Sometimes it’s the size of a song’s personality that almost by itself defines the power of the song. “Birds”
is a melodic lava flow. We cannot turn our ears away from the single, but touching
its gloominess is unhealthy. “Birds” tends to live in the lower frequencies but
includes contributions that provide some frequency contrast and balance. A
particularly strong feature is the guitar hook that carries the feel of Johnny
Marr’s days with The Smiths.
After going a stretch without featuring a
song by a band that includes siblings, March and April have included many. Bambara comprises
twin brothers and their childhood friend. They are Reid and Blaze Bateh, along
with bassist William Brookshire. The band is based in Brooklyn, New York.
In
talking about “Birds,” Reid said:
"'Birds' compresses the
events of many months into three and a half minutes, spanning time when the
couple we follow throughout the record are growing closer. On the train, they
fall in and out of sleep, reliving shared moments. Then a childhood memory
bubbles up to the surface of the protagonist’s mind, revealing his complex
relationship to the idea of love."
The lyrics are included in this post. The childhood memory is in brackets for the final verse. "Birds" is on Bambara’s 2022 “Love On My Mind” EP via Wharf Cat.
“Birds” by Bambara
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAMBARA.band/
Website:
https://www.bambaranyc.com/
Bandcamp:
https://bambara.bandcamp.com/
Bandcamp: https://bambara.bandcamp.com/
Lyrics of “Birds” by Bambara
Spring,
The
time of year when tourists shiver on the beach
And
baby birds begin to fall out of the sidewalk trees.
Sometimes
when it rained
We’d
grab a fifth and find a place to watch the planes.
One
night, we saw a Boeing trailing flames
And you
said, “They make it or they don’t.”
You
bought a point-and-shoot
To try
to document your visions of the truth.
Cut
your teeth on gritty portraits for the local zines.
Snapping
everywhere we’d go.
We rode
to Coney and you shot a couple rolls.
And the
boney kid who broke my nose was glad to
Pose
biting on a bodega rose.
Then we
crashed on the train.
I woke
up and saw the sun rising
With
your head on my knees
And I
closed my eyes.
I saw a
flicker of your face
Above
the candle with a sticker of a saint.
Lit a
cig and then you pulled me into the smoke.
Then I
was driving in the snow.
You and
Nick were scared, yelling where to go.
But the
Firebird was skidding all over the road.
I said,
“Damn thing’s dancing on its own.
We make
it or we don’t.”
Passed out
on the train.
I woke
up to find the sun blinding.
You
were still sound asleep,
So I
closed my eyes.
[Then I
was walking in a hazy field near where I’m from.]
Passed
out on the train.
[I’d
just clipped my first dove with my father’s shotgun.]
I was
bleeding in the sunlight
[I
found her among the sunflowers, still flapping her wings.]
With
your head on my knees
[I
scooped her gently into my hands, and I set her free.]
And
love on my mind.
Spring,
The time of year when tourists shiver on the beach
And baby birds begin to fall out of the sidewalk trees.
Sometimes when it rained
We’d grab a fifth and find a place to watch the planes.
One night, we saw a Boeing trailing flames
And you said, “They make it or they don’t.”
You bought a point-and-shoot
To try to document your visions of the truth.
Cut your teeth on gritty portraits for the local zines.
Snapping everywhere we’d go.
We rode to Coney and you shot a couple rolls.
And the boney kid who broke my nose was glad to
Pose biting on a bodega rose.
Then we crashed on the train.
I woke up and saw the sun rising
With your head on my knees
And I closed my eyes.
I saw a flicker of your face
Above the candle with a sticker of a saint.
Lit a cig and then you pulled me into the smoke.
Then I was driving in the snow.
You and Nick were scared, yelling where to go.
But the Firebird was skidding all over the road.
I said, “Damn thing’s dancing on its own.
We make it or we don’t.”
Passed out on the train.
I woke up to find the sun blinding.
You were still sound asleep,
So I closed my eyes.
[Then I was walking in a hazy field near where I’m from.]
Passed out on the train.
[I’d just clipped my first dove with my father’s shotgun.]
I was bleeding in the sunlight
[I found her among the sunflowers, still flapping her wings.]
With your head on my knees
[I scooped her gently into my hands, and I set her free.]
And love on my mind.
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