Given and Taken in Ink

MP3: Shearwater, “You As You Were”

Upon hearing me playing Shearwater's great new single, "You As You Were," my wife remarked, "That sounds like an 80s song."  And she's got a point.  If the 80s gave us anything good, it was EPIC movie montage anthems.  You know - the kind you can sing karaoke at a bar and get everyone on their feet.  I never sing karaoke, mostly because I can't sing (if I could, I'd making music instead of writing about it!), but also because the Karaoke Guy never has any songs I like.  But "You As You Were" is the kind of song I'd like to sing in front of a bunch of drunk bar-hoppers.  It's got all the elements of a GTI-favorite: swelling crescendos, a propulsive beat, and an anthemic coda ("But I am leaving the life! / I am leaving the life! / I am leaving the life! / I am leaving!").

So!  Shearwater: This is my promise to you.  I will do everything I can to make Shearwater the biggest band in the world and get your songs into the karaoke book.  Let's make this happen, people!

Shearwater - You As You Were

Animal Joy, the album on which "You As You Were" is found, is due for release on February 14 via Sub Pop Records.  It's the band's eighth album and first on Sub Pop.  Buying the LP through the label nets you a special blood-red vinyl edition.  Fancy!

Or get it at the usual places:

I'd also like to send a special thank-you to Taylor Johnston of musicforants.com for posting this song.  Taylor's music blog is one of my favorites, and while I don't read other blogs as much as I used to, I try to check in when I can to see what he and his team are doing.  Taylor probably doesn't remember this, but he provided some advice to a fledgling blogger (me) when I was just getting started.  If I remember correctly, it went something like this: "Stop using Blogspot and self-host.  Never forget where you came from.  You didn't start this for the money or the women.  You do it for love of the Game."  That's probably not exactly what he said, but I think it's what he meant.  Or something like that.