http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoLACv_srQ On first listen this sounds like a hedonistic dance tune that you'd hear in a seedy dance club, the bass notes are incredibly low and rhythmic making you think that it's all about owning the dancefloor, which it actually manages to do masterfully. But then something tremendous happens, one of the least macho voices you can imagine pops up to sing this song of blues and acceptance and many other things besides. It's a song that details the story of a breakup, and in great detail but it's eloquently summed up in the first two lines "I wish that we could talk about, but then, that's the problem." There's no hope here they're done. The musical sound of the breakup is monotone, bleak and relentless, the writer talks about work that needs doing, but not on the relationship he'll do anything to stop about thinking about his heartbreak, which is constantly on in the background 'And it keeps coming and it keeps coming until it stops". But it never stops - the xylophone picking out the melody shows how bittersweet it all is. After all, this song is called 'Someone great' which shows how complicated the five stages of grief are, and for my money, this is one of the few songs that has managed to refer to all of the different stages at the same time.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash