Who names their band Traffic? Everyone hates Traffic. The album certainly cycles through deaths and rebirths and is a fitting tribute to this folk hero of intoxication. Though it's not by a giant penis that he provides pleasure but the alcohol fermented from his barleycorn carrion. Much like Rasputin some centuries later, the song chronicles the many varied and brutal methods by which the townsfolk and the nobility kill and grind John Barleycorn up, only for him to return once more in the spring-the anthropomorphized body of the crops he farms. Turns out he's a character from an old English folktale, circa 15th(?) century. ![]() Wasn't sure who John Barleycorn was or why he had to die so I did a little research. Occasionally getting some Steely Dan vibes, Traffic's definitely dipping their toes in the jazzy side of rock here. There's no genre those delicate winds can't touch. ![]() ![]() Never considered how unifying of a force the humble flute can be. Listening to this album makes me want to scour Craigslist for an organ, attempt to play it at a few jams, then abandon it a couple months later-much like my criminally-brief stint with the trombone.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |