There’s a song you probably have never heard by Basement Jaxx called Lights Go Down that just has to be heard with the world around you just so - possibly the most ideal would be at sunset, as I’ve experienced it a couple of times while walking home with the lights of the world dimming slowly.
The song doesn’t spend long building - the complexity of the song is there from nigh on the first note, and it remains a beautifully complex song throughout. Were you to seperate out the components, I could easily imagine four, maybe five distinct tracks coming out in the simplest parts of the song, and it is without a doubt one of the finest demonstrations of stereo equipment.
Add to this mix the mysterious voice, slight choral echo and the plain and repeated but haunting lyrics layered on top, this song takes on new dimensions. The lyrics are as simple as the following:
_And when the lights go down That’s when it bites just a little Bites just a little more And when the lights go down, down That’s when I die just a little Wanna get high just a little more
When the curtain falls And there’s no more applause When the party’s over And there’s no one to hold ya Look inside yourself and find Your own light to ease your mind_
… and that’s it, just repeated - but not so as you’d notice.
I’ve yet to find a song that can change my mood so drastically. It’s not necessarily change-for-worse, either - there’s almost a happy melancholia to it that means you can take out whatever you want from it. And ultimately, the message is a positive one.
Just thought I’d share :)