary pages and laugh until you cry.
Poprock Record 
Hi Dennis!
We enjoyed reading “Pandemic poprock” – as songwriters, Laurie and I find ourselves in resonance with your observation that “artists are ruminating musically about our present pandemic.” For us, the early days of uncertainty and isolation evolved to offer an opportunity to go inward and to spend time and attention with our thoughts and feelings about both our individual experience, and what we could also observe occurring across our communities and the world at large. There was an initial sense of wistful melancholia – a yearning for a return to a time when grocery shopping did not feel like entering a war zone and when other people were just people – not potential disease vectors. A sense of uncertainty and the potential for loss pervaded the atmosphere like the smoke from a sodden campfire. The heroic actions and selflessness of many stood in stark contrast to some whose behaviors could only charitably be described as foolish.
We live in a nation and world which stands interrupted, aching to return to the familiar, and unsure of the future we face; all in a time when the ties which bind us together in community have been weakened by partisanship and rancor. In many ways it is reminiscent of the Vietnam War era, the Cold War, and the social activism of the late 60’s and early 70’s. In such turbulent times, great songs such as “We Shall Overcome”, “People Get Ready” and “What’s Going On“ have served as a source of inspiration, strength and comfort.
We now stand caught between the present Scylla of the coronavirus and the Charybdis of political partisanship, racial and economic division, and rancor. Our ability to find common cause and community has been weakened by an increasing sense of social division and isolation. “E Pluribus Unum” still graces our currency, but finds less purchase in our hearts.
As these themes play through, and as we have transitioned through our own feelings of denial, anger and bargaining before arriving at acceptance, we came to realize that while this would be a marathon – like all marathons, there will also be a time when it ends. In the meantime, we all can help one another to get through this together.
Laurie and I are songwriters and what do songwriters do when they feel deeply connected to something? – They write a song about it! Our new song: “Help One Another (We All Can)” captures the present sense of wistful melancholia before ramping up to offer a message of hope and optimism that both inspires and soothes: “be a part of the solution…be a part of the love.”
Here is a link to our about to be released (6-19-20) lyric video for “Help One Another (We All Can)”:
If you get a chance to listen, we would greatly appreciate any feedback that you would care to offer! In the meantime, stay safe, stay connected, and stay well!
All the best,
Dennis and Laurie
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Thanks for these wise words! Will check out your new song.
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