Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t know what “love” actually means. It’s a terribly abstract thing, and we’ve been taught that it’s some mystical, valuable emotion we should all strive for. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t — but I think I have a vague (and when I say vague, I mean vague) idea of what it is. I’ve certainly felt strong connections before, and if that’s what this is, then perhaps I can affirm some things.
Whatever the case, I love music. Sure, I will confess to ignorance of what love really is (chemical reactions! but isn’t everything? We can break down everything to chemical reactions in mental workings, but it doesn’t bring us any closer to understanding or predicting human action,) but I will likewise profess to be a lover of music.
Take, for instance, the track from Spiritualized that’s being projected from my headphones (“Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space,” of course.) I suppose I love this track — or, at any rate, I enjoy it rather a lot. It’s an interesting combination of space rock, dream pop, and the melody of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” — juxtaposition, anyone? (On a side note, that may be my favorite word this month.)
The song produces a very peculiar feeling in me, though. Not so peculiar that I feel I may soon visit a doctor, but peculiar enough that I will listen to repeatedly listen, often playing the track upwards of 12 times before feeling really satisfied. It’s magnificent, triumphant, marvelous — all that, and more!
So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I present the following: Spiritualized, in this instance, have embodied that feeling so many call love. I’m not sure what I’d call it, but I sure like the track. Below is a video somebody on YouTube created with film clips that is worth a viewing.
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=X1ohmSeQELw
Matthew Montgomery is the MusicGeek.org editor in chief.