Shed Your Love

Song: Shed Your Love
Artist: The Helio Sequence
Album: Keep Your Eyes Ahead




I often say that I don’t care much for ballads… and it’s true, I loathe most of them, but sometimes I find a simple song that really gets under my skin. Maybe I should clarify and say that I don’t care for “soaring ballads,” you know the ones Celine and Mariah have made their bread and butter. Not that I dislike everything that Mariah has done… I just don’t care for those emotional ballads that are so straightforward and simple, it’s hard for me to believe anyone would fall for something so… transparent. (For the record, to me… Celine has yet to do anything of worth, note, or quality. But people love her… and I officially feel sorry for people.) [cranky hipster]

My friend Scott sent me an e-mail a couple months ago recommending The Helio Sequence and specifically a song on their most recent album, “Keep Your Eyes Ahead.” I listened to the record once, thought it was sort of standard electronic-infused indie-rock, and moved on. And the song he recommended, “Shed Your Love” didn’t grab me. Oh well. Cut to a week ago and I gave the album another listen, and “Shed Your Love” twice… liked it a bit more, nothing special.

So early Saturday morning I was walking the dog, up very early as I was going to plant trees in Queens, still waking up but listening to the iPod as I walked the quiet morning streets with very little on my mind. I think I had my “Recently Played” smart playlist on random and “Shed Your Love” came on two songs in. Well it hit me then… this simple (and you could say straightforward) contemplative ballad just HAD me. Its equal parts sad and hopeful, and ode to finding yourself and what you might lose in the process. Beautiful, hypnotic… might be you’re new favorite 3 AM ballad.

Why hasn’t Grey’s Anatomy gotten this one yet?

Enjoy.

“Don’t Look Away” from their 2004 album “Love and Distance”