Most of the Menahan Street Band’s music, like most of the music produced by their label, Daptone Records, is funky beyond belief. The type of music that makes you nod your head vigorously and make a face like you just sucked on a lemon.
But then, towards the end of their 2008 album “The Crossing”, they toss in this little beauty. A melancholy, introspective track that will make you nod your head gently and put your hand on your chin.
From the song’s title, to its instrumentation, to the art on the album cover, this song is a beautiful brief meditation on loneliness.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The slide guitar. For some reason, nothing makes a guitar sound lonelier to me than a slide.
2. The organ. It pulses along in the background before nervously poking its head into the foreground at 1:21.
3. The horns. They really give the song a “strolling alone through a small town in Mexico” kind of feel, especially at 2:01
Recommended listening activity:
Throwing a twig into a river from a bridge and watching it float away.