Scene and Heard – CCCXXXVIII : Black – MusicBySire (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Music is made for many different reasons. It can be fun, celebratory and throw-away, it can be deep, meaningful and poignant, it can be everything in between. More and more often I am find an increasing amount of music coming my way that feels driven to comment on the nature of the world around us and I ask myself why that is. Is it that the world is indeed a darker and more unequal world these days, is it that injustices are better reported and so is informing the man in the street in a way that wasn’t possible in the past. Is it because many artists are again seeking the power of a platform to make themselves heard rather than merely chasing the hollow and transient music industry rewards. I suspect that the answer is all of the above.

He have heard a lot about the horrors of slave markets in Libya, a trade in refugees hoping to travel to the relative safety of Europe but instead being caught in a system that we thought had consigned to the horrific annals of a unenlightened colonial past. MusicBySire feels so strongly about this that the video is part performance, part CNN special report, the powerful lyrical delivery interspersed with actual interviews and footage of the victims. At this point in the review I would normally analyse the track from a musical point of view but that seems as if it would be distracting from the songs purpose, like reading a powerful and important book and then discussing the covers artwork. Suffice it to say that the song does everything it needs to via a blend of musicality, soulfulness, compassion and raw, upsetting honesty.

But that is the point, this should upset and unsettle, the lyrics should land hard enough to make you think, and feel, and hopefully empathise. And it works on all levels. Black is a perfect statement and proof that even those outside the political and legislative classes can be an important part of the conversation, a conversation that reminds us that the world is a community and we all need to come together to look after our neighbours. Words are important, songs brilliantly communicative, videos emotive and visually stimulating. MusicBySire proves to be the master of all these mediums.