Almost With You is one of the true classic openers of The Church albums. It sucks me right in to the mood of the album. It has drive and speed but the melancholic blues shades layered on top of it make it a song that can be appreciated in many moods quite perfectly. It's a quality that I often seek, being able to project many moods on a song.
The lyrics of the song are enigmatic as ever. More like painting a canvas with nostalgic sepia-shades. The feeling of loneliness, longing and the passing of time are there, not necessarily said, merely hinted at. Every line, at least in my mind, ends with an image of something out of reach and long gone.
...before our time
...forgotten and gone
...not far behind
still there is a sense of uplifting euphoria. The happiness of being alive. Waiting for good great things in the future. Or is there? Is it a song about a dead man who died in a war and the singer is coming to his funeral? Sometimes I see it so.
Musically it feels so simple but it's only surface. Originally long time ago I was a bit surprised that this song was so simple as their other material was not so. The drums drive the song with their slightly boxy sound and the speed changes make me smile. The guitars are layered on top of it like a jangly (this term will be used a lot from now on) string of pearls and it all culminates to the wonderful Peter Koppes solo with his warm and absolutely lovable spanish guitar. If I had to choose one solo from their discography that I love it could be this. It's unlike others and it fits the atmosphere of the song so perfectly.
1 comment:
yes, one of the few guitar solos you could really sing. as a favourite, i prefer only "antenna"'s infinitely swirling tremolo spiral.
almost with you's drums are fantastic indeed. it's *exactly* the speed and groove the song needs! i love the chamber-music like sound of BC - clean, not sterile.
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