Hozier

Today  have music for you by the Irish singer known as Hozier. This is the only song I am going to be talking about today because it is that incredible. I have not heard a song like this that has so much depth, so many intertwining layers. There is so much meaning and complexity to this song and it has been such a very long time since a song like this has been released. This song is one of the best songs I have heard this year. Hozier has a voice unlike anything I have ever heard. To be quite honest, I think he sounds even more incredible live. This song has so many wonderfully dark things happening in it and I can't help but really feel the tone of this song when listening to it. Hozier has this very distinct voice that is capable of pulling different sounds out. This song drips with passion and is immersed in the being that Hozier is. His voice is this rich baritone that is so full of soul and he oozes this beautiful huskiness when he sings. He also has this remarkable smoky sound to his voice which adds so much character to this song.  Hozier is nothing short of prefect when it comes to how he sings and what is gorgeous voice sounds like. What makes this song, and the whole album honestly, even more incredible is that everything was written and composed by Hozier. From the simple vocal lines, to the ringing "Amen," to the reverberating guitar strums, Hozier though of everything. Every little detail and every symbol of perfection is through his own brilliance and creativity. And let me tell you, this song and this album is nothing else but brilliant. When we start to dig deeper into the meaning of the song, things get so wonderfully complex. From the beginning, we get this shroud of darkness and these shadows that seem to loon over the song and inhabit the spaces between the notes. When I hear this song, I can only see and feel everything on a gray scale, but everything is some sort of dark grey or misty.  It is like this swirling fog that seems to cover scenes of empty park benches swathed in the grey and black that accompanies hauntingly beautiful moments. This image is complimented with an eerie gospel choir in the background to both fill the spaces and create a rounder sound. I think the next thing we should think, or rather ask, ourselves is why does this song feel this way? Why does Hozier make us feel so conflicted and why does he create this juxtaposition of light and dark within the song and ourselves? I think the answer lies in the lyrics for this one. There are many interpretations one can make for a song like this. The first one that I really see is the macabre romanticism that drapes itself over the lyrics. Hozier talks about the lovely death that being in love has. It is the most wonderful thing when you have love and the most fatal when the love is gone. If we look at the song on another level of understanding, we get to see how he cleverly and skillfully brings up ideas of duality in so many respects. He explores ideas of human duality, good vs evil, love and death, etc. The lyrical genius with which he expresses these ideas is so remarkable because he does not make it easy for us to really grasp what he is saying. We have to really listen and work through the song as we listen to truly understand what he is trying to scream to the world. This song in particular talks a lot about the presence of church for the youth. Hozier talks about his view on religion and how his perspective of religion has turned into a loveless place. What I love about this song is that he more blatantly describes his view of church and the more negative connotations it has for him. However, he subtly also describes the kind of church and religion youth are looking for today and in the world around us. He expresses his opinion on church and points out a belief he holds in the idea of hypocrisy in religion. This is demonstrated by the music video for the song which includes the degradation and humiliation and terror that a gay couple must face. When you watch the video, Hozier continues to make political remarks without saying a single word. This song and everything that encompasses it is truly a magnificent piece of art, an obra maestra for this generation. There are so many messages and lessons to take away from this song and it is so hard not to keep talking about the complexities of this song. Instead of having an instrumental song today, I have decided to post a live version of this song so you can hear how similar Hozier sounds in person and in recordings. I really hope you enjoy the song and take something away from it. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!