On The Topic of Urgency and Music

I once declared that 'Neil Diamond is Rock and Roll', much to the anger of some friends. See 1:19 - See how he's building up to the chorus, and you can hear in his voice a sort of... pressing need- even those these words were written and sung over and over, there still remains, at that moment, some of the original emotion that went into the song.

It's like Neil Diamond needs to sing those words. I know, Neil may not be the best example.

But look here, or here - two songs by The Mountain Goats. The first makes you feel so anxious that you want to throw up or scream, while the second- and listen for it- has a palpable... potential. Like a tightly wound spring- a tall pile of books- a twig bent to its very limits- something is about to happen and it's going to happen in a big way.

This is urgency. Not all music has it, but the music that does sets itself above the rest.

And, it is by no means the only metric by which to gauge music, but it's a damn effective one.

It's as if the musician must play, as if it is no longer a matter of choice. More here.

And there's this- oh boy- this is phenomenal- like a bomb about to go off: