At the risk of appearing too glib, I wanted to share a variety of tracks on this blog that influence, entertain and inspire me—not necessarily music that I love in the same way you might enjoy something by The Beatles or Oasis for example. To keep things interesting I want to keep sharing music that I find interesting... in one way or another.
This particular track was another Discover Weekly find. It’s a live recording of Alfred St John's Trinidad & Tobago Steel Drum Band band from, accompanied by a singer, and it’s the overall impression that truly drew me in. The band is excellent, delivering this melancholic piece of music to the best of their ability.
I imagine this song being part of the setlist of a hotel band playing in the dining lounge as diners enjoy the evening buffet. As the troubled and possibly intoxicated vocalist begins to tell a tragic tale of lost love, the scene becomes very vivid. You can picture individual elements of this setting perfectly, as if it were straight out of a David Lynch movie. For instance, I can imagine the singer might be a member of the hotel staff who used to sing in her younger years and now doubles as a taxi booking agent. The western holiday goers, plastered with aggressive sunburn, many of whom are considerably larger than the wicker dining chairs are desperately straining to accommodate. The charming and enthusiastic maître d' guides guests to their seats, while dreadful fashion sense is on display from men over 50. All the while, the band and chef look on with bemusement and resignation, occasionally shuffling the French fries that are a non-negotiable for the mostly American diners.
All this from a song that many might dismiss as sub-par in virtually every way, nothing more than a tropical hotel band performance. But I think the live feel is great and creates something entirely different. Again, at the risk of sounding deeply patronising and judgmental, sometimes things are so poor in quality that they exude a kind of unique brilliance.
The entire album is a goldmine, immersing you right into that evening environment.
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