Music Review: Little Hell by City and Colours
Every so often an album comes along that resonates with your spirit and every fiber of your being. This could not be more true than the recent release of City and Colours, "Little Hell". I heard one of their songs in Starbucks this morning while enjoying my morning coffee. At first, before I even started the download, and picked up the little 1 1/2 by 3 inch card that Starbucks keeps at the register to show case new musicians, I thought, "okay, here is another band in the mediocrity of sound". I couldn't have been more incorrect.
The song I downloaded was "Fragile Bird". Its got a great animated but open feel to it. The song infused values within me in such a way, that I couldn't help but feel my spirit move. The opening guitar chords begin like any other, but when Dallas Green begins to sing, its like you have just injected pure euphoria and overwhelming emotion into your being, much to the likes of heroin. Some lyrics: "When she sleeps. There is a fever dream, yeah. It brings a night terror. To harm this fragile bird. She speaks in tongues. Her words they come undone, yeah. And with a wayward mind she struggles through the night. All that I can do Is hope she makes it through Through the night Through the night"
I found myself relating to every song on the album as if, Dallas had sat down with me himself and said, "Hey I am writing an album of your life, this is the finished product, What do you think?" As I sat in the starbucks enjoying my soy misto and devouring each lyric as if it were a freshly baked cookie from my grandmothers oven, I couldn't help but tear up on some of the songs. I had to look around a few times and see if Ashton Kucher was going to jump out from behind a pop up and say, "You've been punked bitch".
As I listened to each song, it was surreal like Alice in Wonderland as I began to pull pieces of my life out of this lyrical poetry. I continued listening to the sounds that, in my humble opinion, sheer genius, Dallas Green assembled, into a mesmerizing masterpiece of sound and inflection. "Grand Optimist" reaches in to you and makes you realize that we are all pessimists because of our life and the things that influence us. Some lyrics are: "I fear I'll die from complications, complications due to things that I've left undone. That all my debts will be left unpaid, feel like a cripple without a cane. Im like a jack of all trades who's a master of none. That last lyric is true to my core as I am exactly that...
Little Hell is a reminder of all the things, the trials and tribulations that we have to go through in order to live. Life is no guarantee, and we were never promised that it would be easy and sometimes when we dig deep, we realize that we are the cause of others pain, because we are not perfect. The opening lines: "What if I can't be all you need me to be. We've got a good thing going, we have some promises to keep. But my addiction it can be such a detriment. Please believe in this my dear, I am more than penitent"
The final song, "Hope for now" resonated so loudly within my soul that I couldn't help but feel a great release as he was singing it. It feels as if it is my theme song for my life. Once again, its as if Dallas followed me around and decided to write this album and finish it up with this song. The lyrics are poignant: "This highway's dark and empty. Just miles and miles of endless road. I've got a sickness pounding in my head. I'm at the mercy of the ghost. What will it take to live as if I would not another day? To live without despair, and to be without disdain. How can I instill such hope, but be left with none of my own? What if I could sing just one song and it might save somebody's life?"
Don't take my word for it. Go out and download the album yourself. You may not relate to the entire album, but I am sure you will find yourself resonating with the lyrics and enjoying the melodies. Let yourself breathe as you listen and admire this great piece of work. I hope you enjoy and get as much out of it as I did.
Until next time..
The song I downloaded was "Fragile Bird". Its got a great animated but open feel to it. The song infused values within me in such a way, that I couldn't help but feel my spirit move. The opening guitar chords begin like any other, but when Dallas Green begins to sing, its like you have just injected pure euphoria and overwhelming emotion into your being, much to the likes of heroin. Some lyrics: "When she sleeps. There is a fever dream, yeah. It brings a night terror. To harm this fragile bird. She speaks in tongues. Her words they come undone, yeah. And with a wayward mind she struggles through the night. All that I can do Is hope she makes it through Through the night Through the night"
I found myself relating to every song on the album as if, Dallas had sat down with me himself and said, "Hey I am writing an album of your life, this is the finished product, What do you think?" As I sat in the starbucks enjoying my soy misto and devouring each lyric as if it were a freshly baked cookie from my grandmothers oven, I couldn't help but tear up on some of the songs. I had to look around a few times and see if Ashton Kucher was going to jump out from behind a pop up and say, "You've been punked bitch".
As I listened to each song, it was surreal like Alice in Wonderland as I began to pull pieces of my life out of this lyrical poetry. I continued listening to the sounds that, in my humble opinion, sheer genius, Dallas Green assembled, into a mesmerizing masterpiece of sound and inflection. "Grand Optimist" reaches in to you and makes you realize that we are all pessimists because of our life and the things that influence us. Some lyrics are: "I fear I'll die from complications, complications due to things that I've left undone. That all my debts will be left unpaid, feel like a cripple without a cane. Im like a jack of all trades who's a master of none. That last lyric is true to my core as I am exactly that...
Little Hell is a reminder of all the things, the trials and tribulations that we have to go through in order to live. Life is no guarantee, and we were never promised that it would be easy and sometimes when we dig deep, we realize that we are the cause of others pain, because we are not perfect. The opening lines: "What if I can't be all you need me to be. We've got a good thing going, we have some promises to keep. But my addiction it can be such a detriment. Please believe in this my dear, I am more than penitent"
The final song, "Hope for now" resonated so loudly within my soul that I couldn't help but feel a great release as he was singing it. It feels as if it is my theme song for my life. Once again, its as if Dallas followed me around and decided to write this album and finish it up with this song. The lyrics are poignant: "This highway's dark and empty. Just miles and miles of endless road. I've got a sickness pounding in my head. I'm at the mercy of the ghost. What will it take to live as if I would not another day? To live without despair, and to be without disdain. How can I instill such hope, but be left with none of my own? What if I could sing just one song and it might save somebody's life?"
Don't take my word for it. Go out and download the album yourself. You may not relate to the entire album, but I am sure you will find yourself resonating with the lyrics and enjoying the melodies. Let yourself breathe as you listen and admire this great piece of work. I hope you enjoy and get as much out of it as I did.
Until next time..
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