david usher little songs
Day Twelve. A particularly meaningful album.
Again with the randomly vague prompt. Every album I’ve posted so far has been meaningful. And the albums that are most meaningful to me could mean nothing to others. And particularly? Well, ok… this is kind of like pulling a record out of a hat (it’s a really big hat). I grabbed about 10 particularly meaningful albums, and picked one.
#30daysofalbums #davidusher #littlesongs
In case you were curious, some of the other albums ending up on this particularly meaningful shortlist: Orange Rhyming Dictionary by Jets To Brazil, the Fool Revelation EP by Oversoul Seven. The Dharma Bums with Haywire, Swell’s self-titled album, and Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves by Gavin Friday. All meaningful, and perhaps they will find their ways into this strange list. But the winner was Little Songs by David Usher.
My relationship with David Usher is like almost all of my musical relationships. One-sided. That’s just how it is. But this one has been strong for years, through different bands, relationships, cities, lives. And this album is meaningful because of one thing; music. His music has inspired my music, my writing, my creativity. It started in 1994 in Vancouver, with the band Moist, and continues through to this day. But the album David Usher released in 1998, Little Songs, is particularly meaningful. .
In 1998 I had been living in Seattle for almost 4 years. It wasn’t always the easiest thing, keeping track of Canadian bands in the states, even being so close to the border. Sometimes music has a little difficulty getting through.
I was working in a small indie record store, playing music, writing words, and was generally an emotional mess. We had received a couple of copies of Little Songs, and recognizing the name from my Vancouver life of years earlier; I cut the seal and slid the disc into the stereo behind the front counter. I got a couple of strange looks from customers and co-workers, as it was not the kind of music I was normally playing, but I didn’t care. First note, first line, first song, I was hooked.
While some may find it a little melodramatic, poetically angry, or carrying too many dark shadows through the acoustically strained tunes, I found it perfect.
So I bought it, took it home, and it remains a solid favorite. There were more than a few times in my life since then where this album saved me. The songs, the lyrics, the music. So this album is Very Particularly Meaningful … to me.
Marcel Feldmar 