We sing along to it on the radio. It’s the song we celebrate to, cry to, and smile fondly when we hear it again years later. A handful of songs make it into this list that defines a generation. ‘Fire Away’ will be one of those songs. I kid you not.
Placed towards the end of the Lowriders latest album ‘Blackstones’, it’s the kind of song that has the right dose of melodic notes tempered with uplifting beats persuading us to listen to it when we’re feeling down or merely catching the train home. Placed before this song on the tracklist is ‘In My Arms’. With lyrics such as ‘sing to me baby, I’ll hear you’, this too can be another sleeper hit, but of a different kind; as the teary eyed love song properly placed in a television series or two.
Put bluntly, ‘Blackstones’ is an album littered with songs of this caliber. The Verve had ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ (aptly placed in the well remembered ‘Cruel Intentions’). Gotye has ‘Somebody That We Used To Know’. As for Lowrider, we’ll have to see how their album plays out to see which song will garner the loudest cries and sing along voices at music festivals.
I’ve placed my bets, yet I have a feeling the boys of Lowrider have already placed theirs with ‘Golden Sun’. The second song on their tracklist and their second released song, it does have that happy bounce to it that makes you hit replay. Yet, as happy as the song is, it’s the vocals that ground the song, giving it the depth and soul that Lowrider are known for. ‘We chase for the same little things.’ You relate to the words, because it brings you back to life.
Lowrider writes about life. And, it is on their third studio album, ‘Blackstones’, that their lyrical compassion and honesty shines. It’s littered with love songs, lyrics confronting our dissatisfaction in modern society, and a song thrown in there dealing with our need for money. Yet, somehow it’s slightly hidden with a soulful clash of instruments rising you to dance and sing, only to realize later how deep the lyrics actually are. It’s those kind of songs that grip us to hit repeat and listen to it over and over again when we need a pick me up or a song explaining exactly how we feel when we’re down.
It’s no wonder the boys of Lowrider count Erykah Badu and Marvin Gaye as inspirations. We jam to the sounds of these musicians while taking a quieter moment to reflect on the lyrics dealing with the deeper issues of our society. Brothers John Barlett (keyboard), Paul Barlett (drums), and singers Scott Duncan and Joseph Braithwaite have created an album that is meant to be enjoyed and reflected upon, all while creating a song or two destined to be become one of the year’s anthems.
Lindsay is a guest writer for BigPond Music.
