Plug me in, coach, I’m beginning to fade…
Singer-songwriter Lael Neale, whose Omnichord-charged sound sports a wondrous throwback vibe, checks in with a new tune—hopefully the lead tease to a forthcoming album—that anyone who’s endured a power outage and/or an energy-deprived morning should appreciate. It conjures the pre-Loaded Velvet Underground—but with Liz Phair subbing for Nico. (Seriously, the thumping drums echo Mo Tucker’s!)
In a press release, Neale explains, “I wrote the song during an ice storm a couple of winters ago that caused a five-day power outage while I was living on my family’s farm in Virginia. I experienced intense withdrawal from all these things we’ve come to depend on so heavily in our modern life—like lighting, heat, refrigeration, and entertainment. I felt a range of sensations from utter emptiness to complete liberation. I realized we’re essentially electrified beings now, but through unplugging entirely we have a chance to gain a new perspective and reset ourselves.”
Those of us of a certain age, of course, remember when life wasn’t dependent on any device beyond the TV and stereo, and when phones worked regardless of the power situation and/or status of nearby cell towers. They were simpler times, both better and worse for reasons too lengthy to go into here, with the biggest plus—at least from where I sit—being life’s slower pace. The daily grind existed, of course, but seemed less onerous sans the deluge of emailed demands and distractions from bosses, colleagues and customers.
Instant-on existence, as I call it, creates a faux urgency to most things—but that’s a rant best saved for another day. Instead, I’ll close with this: “Electricity” is an addictive listen that’s sure to spark thought in all those who hear it.
The Old Grey Cat 