People use the term DIY far too brazenly and far too often, and when they do, it is usually a prerequisite excuse for the quality of the record you are about to hear. But, as Chris Thomas & The Merrymakers prove with this song, having a limited budget and only a rudimentary home recording set-up doesn’t mean that the resulting song can’t be sparky and full of punch, groovesome and energetic, not to mention creative and original.
In fact, the raw results and the unpolished feel make this song what it is – an unruly, passionate, engaging, grassroots experience. Perhaps having the necessary resources to work on the song at length would sound the death knell for its many sonic charms. Less is more, as they say.
As the simple yet brilliantly effective opening riff ushers in a wave of lilting acoustic sonics, as the beats shift and shuffle in all the right places, as the vocals soar and swoop over the abrasive sounds that ebb and flow below, “FromTheTop 2.0” shows us that it isn’t technology or money that makes a song work, it is the creator’s sonic vision and songwriting chops that are key.
And tellingly, the song is about the rise and fall of life’s endeavours, how our ambitions get thwarted, how the best-laid plans of mice and men…and musicians…well, you know….something all creatives know about all too well. That said, I can’t see that Chris and his band of Merrymakers will have too many problems with this song catching a fair wind, the public attention and ushering in a bright future.
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