"We are meat, we are spirit
We have blood and we have grace
We have a will and we have muscle
A soul and a face
Why must we die?"
Arguably one of the ten best artist statements of the year 1996 alongside Hell on Earth by Mobb Deep and Second Toughest in the Infants by Underworld and Soundtracks for the Blind by Swans and Dopesick by Eyehategod and Brave Murder Day by Katatonia. Or, for that matter, Fargo by the Coen Brothers or Lone Star by John Sayles. There were probably novels that came out in 1996 that were also as substantial as this album. I didn't read any of them. But they probably exist. Choosing one song off of this album is too hard. Each has such a strong spirit. It would be churlish to choose one over another. But this is what a poll is. It can't help but be what it is. Do I choose the epic title track? The sublime "Goin' Back To Harlan"? The jaw-dropping "I Don't Know"? The eternal ache of "Hang Out Your Heart"? Or do I take the easy way out and choose the lyrics that will be on a hypothetical tombstone of mine that will never exist because fuck a tombstone death is a societal construct we never die energy and atoms never die...but i digress...do i choose "Why Must We Die", one of the great artworks of the 20th century? Who knows? In the end, who cares? The earth blesses Matapedia. Or I do anyway as one of the earth's representatives.
Poll Results
| Option | Votes |
| The Bike Song | 1 |
| Why Must We Die | 1 |
| Jacques Et Gilles | 1 |
| Goin' Back To Harlan | 1 |
| Hang Out Your Heart | 0 |
| Arbre | 0 |
| I Don't Know | 0 |
| Song For Gaby | 0 |
| Talk About It | 0 |
| Matapedia | 0 |
― scott seward, Friday, 17 May 2024 16:27 (one year ago)