Songs of the Week: Benedikt, Thrillhouse, & Amelie Patterson

Welcome to Songs of the Week, a running series with new selections.

Benedikt – “Why Are You Dreaming?”

Loss tends to visit you while you’re sleeping. Old friends and family drift into and out of your head, like so many sailboats on crystalline waters. On “Why Are You Dreaming?,” folk band Benedikt muse on the very nature of life and death, lifting the listener from the here and now. “Drag me to another wasteland” aptly captures this feeling, the tug between the present and what might come next. It’s that dream state we all sluggishly trip through when the images seem both within reach and beyond the boundaries of the mind. “Why are you dreaming?” is both ethereal and haunting, embodying the universal search for truth.

Thrillhouse – “Electric Fire”

Stretches of loneliness await those in the throes of grief. As those around you fade away, you’re left holding their memories in your hands. And even those won’t stay forever. The latest from Thrillhouse, “Electric Fire” brews the varied emotions that seem to swallow you whole, from anger to sullenness, into a tart elixir. Guitars crack like thunder, giving further emotional depth to the sorrowful lyrics. “Now I lie awake at night wondering about you,” their words are simple yet incisive, cutting into the membrane. It’s those words that linger with you long after the song has stopped. Much like lost loved ones, it’s a phantom.

Amelie Patterson – “The War”

Amelie Patterson’s voice is siren-like, beguiling and smooth. With “The War,” the singer-songwriter navigates tumultuous waters and extends a loving hand to another struggling with impenetrable darkness clawing for a way out. “I can see it in your eyes / It’s heavier than me / But I’m strong and I’m steady,” she encourages. Built on a strong foundation, she hopes her loved one can glean from her what they need to soldier forward and head. “Fight the war,” she repeats in the chorus. The arrangement crunches on the eardrums, a brooding reflection of the emotional push and pull in the deep-chested lyrics. In crafting such a stunning performance, Patterson is able to find healing, for her loved one, herself, and even for the listener.

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