Pop music doesn’t have to be faddish and throwaway; it is better for all concerned when it isn’t, much better when it strives to be more than just another three minutes of sonic consumption. Pop music can be infectious and enjoyable while at the same time being sophisticated and poised. How do I know? I have just listened to “Chained,” the new one from Alwyn Morrison, and it is everything I have just described. Everything and more.
Pop may not be the right word, for there are elements of singer-songwriter style, indie coolness, and even some alt-rock weight, but it will have to do for now, until a better term comes along.
“Chained” has an incredible dynamic, sometimes wandering into folky understatement at one extreme and acoustic rock grooves at the other. It is light and lilting, graceful and groovesome, accessible and melodic. But if you think that is clever, cleverer than the average pop song, listen to the lyrics.
This is a song written from the point of view of someone being crushed under the weight of commitment, someone who finds themself drowning in a relationship, someone who doesn’t want to walk away but knows that they must. Again, it’s not your average pop content.
This is pop with a purpose, the sort of pop with which the likes of David Gray and Damien Rice made their name. One day, all pop music will be this great…well, one can only hope.
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cover image courtesy of Denice Flores Almendares
