Some songs hit hard, hit fast and get it over with. But sometimes a song needs to meander through, giving itself time to build, to change, to "find itself". This next song is a great example of this. The band, Death Cab for Cutie, was actually kind of finding their own way through the song as they recorded it. Stick with it - the vocals don't even start until about 4 1/2 minutes into the song. And listen closely. One note on the guitar can change the whole feel. Listen to the echoes.
"I Will Possess Your Heart" - Death Cab For Cutie
I love the way the drummer fades down to nearly nothing during the first verse. And the bass just stops for about a minute. Often in song-craft silence is the most powerful thing one can play.
Click here to watch an interview by the band on the recording of this song.
Here's another song that I like for taking it's time. The band Boston was born in the seventies, and "progressive rock" or "art-rock" at that time did not trim the length of songs down to fit radio. What do you think this song would be like (it's actually two songs - they are always played back to back) if it had been cut to 4 minutes? (Listen to this one with your finger on the volume knob.)
"Foreplay/Longtime" - Boston (audio only)
I dig that quiet organ right before the transition into "Longtime". Also, all of those spacey sound effects are made with a guitar - NO SYNTHESIZERS. I'll blog more about Boston in the future.
Which of these long songs do you like best? Why?
