Its true that we are all dependent on something in life. This isn’t the first time you’ve heard someone say that all humans are addicted or rather dependent on some sort of substance. What is your poison? That’s exactly the theme of this song. The singer expresses the fact that this song is purely inspired by his dependency on drugs. Again, its not the first time a musician has done this. Even so, music like this has a sense of appeal to audiences. Maybe it’s the raw honesty or maybe it’s the appeal of a person who doesn’t care what people think of his habits. Underneath it all, there are multiple layers and as we peel down, aren’t we all the same?
Half of a rainbow is a pop project of Johannes Harder who is based out of Berlin. His music is recorded on cassettes and at home. Just like home recording legends ‘The Cleaners from Venus’ and ‘Guided by Voices’, half of a rainbow takes on a similar approach to his music. Recording on cassettes is not simple as every mistake is massively time consuming and to use such an obsolete method in this time and age is rare. Then again, the effect that it gives the music cannot be matched. The raw analog feel and the primitive sound is what makes him stand out!
Poison in e major starts off with a nice guitar strum that is immediately accompanied by Harder’s voice. The cassette recording gives an amazing effect to his already beautiful voice. I really like his voice and the drums that go with it. For a singer-songwriter who records all his instruments at home , this is nothing short of a masterpiece. The drums just play their role as supporting instruments in the background. Again, the cassette recording gives the drums the right effect. This kind of music reminds me of the good old days when bands used to record in their garage.
Today, music has become robotic with everything perfectly synchronized electronically. Is that really music? I mean it is music. But is it human? Personally, half of a rainbow brings a very human element to his music by avoiding such modern techniques. I love music in this style. The whole song is a crescendo that just has layers added to it throughout. Amazing job!
The lyrics are the highlight of the track as Harder talks his dependency on cigarettes and alcohol.
“Poison me, poison you poison me
it’s the only state i want to be in when i am awake”
Beautiful words that go with amazing guitar work. Nothing short of profound and the definition of Rock and Roll. Something that is slowly fading away in this generation. The solo from the minute thirty mark is just breathtaking. Its like you get lost in a world fueled by alcohol and drugs, where you can let yourself go for free. An anthem for the lovers of Rock and roll in this generation!
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
