Vertical
Horizon is not an up and coming band that followed me on Twitter, and I have
not seen them in concert, but I really wanted to write about them, so they get
the special birthday edition.
I first
became aware of them at some point after Everything You Want came out.
"Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" just pierced me right to the
core immediately, taking me back to a time and place and the emotions left with
it. It was at least seven years since the last time I had seen him, and there
are reasons the lyrics wouldn't fit, but at the same time that didn't matter.
It felt like if we ever saw each other again, that song would inevitably be
playing in the background.
You don't
forget a song that does that to you, and so it was a song that I always held
close in my heart. A couple of years ago, I did a Valentine's countdown, and
that was on the list. That countdown led to many other things, where I am even
writing band reviews twice a week and have something to say about them, but I
mention it for something else. Another friend commented on that song because
she loved Vertical Horizon and she had met them. She mentioned the issue with
the record company not supporting their second album (which I had not known
about) but how they kept going and she respected them so much.
So, as they
became a part of the Under the Sun tour, and I would see tweets, and it became
inspirational to me, and it's a reminder that when it looks like things are
going your way it may not last, but if it doesn't, that doesn't mean you're
over. That's why I wanted to write about them.
There are a
couple of interesting things about the music that I want to put out. One thing
is that in the very early stages of they band they spent a lot of time
acoustic, and then more recently a country artist recorded a cover of
"Best I Ever Had" which did well.
I mention
those two things together, because I think they may both have a significant
influence on the sound. It is guitar-centric, but with a tendency more towards
the subtle than the driving power chords. Especially on "I Free You"
and "South for the Winter", the last two tracks on 2013 release Echoes
from the Underground, I hear all of these delicate details and flourishes.
There is a richness there, but calibrated to never overpower the emotion.
I do think
this is a good band to use if you would like to get a country fan more into
rock. It will not sound completely discordant to them, and yet it is rock.
There may be a good opportunity there.
Mainly, I
just want it known that they are still around.
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