Music should be entertaining, but it is so much more satisfying when it has a point to make or a lyrical purpose as well. Dying Son, Ooberfuse’s latest release is the perfect example of a song that marries these two elements. As the title suggests, this isn’t the most easy subject matter to listen too but it is an important one, and the way the band blends those mellifluous Middle Eastern sonic traditions with the grace and gravitas of the lyrics is spellbinding.
As the video makes clear with its use of stark and startling imagery, this is a plea for peace in places where the horrors of war have, as they all too often do, spilt over to ravage the civilian population. It is a reminder that it is never the powerful and the political classes, the commanders and strategists who suffer, but those who never asked for such action in the first place.
Its use of emotive, traditional sounds, the Oud, drums, and drifting vocals that hang and haunt behind the main delivery, give the song a real sense of place. I challenge anyone to listen to the lyrics here and not come away moved—truly moved.
Music can be fun and throwaway, entertaining and fashion-driven, but this is not one of those times. This is a time when the mere pop song is elevated into something powerful, poignant, and, sadly, always painfully relevant.
