There can be few more worthy reasons for making music than as a tribute to someone, a dedication to a loved one, or a song which puts all of your thoughts and memories in one place. And that is what is at the heart of this latest release from Mane Attraction.
Built on gentle, cascades of deft and delicate acoustic guitar, initially, the heartfelt vocals will resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one, not only through their honesty and emotion but through the gorgeous arrangements and expanding choral additions.
And slowly the song evolves and expands, a cello drifts by, both melancholic and masterful, an additional voice speaking a more primitive, soulful language, one built of sound rather than linguistics. Electric guitars punctuate and underline the heat of the song adding a Celtic feel but all these elements are just passing motifs, never distracting, never taking away from the simplicity and grace of the song.
Recorded with musicians both in The Netherlands and Nashville, Picture Frame is both an example of cutting-edge technology and the remote capabilities of where we find ourselves in the modern music-making world but it is also a timeless song, one which defies you to place it in an era. It would be as effective and of the moment anywhere from the 1950s right up to the present day, such as the nature of songs which start out sounding like long-lost classics right from the start.
And, like most personal and intimate songs, it is also universally relatable, it tells of something that we have all experienced, something which is all part of the circle of life, something to be celebrated and shared rather than shied away from. Such songs are a celebration of life and the passing of a loved one should make us all reflect on our own mortality and spur us on to live life to the full. Is there any other way?
