This Song Needs to Be in the World

Remember the post I did about music not too long ago? Well, there’s a song I’ve been freaking out about, and I want to share it with as many people as I can. The song is by the Wookles (formerly NoMappets). They’re a band based here in Lima (the singer, Walter Montoya, is a student at the university where I work, and is also a member of the band The Ancient Artifacts), and, as far as I know, they don’t have a recording contract. But by god, they should, if this song is any indication of their potential to kick some major pop song ass.

The first time I heard this song, I sat staring at my computer with my mouth hanging open. I seriously couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t understand how this gem wasn’t everywhere; I want it to be everywhere. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve been emailing and texting people about it. I’ve even been gesticulating wildly and talking loudly and excitedly about it to my poor coworkers. I’m forcing it on everyone I can, and I’m going to explain why I’m doing so. Here’s my pop phenomenology of the 3:15 of musical gold that is “Cold Places.”

This song is legit one of the tightest pop songs I’ve heard in a really long time. Every single element of it fits together so well (It’s even mixed beautifully.). And in true pop-excellence, it’s super peppy while the lyrics leave me feeling a little melancholy. I LOVE THAT. There’s nothing sugary here; the song engenders in me a feeling of exhilaration and loss all at once.

Part of the song’s charm, appeal, and success at being a true pop song is its simplicity. Or, rather, that it seems simple. The stuff that’s truly well done always seems to be effortless. This song seems effortless. For me, I listen to it and think it couldn’t have been any other way. Does that make sense? Like the song was meant to exist, and so it exists just as it is, effortlessly.

Oh, and let’s talk vocals. As I’ve said before, I’m a voice girl. If I don’t like the voice, I’m not in. Walter Montoya has the voice. And it’s a voice that tiptoes along the edge of crooning, but without the dramatics associated with the traditional swoopy nature of the croon. Sometimes, he even comes off as sounding a little sleepy when he sings. I think that’s great because that sleepy-soundingness is offset by the constant drive of the drums. Their opposition is the manifestation of the happiness and the sorrow inherent to the song. His sleepy, near croony voice is a smooth tenor, and the falsetto backing vocals (Are those his? They sound like his. Either way, they’re awesome.) are a perfect complement to the main vocal track.

And then there are the drums at 2:27. Rat-tat rat-tat rat-tat rat-tat rat-a-tat. Oh my god. It’s such a great way to kick back into the chorus. I’m pretty sure I yelled something profane about the excellence of that part when I first heard it…and pretty much every time I hear it.

What sealed the deal for me as far as being totally on board with this song happens from 2:24 onward. You just need to listen to it to know what I mean. It’s like all the pieces of awesome that make up the song have come together as a whole to carry you through to the end. I love every part of this track, but that final drive to the end is killer.

I actually get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach when I listen to “Cold Places” because I know the song has to end, and I don’t want it to end. It’s the best kind of anxiety. One thing that makes any great pop song great is that it doesn’t outlast its welcome; it stays just long enough for you to want to keep hanging out with it. You want to listen to it over and over. I keep expecting to tire of this one. I haven’t yet, and I couldn’t possibly tell you how many times I’ve listened to it. I have tried to stop listening to it, only to find myself yelling “This damn song!” and pressing the back button on my iPod to listen again. Sure, I’ve listened to other stuff since I first heard this a few days ago, but I keep returning…and returning…and returning.

I adore this song. I absolutely, unequivocally, unapologetically love it. I wrote this post because I need other people to fall in love with it, too. “Cold Places” deserves our love.