underground Archives - THE UNHEARD

The Trek By Emersons Fall

I can almost guarantee you have never heard any music by Emersons Fall. They have 2 monthly listeners on Spotify and I know for a fact that I’m one of them. Their internet presence is essentially non-existent and googling their band name turns up nothing.

However, through some of extensive research I can tell you that Emersons Fall was a Wichita, Kansas duet made up of Ben Tyson and James Paul. The only album they released was their self titled album of 5 songs in 2011. Since then James Paul has gone on to form a new band with his brother and wife called En Power & Light. Ben Tyson, as far as I can tell, has moved on from music and now works as an engineer.

I discovered Emersons Fall while DJ-ing for the University radio station at Stephen F. Austin and instantly connected with their song The Trek. If you are like me back then I think you might really connect with this song. If not, I hope you enjoy it anyways. Lyrics and Commentary below.

LYRICS

Drop all your things get in the car
wherever we go we will go long and far
There are no rules here there are no holds bar

I’m leaving town I’m busting out
And I don’t know where I am gonna go
I’m all alone so ride with me
And we can just go together
The road is here
The skies are clear
but still I don’t know where I’m going

What we left behind now has begun to fade
I want to fall of the edge of this confusing game
And meet the unknown embrace it face to face

I’m leaving town I’m busting out
And I don’t know where I am gonna go
I’m all alone so ride with me
And we can just go together
The road is here
The skies are clear
but still I don’t know where I’m going

There’s no need to be waisting away time
Nothings (?????) by
All (??????) moving is you and I

Drop all your things get in the car
wherever we go we will go long and far
There are no rules here there are no holds bar

We’re leaving town we’re busting out
And I don’t know where we are gonna go
We’re not alone so ride with me
And we can just go together
The road is here
The skies are clear
but still I don’t know where I’m going

We’re leaving town we’re busting out
And I don’t know where we are gonna go
We’re not alone so ride with me
And we can just go together

We’re not alone

And we can just go together

COMMENTARY

In some of my spotlights I get to dig into the meaning of the songs, but in my research I found this old YouTube video that tells you exactly about what this song is about in their words. So I won’t waste our time pondering the original meaning. Instead, let’s dive into what I admire about the song.

I really like that the singing is just not quite in sync. It gives the song an aura of longing. Another aspect of the song that I really enjoy is how the lyrics portray a sense of discontentment and a sense of hope at the same time. I really admire how Emersons Fall were able to put those two contrasting ideas in the heart of this song.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Does this song remind you of anyone? Does it take you back to a specific moment in your life?

SOURCES
http://web.archive.org/web/20130514221945/http://emersonsfall.com/
https://www.enpowerandlight.com/
facebook.com
youtube.com

I Can Feel Your Heartbeat (featuring Jordan Frye) by A New Normal

A New Normal is a southern California band lead by Justin H. Wright. Justin describes A New Normal’s music as cinematic electronic, but the song ‘I Can Feel Your Heartbeat’ sounds more like a pop/rock anthem to me. Currently A New Normal is sitting at 2,170 monthly listeners making it a great candidate for our spotlight.

This song is split into two distinct parts. The first part gives you a low deep voice with the persistent bass drum and bass riff. The second part transforms you to a new scene; you’re at a party and everyone knows the words to the song. It’s actually kinda neat because it gives the song a sense of community.

LYRICS

Saw the fire in her eyes
I could hear her heartbeat
Felt the sunlight on my skin
As she laid beside me

Saw the heavens open up
As it rained down on me
Can’t remember what she said
But I could hear her heartbeat

I could hear her heartbeat (x4)

See the storm clouds up ahead
Say the words “I miss you”
I can’t remember what you said
But I could feel your heartbeat

Hear the heavens open up
As she laid beside me
See the fire in her eyes
I can feel your heartbeat

I can feel your heartbeat (x2)

In A New Normal’s bio on Spotify it says, “Every composition released by A New Normal is carefully crafted take the listener on a journey.” So what journey did we just take?

MY INTERPRETATION

This is a song of growing intimacy. The first half represents the infatuation phase. The second half represents a promise.

In the first half of the song we hear the repeating phrase, ‘I can hear her heartbeat.’ How close do you have to be to someone to hear their heartbeat?

Exactly! He’s letting us know that he is in close relationship with this woman. You can also tell that he is committed to her because rain (As it rained down on me) or shine (Felt the sunlight on my skin) he is still right by her side. He can hear her heartbeat.

Then we get to the second part of the song and something really unusual has happened. We have gone from a very intimate setting to a public gathering. Also we see our first glance to the future, “See the storm clouds up ahead.” He’s not scared though. In fact, now he can FEEL her heartbeat. He has gotten closer to her.

Finally, he is no longer singing about her, but to her. “I can feel your heartbeat.” And he is declaring this in the company of a crowd who is singing with him. This is an image of a wedding. The groom is publicly declaring his love to his betrothed in front of witnesses whose presence sings of approval.

In Summary, it’s just another song about a guy and a girl who have fallen in love, and I love it. What do you think? Do you get a different interpretation?

SOURCES

https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius.com/amp/A-new-normal-i-can-feel-your-heartbeat-lyrics
https://open.spotify.com/embed/artist/6VJnJ6OWeHKZzGlEumBPHa