“We Are Ghosts” By VNXI – A Song Feature

 

     There is an eeriness to the initial seconds of the song from VNXI, which is fitting given the title “We Are Ghosts.” Then, a punchy and crisp percussive rhythm enters as the foundation of vocals that have the weight and timbre that characterize singles from Ireland’s VNXI. As the song progresses, the complexity of the instrumentation expands and contracts, as if “We Are Ghosts” is breathing.
 
     The band provides an insight into the meaning of “We Are Ghosts. Vocalist Kurtis Wade Murphy says on the track:
  "There’s something beautiful about thinking of the past as being filled with ghosts. I think that’s often true about love. We can go through years of growth and be someone completely unrecognizable to who you were when you loved someone from the past, but when you think of that person you still see them as they were and not as they are. Old love and the mistakes we often make when we’re young can haunt us for a long time. Writing a song about this was a way to confront the haunting nature of past love and learn to leave it there."
 
     Our best understanding of the lyrics is included in this post. They often reflect uncertainty in the relationship by beginning a line with “Maybe.” Kurtis Wade Murphy’s insight that “when you think of that person [you once loved], you still see them as they were and not as they are” is reflected in the lyrics. We particularly appreciate the poetry of “Passing through life not noticing time like ghosts pass through a wall  // Remnants of our love warm me like a drug I can't kick at all.”
 
       VNXI is comprised of Kurtis Wade Murphy (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Noely Musgrave (bass, synth), Andy L'Estrange (lead guitar, keys), and Leo Cassandro (drums). The band crafts cinematic rock uplifted by pop ambition, soundtrack-worthy sonic architecture, and good old-fashioned hometown authenticity.
 
     “We Are Ghosts” By VNXI

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vnxiband
Website: https://www.vnxiband.com/

Lyrics of “We Are Ghosts” By VNXI
Maybe there's nothing in our way
Maybe we're both feeling the same
And I am your ghost, as you are my ghost
Maybe there's something in our minds
Maybe it freezes up sometimes
And that makes us cold, maybe we're cold
 
Passing through life not noticing time like
Ghosts pass through a wall
Remnants of our love alive in songs we sung
Nights we slept not at all
 
We said together, we will grow up
Until we are ghosts, so
We are, we are, we are, we are
We said together, we will grow up
Until we are ghosts, so
We are, we are, we are, we are
We are ghosts
We are, we are ghosts
 
Maybe I am just what you need
Maybe you bring out the best in me
And maybe we're blood, maybe we're just blood[?]
Maybe you are my counterweight
Maybe I make you believe in faith
Maybe even God, maybe even God
 
Passing through life not noticing time like
Ghosts pass through a wall
Remnants of our love warm me like a drug
I can't kick at all
 
We said together, we will grow up
Until we are ghosts oh
We are, we are, we are, we are
We said together, we will grow old
Until we are ghosts oh
We are, we are, we are, we are
We are ghosts
We are, we are ghosts
We are, we are ghosts
We are, we are ghosts
 
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
We are, we are ghosts
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
We are, we are ghosts
 
I love you still
Till we are ghosts
I'll love you still
Till we are, we are
Till we are, we are ghosts

“The Strangest Dream” by Crystal Cities – A Song Feature

 

     In the universe of Crystal Cities, a recurring dream that nightmarishly progresses toward impending death provides the inspiration for a song with energizing guitar riffs and galloping percussion. It’s a display of the difference between most of us and the creatively artistic few. “The Strangest Dream” is a single from the upcoming LP with the untypically long title “I Should Have Known That This Was War.” In talking about the song, vocalist Geoff Rana said:
   “'The Strangest Dream' is about a recurring dream I was having where I was fighting for my life against some kind of foe. Some nights the dream would become so intense that I felt like there was no escape and that I was looking death right in the eyes. It was always then that I would be awakened.”
 
     The vocal emotion is powerful, as the inflections embrace the darkness and fears during the description of the dream. Still, the instrumental contributions are the highlight. “The Strangest Dream” explodes at 1:20. It is at that point that the skillfulness in the drumming becomes apparent. The members of Crystal Cities are Geoff Rana (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Jared King (bass, backing vocals), and Neel Shukla (drums). We find the following insightful:
  Spacey dreamscape during the verses turn into thundering choruses as the track unfurls. New drummer Neel Shukla makes his presence known as he digs deep into his rolling chorus pattern, gradually building in intensity and complexity. Jared King’s bass also gets a moment to take center stage in verse three as the instrumentation is pared back to just a synth pad, bass and vocals. A beautiful moment ensues as the bass and lead vocal dance around each other before the song explodes once again into an anthemic but ominous chorus that The National would be proud of.
 
