Urgency (the feeling of prepping for the inevitable) in music is a soft spot of mine. It makes the music feel alive, it gives it an extra level of depth. I could not listen to this type of music all day as it would give me an anxiety attack, but in small doses it is thrilling.

Predominately the feeling of urgency derives from vocals. A constrained, drawn out, pinched note activates natural instincts within me. As if you hear someone shouting out in terror, your hairs stand up, adrenaline rushes and you are ready to act. Secondary are the droning guitars, sneakily boring into your brain. It keeps you uneasy, you aren’t not allowed to relax and ly down.

Foals - Inhaler is a prime example of the vocals. Each last word of a line has a drawn out note. Whilst guitars softly but surely drone, the vocals are hoarse, not quick screaming not quite singing. The tempo is fast and the beat energetic. The verses and chorus bleed into each other creating powerful dynamic like being chase by…something.

Brain Dead by Zombitches is another example. Again tempo is fast, vocals feel “stretched” and sound like they come from under the breath, like a horrifying beast.

In the chorus, background vocals “ooo”, like the wailing wind or distant howling dogs. It gives this sense that shit is about to go down. It gets me in this state of “awakeness”. It keeps me on my toes ready to run for my fucking life.

While I am unsure how conscious the writing is of this panic inducing music, all I know is I want more!

See Also:

Tool - 10,000 Days & Wings for Marie - Ly down, get some headphones and close your eyes.