I just finally got around to finishing Jonathon Franzen’s The Corrections, a novel I picked up at random a few weeks back for a trip. It was an immensely enjoyable read, full of stylistic flourish and bravado, time jumps, adventure, and self-discovery. And, of course, I chose Father’s Day to finish a book that chronicles the decline of a father through the eyes of all those around him; their declines and personal failings mirroring his in some way.
I say this as I reach back into the archives a bit for a much belated song – “Death” by The Fields. It took a long time to find this record, in large part because there were far too many bands with “Field” in their name that released albums last summer. Like “Wolf” (Wolf Parade, Wolfmother, etc.) about 2 years ago, I guess it was the popular name at the time.
Anyway, back to the song. Death races along on a quick, infinitely repeatable 2 bar melody. The lyrics are whispers in the darkness, the chorus jumping around the edges like the chaos in the decaying mind of an old man. In The Corrections, Death is a nagging friend that finally wears down stubbornness; the violence takes place within the sanctity of the mind. Here, the violence is everywhere, cataclysmic.
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