“The Roses” is a poetry-influenced acoustic work of art. The intro and outro of the single feature one member of March to May completing the fourteen lines of the sonnet “The Roses” while her co-member plays a pensive melody on the keys. Between the two portions of the recital are powerful instrumentation and moving vocalization.
The members of March to May are Beth Wesche and Darren Guyaz. Vocally, they alternate during “The Roses.” Instrumentally, it is Darren performing on keys and Elizabeth contributing the harp, which is best appreciated when the percussion ends at 3:27. The attractiveness and passion within their voices could effortlessly carry the day, but the single is elevated above other praiseworthy songs by a cello-powered crescendo. The focus turns to the cello at the start of an instrumental bridge (at 1:47). The bridge embraces a darkness that is somehow energizing, even before the start of the crescendo.
March to May is based in Seattle. Beth and Darren are the songwriters. The other contributors to the beauty and power of “The Roses” are Lauren McShane (cello), Rae Minji Lee (violin), Paul Murphy (bass), and David Bush (percussion). The song is from the recently released album “What I Was and More.” The album title is borrowed from the song’s sonnet, which was written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Quoting the compelling explanation of the meaning:
"The Roses" captures the growth — and generative decay — of the cumulative experiences of a life well-lived. With prose-like lyrics, simplistic yet compelling vocals, and an intense cello solo soaring above regimental snare drum and piano lines, “The Roses” delivers a beautifully complex message about age and the passage of time that is always relevant, but is particularly poignant now, as we reframe and readjust in response to the pandemic.
Talking about the album, “What I Was and More,” Beth Wesche and Darren Guyaz noted:
Produced by Martin Feveyear (Brandi Carlile, Kings of Leon, Damien Jurado), “What I Was and More” integrates tight harmonies and acoustic instrumentation with folk pop and indie rock influences to create an emotionally dynamic sound that’s rich in color and texture. We wrote the album while we were going through significant changes in our personal lives, finished tracking the night before the world shut down for COVID-19, and mixed it remotely in a world still in a state of great uncertainty. The songs center around a theme of creative destruction and transformation, and if ever there was a time to turn those things into strengths, it's now. Our new songs play with perspective, flipping expected narratives inside out and tackling the nuances of compassion, the razing and rebuilding of love and trust, and the fight for change over apathy and inertia from opposing angles. At its core, “What I Was and More” invites listeners to succumb to the delectable edge of possibility.
The album is available at the Bandcamp site https://marchtomay.bandcamp.com/
"The Roses" by March to May
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Website: https://www.marchtomay.com/
Lyrics of "The Roses" by March to May
Spoken Word:
Say what you will, and scratch my heart to find
The roots of last year's roses in my breast;
I am as surely riper in my mind
As if the fruit stood in the stalls confessed.
Laugh at the unshed leaf, say what you will,
Call me in all things what I was before,
A flutterer in the wind, a woman still;
I tell you I am what I was and more.
Lyrics:
And I will go alone, far away
But know, I’ll be back again
The road lies ahead, blackened by the rain
Under rose-colored skies, my naked heart will wane
I will turn and
Take you by the hand
Tread my footsteps far across this fertile land
And I’ll go, go, go
Until I meet the sky
And I’ll go, I’ll go
Until the river’s dry
River’s dry
And I will follow the sunlight filtering down
Exposing the layers below
Taste the warmth of years ago
And the ripened sweetness shows
Sweetness shows
I’ll turn to
the dark caress of night
I’ll beckon to the branches as they sigh
And I’ll go, I’ll go
Until I greet the sky
And I’ll go, I’ll go
Until the river’s dry
River’s dry...
Spoken Word:
My branches weigh me down, frost cleans the air,
My sky is black with small birds bearing south;
Say what you will, confuse me with fine care,
Put by my word as but an April truth,
Autumn is no less on me that a rose
Hugs the brown bough and sighs before it goes
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