Tuesday, September 12, 2017

“Mercedes” by Ayo River – A Song Review

     With the first few listens, “Mercedes” was designated as blogworthy because of its hooks. The track launches with guitar that immediately hooked our interest. With continued listening, the appreciation for shifts in vocal flow grew.  As one example, in the line “And laughed and had ourselves an awkward hug,” the tempo slows significantly. We started considering the “hokeyness level” of analogizing the tempo shifts to changes in a river current, since the song belongs to Ayo River.

     Just as the hooks led to an appreciation of tempo shifts, the attention to the vocals led to an appreciation of the lyrical message. The song is about an awakening. Megan moves to Denver, sending him into a major funk, until he meets a lady after she runs a red light and hits him with her new Mercedes. Call it kismet or happenstance, the result is an existential awakening. But it comes with a recognition that things will change again, “My eyes can only document so much before they close again.

     Ayo River is the project of Weston Taylor in Atlanta, Georgia. In concert and on recordings, Weston is joined by Josh Crusa (bass) and Evan Seeds (drums). 
     “Mercedes” by Ayo River 


Lyrics of “Mercedes” by Ayo River
So I guess that we’re not invited
To the party out on the westside
Me and all of my friends decided
We’d be better off as strangers

After Megan moved out to Denver
I came home to ashes and embers
Started swiping left on Tinder
And fantasized about my funeral

I was introduced to a lady
When she crashed her brand new Mercedes
Through a red light, straight into me
She screamed and asked, “Are you alright?”

So I said, “Well, thanks for asking”
At this point I don’t care what happens
We stood there causing the traffic
And laughed and had ourselves an awkward hug

Who says you can’t go home again?
It’s all just something someone said
My eyes can only document
So much before they close again

People come, people go
No one really knows
Going out on the town
Till we drown our woes
[Repeat]

Who says you can’t go home again?
It’s all just something someone said
My eyes can only document
So much before they close again

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