In a heated (and rather drunk) debate with my mate once, I argued that a good song is one that immerses you- Nothing more. I was drunk but I still my argument still stands. Whether art immerses you because it shows you the ugly in this world and makes you feel empty or is so emotionally true and heart wrenching that you ball your eyes out and whisper ‘I still love her‘ before dropping into a troubled sleep, it does the same thing – makes you use your imagination. Art is not just there to keep you warm at night.
The other night I walked home and listened to “Troubles” by Ego Death and was immediately brought back to that drunk night. But this song existed in between my two examples. The haunting and moaning synths ached next to the smooth, innocent vocals, the ugly next to the beautiful, creating what I decided then and there was a quite brilliant vibe and a perfect introduction to the work of Quebec based Singer-Songwriter Joey Proteau.
A solid thread of purposeful finger picked acoustic guitar and banjo let a minor keyed set of troubled strings paint a picture of innocence lost. “Troubles are digging tunnels in my head, So deep, just to keep me stressed, It must lead somewhere, Someone’s still out there“, Proteau calls.
What’s special about ‘Troubles‘ is no matter what veil you lay upon the skeletal song, it is a masterful and concise piece of songwriting. What makes it even more listenable are the layers of classical and folk washes that make up this wide palette, and this promising writer.
Ego Death‘s 5 song EP, ‘Grief‘, is out now.
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