Before this class I had never listened to the Rheostatics before and I can’t say that I expected it to be the prog rock fusion that we listened to in class. I listen to many genres of music, but prog rock has developed into being one of my very favourites as a genre full of experimental sound and song structure. The essence of prog rock lies in its attempt to capture deeper feelings in its music and I think The Great Lakes Suite really excels at this. The album itself feels like a nostalgic love letter to the land of Canada, perhaps not as it is, but as it was in times now forgotten. Complimenting this feeling is the mysterious spoken word monologues included in songs like Drop Off or either Swimming song, to me they brought back memories from my childhood. Childhood memories like camping in the woods, visiting the lake and drifting in the waves on a hot summer day. The music is like a warm hug mixed with the sounds of home, something you could close your eyes and be taken away to a far off place while listening to.
And taken away I was, because the real trick in this album wasn’t just to recall memories of my own, I found it also created new ideas memory like moments. In my life I’ve only ever been to two of the Great Lakes, and only sparingly at that. But this album characterizes each one as a unique character, like my personal favourite, Lake Michigan. The song flows with a steady classical guitar and haunting vocalizations, evoking a feeling like we’re examining a vast foggy water expanse, something mysterious and ominously powerful. But the rises in tension and speed are always underset with the soft voices underneath, reminding us of the majesty hidden behind the waves. To me, it felt as if I could come to know each lake as its own unique person hood, somehow finding a way to understand it like another person. But of course it’s not at all possible or true.
This album truly feels like it comes from a place of deep understanding of Canadian attitudes and experience. All the time in our courses we discuss what exactly Canadian culture is, how we could possibly define the experience we have all passively consumed through our lives. But part of me with this has started to believe that the best way to express this is with music or art like this. Culture is supposed to be more than something you can just describe after all, it must be understood and felt, listened to and seen. Pieces like this help us to understand better than we could ever hope to through academic work or official descriptions.
You have described your connection to the music in a very poetic way. Your perception of the lakes having their own personality and having a different relationship with each lake gives a very unique perspective. I actually agree with you that different bodies of water have their own characteristics and I do visualize water as alive and connecting with me. I have been to Lake Ontario, Huron and Eerie and after reading your post I am also drawn to visit the remaining ones and form a lived experience with each. I also agree with your view on this music giving us a deeper understanding of the Canadian cultural experience as music has the ability to make us feel and evoke a varied response from each one of us. Is there any specific experience that you can remember relating to the lakes as you listened to this music?
ReplyDeleteI really likes how you talked about how the album creates both old memories and new "memory like" moments. I felt the same way too. Even though I have spent a lot of time around lakes at my family's cottage, the music still made familiar things feel new and different. I also liked your idea of each song kind of having its own character. I definitely attached certain feelings and moods with different tracks. I agree with what you said about culture being something you feel more than you can explain. The album did a really good job of making connections without forcing it.
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