A Song a Day #6 - “Angry Son / Woolworm” by Indian Summer
Faintly to the stone heart of an angry son, an angry son who has done his swallowing, his memories are bitten pills
So many bitten pills that he has collected, like the fallen pieces of the broken ground which he now moves on...
Despite the fact that they were only together for a grand total of a single year, Oakland based emo/post-hardcore act Indian Summer managed to release one of the genre’s most definitive albums with the release of 2002′s “Science 1994.”
“Science 1994″ is not even technically a full-length studio release; rather, it is a collection of singles and unreleased tracks recorded during the band’s brief 1993-1994 run. Standing tall above the other cuts is the seven-and-a-half minute long “Angry Son / Woolworm” (re-titled “sleeping” in the 2009 re-release). Opening with softly finger-picked guitar over a Bessie Smith sample, “Angry Son” relies on the driving bass and subdued guitar melody to form a subtle build. Soft crackling noises reminiscent of vinyl records are heard throughout the track, adding a gentle, nostalgic atmosphere to the otherwise emotionally intense track.
Though he is living, silently in moments and forgiving relevance, it is in his heart he is holding
And calling behind sadness of empty fields
It is in these moments of time well spent, in these moments of gravity
This time well spent
A look to heaven, sighing tears of angel's and a night sky
The first section of the track remains quiet; the guitar and bass set the mood as the spoken word vocals whisper softly beneath the instruments. The vocals sound world-weary and resigned, reciting almost abstract lyrics that manage to beautifully capture both the primal fury of youth and the melancholic uncertainty of adolescence. Although the lyrics are difficult to decipher, they paint vivid images in the listener’s head; there is a deep sadness contained within this song that threatens to spill over the edges, a feeling of desolation and solitude that demands to be felt. This sorrow fills up until it cannot be contained, and with a few swift power chords and a burst of distortion, the track explodes in a brief burst of rage. From this precarious precipice of emotion, the song quickly winds back down, only build back up to the true cathartic climax of the track. The previous heights were merely a taste of what was to come; with the all the teenage rage one could possibly muster, the vocals rise to a guttural scream, with the distorted guitars answering the call to arms with bombast. Although this section is driven by a powerful sense of anger, there is a frailty to it as well; the vocals and instruments sound as if they are being pushed to their utmost limits and are in danger of falling apart completely.
This is the moment
I am the angry son
I am the angry son
I am the angry son
I am the angry son
Sighing tears of angel's and a night sky, this is the moment
And just as abruptly as it came roaring to a peak, the song builds back down to where it began. The warm vinyl distortion returns, and the instruments quiet down, breathing ragged, shallow breaths. Like the anger of one’s youth, the noise does not last long; yet in the heat of the moment, it consumes the entirety of one’s being. By the time things have calmed down, it is too late - the feeling is gone, the moment has passed - and what was briefly one’s entire world is now nothing but a shadow of a memory.
