Monday, July 21, 2008

The Acorn

Photo Credit: Remi Theriault

While I remember reading and hearing much about The Acorn in the past year or two, I never quite felt the urge to investigate. Chalk it up to a period of discontent with the blogosphere/hype machine. Was I missing out? Most definitely. I came across the video for Flood Pt. 1 the other day while watching television. Enthralled by the visuals I had to ask "who that?"
Well, it is The Acorn.

The video was produced and directed by Chris Mills. A respected music and visual artist, he also directed the video for Modest Mouse's Float On.

Flood Pt. 1
Lift your head from wild and wicked sleep
where seven-headed serpents hiss soliloquies
and while picking snails from the river of the valley
you don't see the storm clouds piling up so quietly

The rushing river rattlesnakes your legs
and baby boy has got you drinking from the dead
you lick your lips and paddle for the levee
the sinking banks are sifting through your teeth

As you float up, see the river skins the valley
and strips the sleeping sediment of memory

You lift your head from wild and wicked sleep
the withered river sputters at your feet
and all around the sound is slow and muddy
the sunlight scatters pennies through the leaves

As you wake up see the river skins the valley
you'd love to wash this summer from your memory

I was struck by how evocative and visual the lyrics are. Alliterative too. I recommend picking up the first full-length proper, Glory Hope Mountain, on which this song appears.

There is a great article that talks about the band and the creation of Glory Hope Mountain from October of last year. Go here for a good and interesting read.

The Acorn - The Flood Pt. 1 mp3

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

sorry..but eloquent? these are high school level mediocre musings. I'm thrilled you connect to them emotionally - more power to you - to each their own...and all that,, but, as with so many lyrics today - it says nothing original and in an awkward, clumsy, self-conscious way.

So many fine lyricists to choose from and this is what you post on your generally pretty cool site? Whatever...

Pinball said...

oh boy, then you are really not gonna like next week when I christen Heidi Montag as the next in a long line of "new" Dylans.