More often than not, we find ourselves in situations where we end up taking our bodies for granted. Our minds tell us to take in as much as we can — whether it’s food, work, art, exercise, sex, social media, alcohol or any of the other hundreds of things we interact with. And I’m definitely guilty of that, too from time to time. But I think as conscious individuals, we deserve the right to be conscious of not only our minds, but our own bodies and what their limits are.
I thought about this today as I listened to this song that I haven’t been able to stop listening to since last weekend. I saw these fine gentlemen perform at a festive-Easter show last Sunday in Brooklyn, and haven’t been able to cut myself off from their music. They performed after Dustin Wong of Ponytail and I couldn’t think of a more serendipitous marriage of musical individuals on one roster. The only thing more perfect than that night is the collaboration of these two musicians on this track.
There are so many layers to this one song. It builds and builds until your heart can’t take it anymore, and then they drop you off at the top of a mountain, letting you take in the view of the vast and breathtaking surroundings. There’s nothing for you to interact with for hundreds of miles. You are alone with that which came before you — mountains, earth, snowy peaks, ethereal tree tops — that’s existed for longer than your brain can realistically comprehend.
That wall of sound is monstrous.
I never ever feel like I’m taking in too much music. I think that’s what makes us at EMPT a special kind of human. We’re not afraid to over indulge in this particular indulgence. Never do I find myself saying, “Man, I need to take it easy on the music intake this week.” Think about that for a minute — this is the only true thing that exists on our planet that doesn’t kill us if we take in too much. I mean, maybe, if you really break it down and get all analytical, yeah. Going to too many shows and not wearing earplugs, and drinking too much, may potentially harm your ears and body in a long lasting way. But I mean music alone — without all the other stuff that is situational. You could sit in your house and listen to music all day long, every single day, and your only crime would be perhaps playing it too loudly if you start to really feel it.
I like to think of how this song plays in my head, the brain activity that’s going on right now as I listen to it for the hundredth time. If you were to take a CAT scan of my brain right now, you’d see vibrant reds, oranges, greens, blues, violets, and a steady dancing interaction between all of the colors. They’re trying to imitate sound waves. The reds are in the front of my brain for a moment, and then they jump to the back as if they’re a part of a West African dance routine. And isn’t that exactly what dance and physical body movement is? A visceral reaction to the activity going on inside our minds?
Life’s pretty spectacular. Take a moment to allow yourself at least this one indulgence that runs you no risk besides supreme pleasure. Happy Sunday, and thank you so much to both Delicate Steve and Dustin Wong for the magical birth of this track.