Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Now that we’ve laid down the basics for what makes an anthem, an anthem, I think it’s time we got down to some more specifics in our final segment. I hope you’re enjoyed this segment of anthems, and my pseudo-intellectual approach to dissecting its instant appeal. You might think this all a bunch of BS–that’s fine–but trust me on the sunscreen.

5) Case in Point: Art of Fighting - Eastbound

Yes, this song has been featured on this blog before, but it’s awesome enough to show up again. This is a perfect example of the slow-ballad-anthem. It works through gentle repetition of the chorus or certain verses. This track also happens to retain that quality of a dream-like opening that expands into a heartened chorus (a la My Morning Jacket’s “Gideon”). And the harmonies are incredible.

6) Case in Point: Tobias Froberg - What A Day

I was thinking about placing this song under the sing-along factor, but it is equally applicable for the head-bopping/finger-tapping factor. Resistance to any kind of physical gesturing with a song such as “What A Day” is futile–don’t fight it, embrace it!

7) Case in Point: Coldplay - Fix You

Much the same way that U2’s “Pride” was an anthem by virtue of its U2-ness, so to is Coldplay’s “Fix You” an anthem due to its Coldplay-icity. But what really makes “Fix You” stand out is the ability of lead singer Chris Martin’s incredibly infectious falsetto (falsetto factor is a subset of the sing-along factor) and the band’s harmonies to produce the collective-experience effect. This refers to the song being an experience, a journey to be shared by those listening to the song at the same point in time. This effect is perhaps the hardest to identify theoretically, but it is instantly recognizable in the moment.

No, this is not a post about how to defeat your foe with brute force or physical prowess. That will come later. Rather, this is a post about how to win over your enemy with deliciously delicate harmonies and grooves. Let’s begin:

1) Go and buy the new album Runaways by Australian band Art of Fighting (due out March 21 in the US).

2) Put it into your CD player or other music playing device and listen.

3) Notice that this album is not hard rock or punk or anything of the sort. Notice that this album is a collection of heartfelt, folky rock songs that will have you softly swaying forth and back like a willow tree. Runaways is very much in the style of one of CSV’s favorites The Damnwells’ Air Stereo, in that it has a certain working man’s folk character. This album isn’t fluffy, but it sure does have substance. If you listen to “Eastbound” (definitely the standout), you’ll be taken on a path that winds through pine trees and deep greens and browns that you just stare at for hours. I don’t think I have really been able to appreciate the album for everything it is, as every time I play the tracks, I can’t help but stare out the window at the scenic images that pass me by.

4) Join together with your friends and fiends. Rejoice.
Listen to “Eastbound” (4.9/5)
Listen to “Free You” (4.5/5)