My Inner Lester Bangs Friday: Ho Hey

Sometimes I miss discovering a random song some place, because it was always so satisfying finding something new and then trying to actually buy it.  The last time I heard a song while out and about that wasn't on the radio that I had to buy was "Soul Meets Body" from Death Cab for Cutie.  Nowadays, to find new music can be something neigh on impossible unless radio picks it up.  And I'm sorry, but Crazy Little Man's favorite song, "Payphone" doesn't do it for me.  (Although this mashup of "Payphone" and "Call Me Maybe" is quite good.)  Sadly musicians now use their songs for ads to get it out there, which can kill great songs because you hear it too often.

One of these songs, "Ho Hey" from The Lumineers, really caught my attention.  Here in South Africa, Lovely English Lass and I like to watch Hulu so we can keep up to date with our TV shows in the US. (Parks and Recreation being the main one.)  For about a month, one of the commercials on Hulu was for Bing.  The song was "Ho Hey" and the commercial was about a guy taking a trip to Hawaii.  Oddly enough, it actually fit the song quite well.

The Lumineers are a folk-rock trio from Denver.  It includes a guitar, a mandolin and a cello.  How can you not dig this?  The entire album sounds like it was recorded in a coffee shop somewhere.  The lead singer's voice is fantastic for folk music, and I'm sure it could move into other genres too.  However he has the vibe you look for in folk, like the lead singer from Mumford and Son.  

Now, onto the song "Ho Hey".  I'll try to describe what I thought of the first time I heard the song, so bear with me.  The sound of the song evokes a campfire on the beach, with friends sitting around singing a song together in the night.  Hokey I know, but seriously that's what I got.  Or a popular local band playing a small club with a lot of fans who know all the songs by heart, and probably party with the band after the gigs.  This intimacy gives you a feeling of being there.  You can feel the bass drum when it starts off the song, and hear the people chanting, "Ho......Hey.....Ho..."

Most of all, it's a song of longing and want.  The singer tells of the girl he loves, and is obviously not his.  Everyone knows the pain you have felt when the person you think you're supposed to be with is with someone else.  It almost feels like you're bleeding, the pain and drain is so much.  So he writes a song about this hurt telling the girl of his dreams that she's not with the right guy.  How can you not get with that?  I mean, that's universal right there.  Heck I had to talk my own wife into dating me, so I understand being put off by women.

In short you should give this a chance.  Maybe it'll spawn more music that's not emo or "Payphone" and we can have another good music revolution.

One last thought.  Songs should take you to a place when you hear them.  Whether it's the beat, the lyrics or even just the chorus, you hopefully feel something when you hear it.  The very first time I heard this song, I was immediately transported to the front lawn of a house in Suriname, sitting under the stars while three of my Peace Corps friends played guitar and all of us sang along.  The song was "Wish You Were Here", but this song evoked that time for me.  It's a happy memory, and one that I cherish.  So I think that the song did what it was supposed to do for me.  Give it a listen.