Hum of the Hidden Machine - Say Yes, Do Nothing

Gang, I've got a heavy one here for you tonight. "Hum of the Hidden Machine" is a new single by Say Yes, Do Nothing. It is a dense single, because with it comes the weight of the songwriter's personal experience with his girlfriend at an abortion clinic. It is aimed to encourage the Supreme Court decision preserve the mother's right to legal abortions, it also serves as a painful reminder that sometimes making a decision can be tragically difficult, but ultimately necessary.

How else would you open a song with such a heavy statement, besides with a lone harmonica? The harmonica is quickly joined by solemn guitars and the low, somber rasp of a hurt man's voice. All of the components of this song come together quite beautifully, really. You have to consider, however, that this is not the kind of song you would put on your daily mix. This song creates too strong a feeling. A specific mood. It deals with pain, loss, and moving forward. The feeling is truly nailed here, with the melancholy tones and overall grayness kept very consistent throughout the song.

While I actually love the mixing of the song, I do have a couple notes of things I would have tweaked. The harmonica, for example, is a little on the loud side, and it is only used sparingly on this track. I think it's an excellent component that adds to the folky-bluesy sound that they have here. I kinda wish they turned the harmonica down a tad and used it more throughout the whole song, rather than just the beginning and the mini instrumental break after the first chorus.

The biggest strength of this song, I would argue, are the lyrics themselves. The metaphors and the feeling behind them are dialed in so strongly that by reading and hearing them sung I could almost feel his pain, as if it were my own. The last lines, among the rest of the lyrics to this track, stand out as especially cutting. And when they let her back outside there was nothing in her eyes / And I knew they had finished the job of making it die These lines are particularly strong because not only do they capture the raw emotion - or lack thereof - of getting an abortion, but the words "making it die" refer not only to the fetus itself, but the relationship between the singer and his girlfriend as well. It's tragically beautiful how it was written, and its truly poetic in a very haunting way.

Perhaps its the somber rasp of the vocals, or just the overall sound the song creates here, but there's something very Springsteeny about this track. I wasn't always the biggest Bruce fan, but the guy can write a song. I've grown to appreciate the Boss's work, and I really think that Say Yes channeled their inner Bruce with this song. And to say it works would be a massive understatement.