I want to get a pet peeve of mine out of the way before talking about Sub Pop's The Head and The Heart because I like them. I hate it when my generation romanticizes the time before internet, before television, before retail jobs and suburbs, etc. etc. etc. We seem to believe the begone days were more real and beautiful before all these modern trappings seem to have gotten in-between human interaction. It's a complete lie. Would I really want to work on the railroads all day with little to no rest or little food?
The nostalgia surrounding some golden era was out of date by Dylan's time, so in the age where everyone has a twitter, what's the use in pretending we still use payphones? But I digress, I definitely understand the appeal and so although The Head and The Hear carries plenty of these naive trappings, I get where it comes from, I have them too. So even if "Down in The Valley" has the phony opening line, "I wish I was a slave to an age old trade/like ridin' around on railcars and workin' long days," the excellent piano romper "Ghosts" has singers Josiah and Jonathan declaring, "Is it any wonder why we all leave home?/people say, 'I knew you when you were six years old!'" We've all felt that way before.
I was invited to see the band play in London earlier this year at the tiny pub venue The Lexington without any prior knowledge of their music. Let me tell you, it was an inspiring show. The six-piece in full harmony, belting theses folksy songs at the top of their lungs. And you know what, singing about iphones and suburbia and facebook relationships would seem terribly dreary by comparison. The Head and The Heart are off to a terrific start really. They have the technique and the passion. With a bit of time they'll grow more comfortable in their own skin. Their starry-eyed optimism will be their saving grace.
Listen:
The Head and The Heart-"Ghosts"
Look:
The Head and The Heart official site
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