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David Ford

State of the Union

Label: Independiente Release Date: 26/09/2005

9715
holliy by holliy October 21st, 2005

This four minute semi-acoustic song on the subject of, basically, being fucked over by The Man, is one of the most restrained slices of polemic I’ve ever heard. Not that it isn’t passionate – far from it. It’s just that it feels so thoughtful. Rather than the spittle-flecked bile which seems in most people to pass for political engagement, David Ford settles instead for a gentle, regretful and extremely effecting anger.

This lucid manifesto is set to an equally clear guitar line which slowly develops into a full band (“band” here to be taken to mean “many different instruments all played by Ford himself”) explosion of melody, before dropping back down to fade out with the same low key tune it came in on. It could so easily be trite, but …Union is far too subtle, complex and intelligent for that. This is damn fine and original songsmithery, and Ford’s clear emotional investment seals the deal to make this a delicately barbed gem.

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