[Review] Alan Osborne ‘Today’ “these are the things that affect us, that affect everyone”

This is a very intense and powerful song and video that without question touches on something that is unpleasant yet poignant and necessary to be talked about. Artists and bands are often discouraged from writing about political issues or even issues outside of themselves, but this seems counter-intuitive to creating art – these are the things that affect us, that affect everyone, and so the very fabric of who an artist is, by all accounts, is the state and events of the world around them.

This song is powerful in its treatment of the subject matter, often the lyrics approach the topic in a very literal and far from ambiguous manner. There are questions and declarations that state the facts as opposed to offering some poetic metaphor or distant reference. The music has an almighty strength and this is reinforced by an equally passionate and emotional leading vocal performance. The song doesn’t merely touch upon the sadness and the absurdity, it states that change is needed, it pushes for progression or evolution, positivity, but the heart of its sound is deeply melancholy.

The build up of the guitars, and indeed the structuring of the song, has a slightly Pearl Jam inspired energy to it; this is precisely the sort of topic that you might find in an Eddie Vedder written piece. The leading vocalist presents more of a punk rock sound though, and this, alongside of the thickness and weight of the hard rock instrumentation, makes for a pretty fresh combo. It would definitely be of interest to hear more songs from the artist and songwriter behind this. The chant-like outro of the song implies a moment of audience empowerment, togetherness, and the potential to have a positive effect on those who listen.