plaid Missing

Just realised what a monumental, fuck-off masterpiece this is.

It starts off like an innocent, vaguely pleasant guitar song. It builds gradually in its own depth.

Then, somwhere around 0:55, something utterly magical happens. The mood completely shifts, like the full force of the elements in the track open up and shine through. The rest of the track explores a vast, detailed world of atmosphere, turning in all directions. Always discovering, and always showing it.

Plaid have always had amazing musical ideas, and this goes all the way back to Mbuki Mvuki. What I think has really developed over the years is their ability to express these ideas musically.

And now we have Missing, which is an expression of a complex, detailed emotion. The first minute of the track sounds simple enough, expressing a feeling of happiness that doesn't require much detail. Then, when the key changes, the emotion becomes much greater. What I think is happening is a major increase in the depth and complexity of the emotion being expressed.

That's what musical talent is all about. There are so many shit tracks around, shouting out basic feelings as strongly as they can. But it takes true skill just to be able to imagine feelings like these, let alone hold onto them long enough to channel them into a piece of music.

Andy Turner and Ed Handley have this skill.

like the deserts miss the rain