I’m quite late to the party on these guys, having first read about The Sand Band way back in August on that awesomeness of music blogs, Some Velvet Blog. I filed away the band for listening at a later date, and it somehow slipped between the cracks… until now.
The Sand Band
I’m not sure if it’s just been one of “those” weekends; or the fact that I was watching the “Jeff Buckley… live in Chicago” DVD last night… but The Sand Band’s “The Secret Chord EP” is strikingly, achingly beautiful on this Monday morning.
A wistful, world-weary tone permeates David McDonnell’s lyrics in this EP, which is washed over by spacey echoes, pedal steel guitar and an acceptance that comes to us all.
The reason I mentioned Jeff Buckley up above is obviously referring to the title track from The Sand Band’s EP: “The Secret Chord”. When Leonard Cohen originally penned the line, “Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord/That David played, and it pleased the Lord“, I wonder if he realised just how deeply those words would resonate for years to come?
And – especially when Jeff Buckley performed the song live – it becomes clear to the listener just how much that line indicated a search for that “secret chord”. Certainly – to me at least – “Hallelujah” has always cried out like no other for a “follow up”… or an attempt at resolution.
In their song, “The Secret Chord”, the Sand Band have done just that… there’s a certain sense of completion that comes when listening to the song. It’s almost as if the missing piece of that puzzle has come together… that piece that’s been hidden underneath the couch, ever since the first time I heard Leonard Cohen utter those words and point out to me that something was missing in the first place. They’ve lifted the couch and shown me that piece, and I’ve finished that damn puzzle.
And I can’t tell you how good that feels.
For those who need to feel the same… Listen. Love. Support.
Listen: The Sand Band – The Secret Chord
Oh, and by the way… for those of you who want to hear more from this band, if you click through to the Velvet Blog post linked to above, there’s a little present for you at the end of that post…