BEATS OF LOVE
162. This Is What She's Like by Dexys Midnight Runners
THE CONFERENCE season finished with Theos think tank's annual lecture, delivered in compromising tones by Andy Burnham. Who lacked the conviction necessary to fully explain his third way of doing politics.
Prophetically concluding his post lecture Q and A by saying we should 'prepare for a very dark road ahead.' Very defeatist, from someone with more than a modicum of power. Akin to losing at musical chairs by sitting down before the music stops.
Luckily, here the music never stops. I'm reading Kevin Rowland's disturbingly candid autobiography and spinning Don't Stand Me Down a lot. Starting with a song of greatness. The Occasional Flicker exuding the uncompromising confidence that comes with having a great but muted style and the musical talent to outreach oneself. That this exhilarating even more original effort eclipses it epitomises the valiance at its heart.
To start the greatest ever 12 minute song with a rich accented conversation about the elusive topic of love is absolute genius. To then weave and tease said voices into an uncompromising harmonic Pièce de résistance, whilst not forgetting the violinist or to mock the English upper classes, is as insane as inspired. It's both as catchy as hell and utterly opaque. Fully expressing a third way of doing popular music.
If any song proclaims 'we should prepare for a very sunny road ahead', it is this.
