Sometimes grief is debilitating - it takes away from you - your hope, your desire, your demeanor - and yet sometimes - it fills you with an energy that you just have to express. We've all been there - shouting at people who don't deserve it (particularly ourselves!) driving too quickly or barely stopping before we put a fist through the wall. And yet - so long as we don't actually hurt anybody - I'm a huge fan of this kind of energy.
It's not always the case but often those huge crying jags, or shouting matches or physical expressions of anger can be cathartic - there's a certain release that happens as part of the process and while it can be unnerving - it certainly seems to help and move the grieving process on.
Antartica II doesn't start out as terribly morose track - it could be on any coffee house / singer songwriter playlist and live very well there. It's the lyric that grabbed my attention - having spent the last couple of weeks in the heavy areas of suicide and depression, it was almost a relief to get back to the good old world of relationships where the only things that get broken are hearts.
Good lyrics can be interpreted many different ways - you're not quite sure if the singer here was just shitty in the relationship and she left and now he's sitting here berating himself for being a dick and not being honest - or - maybe she died and he's going through the classic stages that partners who are left behind often experience: shame, anger, hurt and loneliness. Either way - it ain't the best feeling for him - which leads us into the part of the track that got this song on the list.
Two minutes in and the energy changes - the singer ups the delivery, the hook "I'm so lonesome" becomes an ever more plaintive cry which erupts into a searing guitar solo that manages to express everything that I ever felt when I went through it myself. It makes you want to run - get in your car - drive fast - really fast - screaming at the world and not care about the consequences.
Of course - not caring about the consequences of driving recklessly is not something we advocate but - it sure does feel good!
Prince Jelleh are smart enough to bring the energy back down by the end of the track - giving you a chance to breathe and reflect while leaving you in that post cathartic state where you're a little emptier than you were before - but perhaps - a little better?
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About the Curator - Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the dark forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top. They would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
After my dad died I was very sad - I couldn't play for a while and when I did, the music that came out reflected my grieving state. I wrote an album of solo piano music called Music to Grieve to - from which the idea of the Music to community originated.
If you'd like to know more you should read Nicole's fabulous article on why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
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Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.