This is the pounding of a midnight heart

I don’t write about music much these days, but it’s an integral part of my life and I’d go mad without it (in fact, I really have been going mad without a piano to play for the past few years). And every once in awhile, an artist comes a long that gives me spine-tingling shivers, and I want to shout about it from the rooftops. I also want to hold it all in and protect it for my own. There’s a fierce pride that comes with treasuring the obscure (not that this is quite obscure any more). And so, if you haven't already heard...

A. A. Bondy. He has been on my radar for a couple years now, and the pulse of the radar only continues to grow stronger. When it comes to music, I'm normally I’m the type of listener who pays closer attention to the rhythm and instrumental parts of a song than to the lyrics. But my listening habits completely shifted when I first heard the song American Hearts.

Something about his presence made me listen harder than I ever had, to anyone, in a very long time. And then, in 2008, I heard him open for Bon Iver at Neumos in Seattle and my heart just about split open. I stood up front with my palms on the gritty stage and my eyes closed, feeling the vibration of the harmonica and the stomp of his boot in Vice Rag. He was vibrant and energetic, a little ragged around the edges -- and underneath you could tell he was just a guy with a guitar and more talent that could ever be measured by human standards. I had the thrill of watching him play again at the Tractor Tavern a couple weekends ago, and the energy level at the show was completely different. He was slower, more measured and relaxed, but still so passionate it gave me chills.

My current favorite song is I Can See The Pines Are Dancing. And to show just how obsessively my mind works, here’s a sketchbook page of my attempts at deciphering the lyrics. Kudos to Dave for figuring out “echo.” I played the song hundreds of times trying to figure it out. I'm still missing bits, and none of the lyrics I could find match up consistently with each other, so until I get a chance to ask the man himself it shall remain a mystery.

I’ll end with Slow Parade (don't lose patience with the intro - it picks up gloriously around 1:30). It's a song that pulls and pulses and shuffles and lazily spins like a slow dance in a high school gym, and when it all stops you look around and realize that you haven’t moved a single inch.

A.A. Bondy - "Slow Parade" - HearYa Live Session 11/21/09 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

If you’re craving more, HearYa (link above) has a lovely collection of live sessions and reviews, and the fuel/friends blog has a nice writeup. And remember to support the artist and buy the real thing from iTunes or Fat Possum Records.