TV GIrl "Grapes Upon the Vine"
FORMAT | LP
ell me friend, how many times have you heard an overzealous young music enthusiast profess that an album “saved their life”? For those of us weathered by experience and humbled by disappointment, we may roll our eyes at such hyperbole. At our most generous, perhaps we give a wry smile, as we reminisce on our own youth, when music seemed a matter of life and death, and not merely just a matter of taste.
After all, how could an album save your life? Its flimsy cardboard sleeve provides little insulation against the biting cold. The brittle vinyl lacks the buoyancy to keep your head above water should you get pitched into the churning sea.
In order to make a case, we must ascend a rung or two up Maslow’s hierarchy, beyond the visceral needs of the body to the needs of the spirit. We must look beyond the record’s physical characteristics and consider the curious alchemy of the content within. Perhaps the poetry of the lyrics could be a balm to soothe crushing dread. Maybe its sultry grooves could act as a beacon, guiding you through a long dark night of the soul. Maybe you consider music a mere diversion, a soft patch of grass to rest one's weary feet amongst the jagged rocks of life. But is that not necessary sometimes so that we might muster the strength to keep fighting the battle we know one day we must lose?
So, finally, could “Grapes Upon the Vine,” the new album by indie rock combo TV Girl, in fact, “save your life?” Perhaps. But at what cost? After all, the rabbit may be saved from the belly of the fox. But then who will save the fox from the stabbing pangs of desperate hunger? Luckily in this case, the cost is a mere 25 dollars.
