A Tale of Two Melodies
Click the image for Lisa’s Bandcamp where both of the songs I will be discussing can be found.
A brief preamble before I get started. I have mistakenly said in the past that my intent when reviewing and writing about songs is to “get it right” which is an absurd thing to say. Of course, I always hope that I am not totally off base when it comes to my analysis of tracks but I don’t think music is about right and wrong. Music is about experiencing various emotions across the spectrum; it’s about finding joy and catharsis when you need it, and sometimes having a much-needed cry. I am here to humbly offer my thoughts & feelings on a particular song and if on occasion what I say coincides with the intent of the artist that is of course amazing and I love that.
Out of the number of ongoing posts I am currently working on I felt most inspired by this one. This week I realized why I both enjoy and am so affected by Lisa Ritchie’s music. I have found that musicians fall into one of the following categories: those who aren’t good songwriters or lyricists and I don’t understand how they are popular, those who are good songwriters but whose lyrics don’t necessarily provoke deep thoughts, those who are amazing lyricists but aren’t necessarily amazing songwriters and the rarest group those who are both brilliant songwriters and outstanding lyricists. Lisa falls into the last category. Not only are her lyrics so intelligently crafted but the music is structured around the lyrics so fantastically. The beat will rise and fall at the perfect moments, there will be silence or a loud crescendo to perfectly emphasize the narrative of a track. Like an intricate puzzle all the pieces come together to form something truly immaculate.
Maps
I mentioned back in January that I wanted to dive further into this track and I didn’t want to wait any longer to do so. So, I will once again give a very unqualified opinion of this superb, remarkably meaningful track. My overall takeaway from this track is the phantom pain caused by relationships; more specifically at a relationships end. For me when a relationship ends you are experiencing not only the pains of that relationship but are also being flooded with thoughts and feelings of your previous relationships which have met their end.
“You said we’re like maps, we all change from battles past.
With victory and loss, only few will count the cost.
used in love and war, bodies tattered and they’re torn.
Drawn with lines and coordinates, love in only present tense.”
Regardless of how a relationship may end it leaves an impression on us and can alter the way we approach things in the future. They leave scars which few people will ever know about but they won’t be easily forgotten by those who experienced them. Relating this concept to an ever-changing map is ingenious.
“Like pioneers we’d dream, menacing like kings, denying our defeat,
sail until we sink.
The only guarantee, we have is history, and now it’s clear that I’m,
A map you left behind. With fresh enemy lines, along my ribs and spine.”
There can be many reasons why we may not want to end a relationship whether they be denial, fear or something else entirely. Sometimes an event needs to occur which causes things to finally “sink”. All we can know for sure it’s what has been done, what is in the past. “With fresh enemy lines, along my ribs and spine.” I love this line so much but don’t really have any solid thoughts on what it means.
“And all these haunting lines, observed by tired eyes, along my ribs and
spine.
They stand as evidence, the places I got wrecked, will always still exist
(forgive but don’t forget).
The only guarantee, I had was you and me. And now it’s clear that I’m
a map you left behind.
With fresh enemy lines, along my ribs and spine.”
I think of this as referring to the lessons we learn after the sting of a relationship has passed. I included the part in quotes as the written lyrics differed from what is sung in the track. While I think you could interpret them as meaning essentially the same thing, I found the difference interesting. It is important to forgive but not forget in the sense that we must remember the past in order to stop it from happening again, the track has already mentioned the importance of history. Everyone wants constants in their life and the hope is of course that the person you are with will be one of those constants and when that goes away it causes this sudden change in your life. Things are just over. I love how this is illustrated by the ending of the song; the lyrics end abruptly and the track slowly fades out. I feel that it perfectly echoes what the end of a relationship feels like. It is moments like this which cause Lisa’s music to truly stand out.
Click to listen to “Maps” and the rest of the Expectations EP
Click for Lisa’s Twitch page where she can be found performing live multiple times each week
Promises
Somehow this track hits even harder than the last one which seems almost impossible but it does. Both the feel and lyrics of this track hit me right in my emo loving heart from the very first time I heard it. In fact, I remember tears streaming down my face the first time I heard it. The emotional martial arts executed by Lisa in this track approach Tony Jaa levels and just as if I was to face off against an accomplished martial artist in real life, I had no defense for it.
“Cuz I’m finding I’m in love
With someone I barely know
Bury who we are
Burn who we could be
Finding just how far
You go to hide the promises
That you can’t keep”
After the line “with someone I barely know” we hear some muted strums and a brilliant transition that leads into the chorus. It is exceptional the way it draws your attention. I enjoy the saying “pain demands to be felt” and in that same way this track has a way of demanding your attention. Every time I hear this track I experience on some level the pain that exists within it. The fact that this track has that kind of power is astonishing to me. I spoke in the last track about the skillful use of hurried endings; that concept comes into play again here.
“So, I pretend to be naïve
Cuz its hard to let this
Bury who we are”
The way these lines end suddenly is seemingly simple yet incredibly inventive. While the quick ending produces a certain meaning all on its own, I feel there is perhaps additional insight to be gained when you combine lines; I may be totally crazy in this line of thinking. “Cuz it's hard to let this bury who we are.” This line in particular I find to carry even more devastating implications when it's put together. I wish I could articulate more succinctly the emotional weight that’s conveyed in this track. With this track and many others Lisa has found a way to dive into the emotional depths of my soul and swim around stirring up emotions, bringing events to the surface that I hadn’t thought about for years in some cases. I will be forever grateful to have been led to artists such Lisa whose music has changed my life for the better.