     Crystal Cities are based in Sydney, Australia. “I Should Have Known That This Was War” will be their third LP.
 
     “The Strangest Dream” by Crystal Cities

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystalcitiesmusic
Website: https://crystalcities.co/
Bandcamp: https://crystalcities.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “The Strangest Dream” by Crystal Cities
The lions on the run, I see
They slowly circle back on me
All these eyes abandon here
As I slowly walk on through the years
 
And if we leave now, we can make it there
I’ve seen a side of you
And all these colors, they don’t care for us
And now my head, it’s in such a rush
 
Turn off the light, turn off the light
I hear your voice, but I can’t make out what you’re trying to say
And I’m slowly walking on fire
Turn off the light so I can be here
I tried to memorize all my fear
But, as far as I know, it’s just a matter of time
 
Yeah, I had the strangest dream last night
Yeah, I had the strangest dream
Yeah, the one I’ve had a million times
Yeah, the one where I wake before I die
 
Turn off the light, turn off the light
I hear your voice, but I can’t make out what you’re trying to say
And I’m slowly walking on fire
Turn off the light so I can be here
I tried to memorize all my fear
But, as far as I know, it’s just a matter of time
 
Yeah, I had the strangest dream last night (Turn off the lights, so I can be here)
Yeah, I had the strangest dream (Turn off the light, turn off the light, so I can be here)
Yeah, I had the strangest dream last night (Turn off the lights, so I can be here)
Yeah, I had the strangest dream (Turn off the light, turn off the light, so I can be here)
Yeah, I had the strangest dream last night (Turn off the lights, so I can be here)
Yeah, I had the strangest dream (Turn off the light, turn off the light, so I can be here)
 
But I wake before I die

“Cinderella Man” by The Sportings Remember – A Song Feature

 

      The lyrical subject matter of “Cinderella Man” is meaningful and inspirational, while the instrumentation features a tasteful elegance. The song is based on a book of the same name, which chronicled the real life of a boxer who was nicknamed “Cinderella Man” when he upset the heavily favored world heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer in 1935. Artfully, the sound of crowd noise begins the song by The Sportings Remember.
 
      The lyrics to the song are included in this post. They include the line, “For your wife and for your children, you must rise again.” That line is a reference to Cinderella Man (James Braddock) returning to boxing because he had difficulties making a living wage during the Great Depression. It was during the comeback that he stunned the boxing community with his victory over Baer.
 
     Following the initial crowd noise in the song from Spain’s The Sportings Remember, a pair of guitars and then a trumpet carry a feel of a bullfight or other sporting event. The song features both abrupt intensity shifts and extended crescendos. Clearly, “Cinderella Man” did not come together without careful consideration and attention to detail. The band identifies their genre as Symphonic Folk Rock. Still, they show their flexibility during the instrumental bridge that starts at 2:26, when the piano plays a more lighthearted melody and a harmonica enters. It’s not often that you’re going to hear a harmonica in a “symphonic” performance.
 
     The Sportings Remember are from Cabanillas del Campo, Spain. The four members are Néstor Díaz, Miguel Fuentes, Carlos Caro, and Luis Felipe Camacho. In 2022, they released a three-song debut EP, “Tales of Redemption.” The Spotify stream of the EP is embedded in this post. We particularly recommend listening to the entirety of "Immortal Love" and its powerful instrumentation.
 
     “Cinderella Man” by The Sportings Remember

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesportingsremember

“Lyrics of “Cinderella Man” by The Sportings Remember
The fame, the glory, even the gold
Now you have nothing, you've lost it all
But you have something to be thankful for
And for them you must move on
 
No one to see you, no one to trust
No one will bet for your desire
Just a few dollars is what you want
Underselling your fists to avoid the tomb
 
Now you have another
To amend the mistakes you did in the past
You have to win without your mask
You have no rival in this fight
 
The audience is screaming your name again
The pain you've been through they suffered as well
Leave your soul in the ring for them
For your wife and for your children, you must rise again
 
Behind the curtains, there is a light
You don't want the glory, but to survive
So don't give up, let's face this fight
Always the day defeats the night
 
[Bridge]
 
Behind the curtains, there is a light
You don't want the glory, but to survive
So don't give up, let's face this fight
Always the day defeats the night

[Repeat]