"Young", by Nickel Creek [Welcome Back]

Good day, ladies and gentlemen of Valdosta State University, and welcome back to ADDITIVE NOISE! Those of you who don't know me, my name is Rebecka McAleer, Web Editor for Additive Noise's host independent newspaper, The Spectator. Every Thursday when the Spectator comes out, make sure you check here for a new music review. I do everything from oldie tunes to the current top 40, and I do my best to bring a little something for everyone to the table.

Today, as a "welcome" present for this year's freshmen, I'm introducing a song from 2002 by the indie-bluegrass group Nickel Creek. The band played from 1989 until it disbanded in 2007, and was chiefly composed of the brother/sister pair Sean and Sara Watkins, and their fellow music students/partners Chris Thile and Dennis Caplinger. Though the band started out with a simple, traditional bluegrass theme, as they progressed in their music, they began drifting more toward putting a bluegrass spin on the indie and rock of the day. They play mandolin, guitar, and fiddle on a regular basis, and sometimes feature hand percussion and string bass.

I selected the song "Young" (click for lyrics) because I think it provides a great message for the beginning of college, or for a new semester for us old hats. In the first verse alone, the singer admits to having feelings for another person, but isn't quite sure where to go with it. He says, "Prove you're over my head", and "Help me climb out", which I take to be less depressing than it originally sounds. To me, it sounds like he feels attached and wants to pursue it properly. Almost like a "don't let me fall in over my head but I want to do this right" kind of deal. Have you ever felt like that? Sometimes in the pursuit of fun we get thrown into something we don't understand, but just as often the fear of striking out keeps us from playing the game. Thoughts like "what if I do it wrong?" keep us from actively pursuing the connections and even romances that we want to accent our lives.

The chorus is a bit more hesitant, but still positive.

"Hey what did I do?
I've spoken too soon
Listen to this tune
Forget the words
Wait until someday
'Cause when I know what to say
I'll say it in the best way you've ever heard."

 

It sounds like he's not embarassed by his supposed mess-up, and is much more interested in doing the whole 'love' thing in the proper way. Wait for me to do it right, and I'll blow your mind, he says. I think this is wonderfully practical advice for college students of all ages. Just because you might be one of those people who go crazy in your first few semesters doesn't automatically make you a bad person, but there are a few mistakes you might want to avoid. Don't fall for the first real college guy to hold a door open for you, don't make the first person to buy you a beer your bestie for life, don't flip out over your first "not an A" grade. If you slow down for a moment and realize that you won't do everything right from the get-go, you might be more likely to put in the forethought that leads to some of the best decisions of your life.

I especially love the last verse.

"Young and with no clue
I still wanna love you
Give credit where it's due
I've got good taste
It's not like I wanna get married
I never asked you to kiss me
Just don't want you to be sorry you didn't try."

Don't be sorry you didn't try. You and I, and all of the people around us, are young and we may have no clue. But if we approach life with the slow-but-optimistic attitude presented here, we have a much better chance of being happy.

Musically speaking, I have a passionate love for Nickel Creek. The combination of guitar, mandolin and fiddle creates a sound rarely heard outside of the southern/central United States. Jazz may be the first "real American music", but bluegrass is a big part of our country's roots. It can be smooth or upbeat, like jazz, but with the laid-back and comfortable quality of a good country song. The simple riffs that keep "Young" moving are very back-porch-acoustic feeling, and the twining of at least three voices around each other are simply beautiful.

Nickel Creek's vocals are something that make them very special. Each of their singers is highly talented alone, but they sound glorious together as well. The best part, if you ask me, is the fact that they drift in and out of group singing, choosing to focus on one voice prominently and use the others to accent. Some songs are a definite showcase for Sara Watkins, others for her brother or Chris Thiles, but the use of three voices keeps the harmonies in a good balance. Not too much solo, not too much individual- just right on both sides.

I'm hoping all of you out there listen to the song (which I've linked above), and if you don't like my review, please send me your opinions! I'd love to know how everyone feels about the music that surrounds us every day.

This has been Rebecka McAleer with Additive Noise. Check back for more next week, and remember to [Listen Out].