She pauses again after Shadows for a touching act
of respect and remembrance. Early on the morning of March 14th, a drunk driver plowed through the barrier on
Sixth Street, killing two and maiming at least fifteen others. Lindsey asks for
a moment of silence to honor the people affected and their families. It takes a
moment for the crowd to quiet down, but most comply. She prays silently to
herself and many of us join her. This act in itself would have been enough, but
Lindsey plays the next song in honor of the victims. Based on her next two
concerts, it would appear she had planned on playing Transcendence, a song
about overcoming adversity. Instead, she plays her cover of “My Immortal” by
Evanescence. Lindsey’s rendition of the haunting, sorrow-filled song takes the
original in new directions, for she can go places with the violin that the
human voice cannot. It was the perfect song to play to help heal a city after
such tragedy, and I do not feel it was a coincidence it was already in her
repertoire. God was using her to heal.
It is important to note I did not expect her to
play a new song. She even second guessed herself somewhat, having played it so
few times with her band members. She need not have worried.
After the last notes
fade and the cheers die down, she approaches the microphone again. She begins
by talking about how she has a new album coming out in May. My ears perk up.
She talks about how excited she is about this new album. I cross my fingers.
She announces she will now play a new song from her new album, “Shatter Me.”
I’m bouncing with such
excitement I almost miss the name of the new song – “Beyond the Veil.” The new
song captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful
introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle
is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat
calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the
strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look
to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world.
Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a
knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep
longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does
not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever
present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme
throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be
one of Lindsey’s most popular works. Yet “Shatter Me” as an album promises even
more musical greatness. Adina Friedman of Atom Factory and Lindsey’s
manager describes the album to me in a few words.
“Epic,” she says. “Its
on another level.”
The above quote was not pulled from an
interview, but rather a brief message exchange and used with permission. I am
honored to be involved enough to learn a little about what goes into producing
an album, planning a tour, and in general making a star. I do not doubt as I
struggle to complete my journey as a literary artist that it will take a team
of hard working, amazing people who believe in me just like Lindsey has. So
thank you to all of you already along for the ride.
With the crowd reeling from this first
live play of the new song, Lindsey returns once more to the mic.
She begins Zi-Zi’s Journey. I try to
dance, but I’ve never been able to pull it off well sandwiched between people
like a sardine. Zi-Zi is a great song to jump to, but in actuality it holds a
deeper meaning for Lindsey. It is about her personal journey as she faced down
and conquered the growing pains of life. A perky, five note theme repeats
itself to create a ten note fanfare. It seems to represent the child Zi-Zi and
then later in the song represents Lindsey’s inner childlike wonder. The song
marches forward into a classic Lindsey “journey” motif until the beat drops
hard after a whimsical bridge. Lindsey speaks to the crowd in this quiet
moment—a calm before the storm.
“When the beat drops, I need everybody
to jump with me!”
The degree and amount of people who
follow this crowd command depends on local culture and inhibition. Last year,
Houston went wild while nearby Dallas barely moved. In this instance, it is
mostly the gathered Lindsey fans with inside information about the concert who
begin jumping. Here in Austin, when Lindsey jumps, more of the crowd joins in
the commotion, and the concert reaches a crescendo of energy. Lindsey concerts
are fun, and in all likelihood hundreds of new fans were discovering this fact
for the first time. It was thrilling for me to watch the reactions of people
discovering her for the first time.
Zi-Zi’s Journey was one song I did not
like originally. It is the only song on Lindsey’s first album earning the
distinction of needing to grow on me. I didn’t like the sharp electronic string
beat or its electronic flavor, but I developed a new respect for the song when
I heard it live. Since then, it has become the driving force of inspiration for
my next book, “String Theory.”
She pauses one last time to thank the crowd for
coming out, and then concludes with her most popular song, “Crystallize”.
Crystallize was the first time any artist mixed dubstep with the violin with
such resounding success, and the video for the song went viral within a day.
Inspired somewhat by the work of Japanese scientists on the effects emotions
can have on water molecules, the song emphasizes the realization of dreams
through positive attitude and faith. Crystallize follows a different pattern
than most of her other work. The journey motif is subdued in favor of a calm
and swirling theme that is both uplifting and heroic. The majority of Lindsey’s
music follows a traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus
structure, but Crystalize deviates.
The verse is more
powerful than the chorus, in particular when complimented by a dubstep power
beat. As a result the chorus springboards from the verse but does not thrive
independently. The chorus is a flurry of positive energy, alive with imagery of
rapid construction or creation. This wanton assembly could be crystal at the
molecular level, or the dreams and aspirations of humanity. There is no one
specific bridge, but several sweeping transitions that complement the song,
which ends with its powerful verse rather than its chorus.
Although Shadows barely edges
out Crystallize as my favorite, it is currently her most popular song for a
reason. Everyone has dreams they wish they could realize, and the song delivers
in its message that they all can come true with just a little bit of faith and
perseverance. Come back next time for the final installment in the series!
No comments:
Post a Comment