Relámpago de comprensión! Me he dado cuento hoy de que lo que dije ayer sobre Laura Veirs no es estrictamente correcto. Dije que, en términos de su letra, no ha advanzado tanto en los último diez años; que, a ponerlo en otra forma, podrías coger cualquiera letra de 'Galaxies' (2005) por ejemplo, insertarla en sus canciones nuevas, y no habrá la menos diferencia. Sin embargo, me equivoque. Hoy, me parece que Veirs ha subido de nivel bastante en su letra; estar especifico, ha desarrollado un minimalismo muy effectivo.
Por ejemplo, echar un ojo sobre esta letra de 'Rialto' (2005): 'Here come the sailors / Marching two by two by two / They press their pants and shine their shoes.' Lo que se nota es que, aunque aparentemente describe algo cuotidiano, hay un aire de unrealidad. El hecho de que marchan dos por dos, por ejemplo, me recuerda más que un poco del arco de Noah. Ademas, hay esa consonancia en 'press pants shine shoes.' Es como un cuento para niños, o pastoralismo en drogas.
Ahora, para comparar, vamos a ver la letra siguiente de 'Sun Song' (2013): 'First rays of light are coming are coming through / Been seven months since I saw that much blue.' Esto es claromente más sencillo; no en el sentido de que es menos sofisticado, pero que es menos maquillado. Solamente describe dos hechos - el amanecer, y la reaccion del cantante - sin la necesidad de distorsionarlos en ninguna forma. Y hay menos recursos poéticos también. En breve entonces, si fuéramos ponerlo en terminós de bebidas, diríamos que 'Sun Song' fue agua mineral, y 'Rialto' una coca cola. Una es natural y refrescante; la otra artificial y llena de azúcar.
Bien; pero por qué eso significa que la letra de 'Sun Song es mejor que la de 'Rialto'? Pues, para mí es que la musica de Laura Veirs siempre ha sido bastante exuberante. Ya destaca la belleza de la naturaleza a trevés de sus instrumentos, sus melodías, sus armonias. No hace falta que hace lo mismo con su letra. Dada eso, la letra sencilla de 'Sun Song' es como un contrapunto; en lugar de gritar aún más que el mundo es maravilloso, como en 'Rialto', sugiere algo diferente: la tranquilidad, tal vez, que mencioné ayer. Y por esto es superior.
Lightning bolt of realisation! It occurred to me today that what I said yesterday about Laura Veirs isn'tstrictly correct. I said that, in terms of her lyrics, she hasn't advanced so much in the last ten years; that, to put it another way, you could take any lyric from 'Galaxies' (2005), for example, insert it into her new songs, and there wouldn't be the last difference. However, I was wrong. Today, it seems to me that Veirs has levelled up considerably in her lyrics. To be specific, she's developed a very effective minimalism.
For example, cast an eye over this lyric from Rialto (2005). 'Here come the sailors / Marching two by two by two / They press their pants and shine their shoes.' What you note is that, although this apparently describes something quotidian, there's an air of unreality. The fact that the sailors march two by two, for example, reminds me more than a little of Noah's arc. what's more, there's that consonance in 'press pants shine shoes.' It's like a children's tale, or pastoralism on drugs.
Now, to compare, let's look at the following lyric from 'Sun Song' (2013): 'First rays of light are coming are coming through / Been seven months since I saw that much blue.' This is clearly simpler; not in the sense that it's less sophisticated, but that it's less made up. It merely describes two facts - the dawn, and the singer's reaction - without the need to distort them in any way. Plus, there are fewer poetic devices too. In brief then, if we were to put it in terms of drinks, we'd say that 'Sun Song' was mineral water, and 'Rialto' a coca cola. One is natural and refreshing; the other artifical and full of sugar.
Fine; but why does this mean that the lyrics of 'Sun Song' are better than those of 'Rialto'? Well, for me, Laura Veirs' music is already exuberant enough. She already highlights the beauty of natural through her instruments, melodies and harmonies. She doesn't need to do the same with her lyrics. Given this, the simple lyrics of 'Sun Song' are like a counterpoint; instead of shouting even more than the world is beautiful, as in 'Rialto', they suggest something different: the tranquility, perhaps, that I mentioned yesterday. And for this they're superior.
