Yes, that's right. This week we have not one but two video premieres happening. Today's is from Jamie Block for his song "Show You Mine," which can be found on his latest album Whitecaps on the Hudson. Read on for my thoughts on the video and the album.
This was my introduction to Jamie, but he's been making music for quite awhile. His first album came out in 1996 and his most recent was just released (he also had a stint on Wall Street somewhere in there). When you listen to a song like "Show You Mine," then, it's hard not to feel the life and experience coming through Jamie's words and tone. I really enjoy this video. To me, it's a glimpse of a relationship that is deep, that works, but also isn't nauseatingly sweet. There is a deft blend of the heartfelt and the playful. We watch Jamie and the woman he's with spend time in a bed, a field, and most importantly, creating a house.
The house is the most direct reflection of the lyrics, whose chorus goes "Home's where the heart is, home is a state of mind. Come on show me yours, I'll show you mine." The act of making this miniature house is a great visual because it serves as a quite literal representation of two people building a life together. All the little details keep it fresh and unique. Everyone would populate their rooms differently, and that is true even within the couple. Each is adding something, and the combination and total effect is what makes for something bigger than themselves. Thinking about the words, it's both something moving and something elusive. "Where the heart is" implies that you feel it, "state of mind" implies you can put effort towards achieving it, and "show me yours, show you mine" means giving of yourself to another to gain it.
The song is a nice mid-tempo rock tune that showcases Jamie's strong writing ability. Besides the chorus, I was struck by the opening lines of "I don't know how the sky is so blue and why I can't stop thinking about you." You will find all kinds of gems like this throughout Whitecaps on the Hudson. What's quite interesting is how some songs take a much more speak-sing approach, like "Somebody Beat the Wiz," "Sam Patch," and "My Head." Reminded me a little of Lou Reed, but not quite as detached. The poetic passages on these quickly evoke vivid images, whether it's a fighting robot or the inside of a skull. Some of the songs on the album are low key, relaxed, and assured, with gentle acoustic guitar grooves, such as "Black Eyed Susan" or "I'll Keep It With Mine." Jamie and his players rock out, too, especially on the title track. There's folk, there's swampy blues, there's spoken word, and much more. It's a good listen.
You can go to Jamie's website to listen to and purchase Whitecaps on the Hudson as well as his other albums. Like him on Facebook here and follow him on Twitter here. He's got some other cool videos for tracks on the album coming soon, like "Black Eyed Susan," "Henry," and "Kate." Also, he plays tomorrow night at Spike Hill at 10:00. It's a free show, doors at 7:30, show at 8:00, and on the bill with him are the Indie Rock Live Band Karaoke Brunch and the Gowanus Collective. More info here.
We are excited to have a guest post coming from Jamie tomorrow, be sure to return for that. It's a fascinating read about how he listens to and processes music, which is something we are quite interested in at the Dig.