“This Year” and the other songs that will make up his forthcoming album, A Mostly Quiet Life, is an interesting bridge between the younger artist and where W. C. Beck finds himself today. With songs drawn from writing and recording sessions that span a decade, I’m sure it is, for him more than anyone, a fascinating look at who he was when he wrote the songs and if anything has changed between then and now.
I suspect it has, as change is the theme at the heart of “This Year.” As its country-infused indie-rock energies drive things on, he muses on all the things that leave us stuck in the same place, all the habits and procrastinations, all the dreams not acted upon, all the opportunities missed. Not anymore, he tells us; he’s changing. When opportunity knocks, he will answer the door in a flash and welcome in what he finds standing there.
It’s a personal song, of course, but one that we can all relate to, a scenario that we can all recognise ourselves standing in. It’s a brilliant opportunity for an older, hopefully wiser, person to reflect on who they were and consider the past, as well as the passing of time, with a more mature perspective. And, did he embrace the changes, did he take life in both hands, did he take roads less travelled? We may never know; all we can do is use the song as a catalyst to usher in our own evolution, empowerment, and adventurous spirit.
Change, after all, is the only constant force in the world.
