For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.
The percussion-cracking “So Alive” descended on just about every radio station in New York City in 1989. I couldn’t get enough of it. So I decided to buy the self-titled album. As fans know, the rest of the album is very different from “So Alive”. Needless to say, it took a while for the record to grow on me. But once it did, I was sold. The album wavers back and forth between a world of motorcycles and a desolate wasteland. Not my cup of tea. But if you’re in the mood, it works wonders with deep cuts like “No Words No More”.
In his hush demeanor, Ash sings of a lazy devil, pools under a blue sky, and people down the street from you and I. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what the song means. But maybe that’s the whole point. There’s no one particular meaning. The song is whatever you make of it. It’s whatever you want it to be. A backdrop for your mind to wander and make something of nothing. And maybe those are the best songs because they invite us to call the shots.
“Even the laziest devil Sits on your youth and you cry. He watches your mistakes. Until the day you die.”