“Higher” by The Shifting Stills makes poetry out of on a regular basis dialog.

It’s not till the final line that they sing, “I can’t wait to inform my mates” however the entire tune appears like an excited announcement. Massive information! “It’s growing, she’s so candy,” and my favourite, “She’s in Melbourne however she’ll be again subsequent week.” These lyrics make music out of the pure rhythm of phrases; they sound immediately transcribed from an actual dialog. Additionally they present the place the speaker’s thoughts is: all he can take into consideration is subsequent week, and the individual he loves being again on the town. Saying that’s much more essential to him than making an ideal rhyme.

The drums on this tune are driving however sound as in the event that they dissolve on impression, like stomping on a sand dune. Guitars clang and chime; one thing artificial rises in huge fuzzy swells on the refrain. The distorted and mechanical textures of those sounds distinction with the voices, that are hotter and coarser. It’s like driftwood in opposition to sheet metallic within the solar.

The instrumental components sharpen and intensify the lyrics. The refrain observes, “It’s good, to have one thing in your life / that retains you and it retains you doing higher.” The music interprets “It’s good” to “It makes me wanna rock and roll.” The a part of the sensation that’s too sturdy for phrases finds expression in sound. It’s contentment in overdrive.

It’s not simply the sonic textures that complicate the sweetness of the phrases; there’s story constructed into the composition. The vocal melody is just a little melancholy, even when the phrases inform us “It’s good, to have somebody in your life, / that after they go you miss them however after they come house it’s higher.” Our dude most likely needs the woman was with him, as an alternative of in Melbourne. However typically the factor that makes you unhappy is healthier, as a result of it’s good for the individual you’re keen on.

The phrases are sunny; the best way they’re sung helps put the shadows within the image.

There are additionally shadows within the lyrics themselves. Even the title: “Higher” has, as its shadow, no matter issues have been like earlier than. Lonely, or anxiously unsure. One would possibly say, worse. The traces “We caught collectively / issues went up from there” inform us that sticking collectively wasn’t a certainty. It was a selection. These shadows don’t add darkness, however they do add depth.

The connection on this tune is so highly effective that it turns abnormal language into poetry, dialog into rock and roll. The tune doesn’t rock so onerous only for the sake of rocking onerous; it rocks as a result of the feelings concerned demand extra energetic expression than phrases can carry.

This isn’t a narrative that may make the information: two folks work out tips on how to be collectively, and it goes properly. However that’s the case with numerous rock and roll; it acknowledges the intense lights and deep shadows in abnormal days. Early on this tune, the lovers hearken to “Zeppelin within the Walkman” – the triumphant soundtrack turns an aimless drive into an journey. Or perhaps the music acknowledges that the purpose of the drive is being collectively, and that that journey deserves energy chords.