Post-Nothing Rock: Swordfish

Why I Like It:

Every October the album Rodia, by the short lived band Swordfish, has been an album that helps me welcome the fall season. As the cold starts to slink into the night and the sun becomes elusive, the blissful feelings of summer dissipate and a new biting hollowness can creep in. I find fall can be the most beautiful time of the year but also the most dreary and lonely.

The beauty of fall shines through when the low sunlight dances within the orange, red, and yellow leaves of deciduous trees. I found out, from the wonderful movie called Perfect Days, there's a Japanese word for this phenomenon called Komorebi, which refers to the:

"visible rays of light that filter through leaves and branches, creating a dappled, serene effect on the forest floor".

I experienced this phenomenon when hiking solo up Mount Royal in Montreal, with this album playing in my headset for the first time. I was in awe of the beauty of nature while also completely alone and not sharing it with anyone. This plays into the juxtaposition of when the vibrant fall colours eventually leave, as the trees go into hibernation, and you just have foggy clouds and grey backdrops. It can be hard not to feel the desolation and hollowness.

This is where midwest emo albums like Rodia (yes I'm going to purposely use the term for this album) act as the perfect soundtrack to this season. For those not a nerd and into the know of all the emo subgenres like myself, midwest emo is:

"music that tends toward alternating loud and soft dynamics; off-key, strained, or "whiny" vocals with little screaming; sometimes with intricate instrumental arrangements and layered arpeggiated guitar parts."

Now that you have this description in your mind, you can see how midwest emo fits with the fall vibes I mentioned (hopefully) and this is everything that Rodia offers the listener. It has the pretty twinkly guitars, and trumpets in some songs, coupled with the sorrowful vocals and lyrics.

So get outside and enjoy some nature, with midwest emo bands like Swordfish as your backdrop, to help with those seasonal blues!

_____________________________________________________________

Highlighted song and lyrics:

Ghost Song- "You look less like a ghost and more like a sheet on the floor/ With that unmade bed of yours/ You kept it like your relationships/ Always ready to let anything just slip"

______________________________________________________________