Next of Kin (2014) – Alvvays

I left my love in the river
The only one who sees
I lost his hand in the current
It was the life I wanted and I’d hoped for
And now I am left sifting through the leaves

I’m a big fan of Alvvays‘ self-titled debut album. This is the second track from the album after my last entry Archie, Marry Me. There isn’t a mediocre song on it. Also, I really like to watch / listen to that live performance they did on KEXP. They are no nonsense, no frills, chill-out band with great melodies and clean-cut guitar playing. Just watch their first track ‘Ones Who Love You‘ on KEXP and how the guitar sound is ramped up and organ synth added in the second verse. It’s fantastic. Their music has been described as ‘jangle – pop‘.

Their song Archie, Marry Me was included at No 98 in the Rolling Stones 100 greatest songs of this century (So far). But I like so many other songs from their record. Today’s Next of Kin is one such song.

Here, Molly Rankin sings of a lover drowning in a river. She told NME the lyrics stem from her isolated Nova Scotian upbringing. “I left a place that is surrounded by water, and now I sometimes look back on where I came from and think about all of that accessible water and space,” the singer explained. “There is still so much to be discovered. That element of wonder is still there.“

Alvvays are a quintet formed from childhood friendship, Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan, Alec O’Hanley, Brian Murphy, and Phil MacIsaac from Toronto and Ontario, Canada.

From the article below:
Isn’t life and experience a litmus test for your hopes and dreams of permanent connections with those you love?  A simple jangly song and I have made it tough food which needs certain decisive chewing, in hopes of a satisfying digestion.

References:
1. Alvvays-Next of Kin – Immersed in Cool Music

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“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand