As we get to listen to more and more tracks each month, being able to filter what stands out the more is usually a matter related to musical capacity. But when a track can immediately enter our heart and mind, then everything else is secondary and doesn’t even have to be necessarily novel or new. In the end, is all about the way music resonates within us. And that is the beauty of music. We are saying this because Michael Baker is the latest case of love at first listen. And if we had some time between his latest release and this post, is because we needed to consume it properly, before passing the word.
One God Damn is the single responsible for that amount of immediate love. The track is supported by a video-clip filled with the simplicity of all the things that are dear to oneself. The simple things captured by iPhone footage of the band and friends over a period of 2 years.
One God Damn is a track about being able to see the light after accepting the darkness and understanding how to see the beauty in moments where we help others go further with their lives. It is a song about kindness and how it is in fact the only way to get through life. One God Damn is musically filled with melodies that make one feel good. And that is the easiest way to describe what is usually a very hard to accomplish music-making process.
In September Michael released Claire, a gorgeous story-telling meets folk track that easily speaks to one’s heart. He says the inspiration behind the track was about the importance of space, and how respecting someone’s solitude can be the kindest form of intimacy and love. And even though the song generally transmits a positive vibe, there is for sure a certain melancholic vibe that can easily turn into an inner-thinking process. And that is great. That’s what music should always be about. Connecting with our inner self. As much as that can bring us tears to our eyes, or lead us to relate situations that fully correspond to the lyrics. Like an egocentric process of love.
Claire also came with a gorgeous music video, that truly echoes the sensibility and clever feel present in the track. And what about the falsettos in the chorus? It’s hard to love a track more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. And every time we listen to Clair we remind ourselves of how big the world is, and how a song can focus the listener in what it matters the most: love in all its forms.
By the way, we had a great friend called Clara, that we truly miss. She would love the music video, and the way everything is made of common paper. We like to think she is smiling at this, every single time we play it.
More on Michael Baker can and should be found in the links below. He is about to release is second album Salt. Also, he is touring the UK and Europe, and we highly recommend you to catch one of his shows: