Favorite Song #3: "Moving Pictures, Silent Films" by Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian indie-folk band fronted by Tony Dekker that is similar in sound to Red House Painters, Nick Drake, and Iron & Wine. Therefore, if you're unfamiliar with these bands, GLS plays mostly soft, lyrical, essentially bare music that embodies the understanding that you don't need many instruments and heavy production to create poignant, heartfelt music.

Their self-titled 2003 debut consists of ten guitar-vocal duets, with the exception of two songs that utilize drums. I read once that the entire album was recorded in an abandoned grain silo with minimal equipment. That's apparent in the echo and especially the ambient noises-such as the crickets and other insects which can be heard throughout this song and the rest of the album-which add an atmospheric and relaxing effect to the music. It's a perfect album for the night, since that seems to be its original auditory and emotional home.

The songs are mostly sad, slow ballads, so obviously you have to be in the right mood to really enjoy this stuff. I love sad music, but if you hate it, you might want to stay away.

This track, the first on the album, is probably one of the happier-sounding songs on the whole album (although its subject matter, may be the most depressing). The guitar line on this song is the prettiest sounding of the ten, and the slight piano accompaniment adds a great deal of melodic depth. But Dekker's voice is best displayed on this track, blending perfectly with the melody and expressed earnestly.

Perhaps the reason why this is one of my favorite songs is because 1. I never get sick of it, listening to it over and over again; and 2. I can never quite determine exactly what this song is about. Dekker has said that it's simply a song about hibernation, but it's impossible to accept that as its meaning simply because of how emotional this song feels. I've heard countless interpretations, but I'll leave it up to you.

Moving Pictures Silent Films.mp3

Here are the lyrics:

Oh wake me please when this is over
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will be the same, but older
And maybe twice the bear
That I thought I was

Where have you been,
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up, and spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films

Or is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing

I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights
And then the truth, the truth was unbearable
Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals

Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line

Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating in prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films