Music Review // Secondhand Dreamcar "Eight of Spades"

 

I will say that I first and foremost enjoy the name Secondhand Dreamcar.  The idea that something can be your "dreamcar" but also come through as "secondhand" is relatable to me because it shows that vintage influence, that idea of wanting something from the past because maybe what is being created in the present and future is not as good (and that seems true for the automobile industry)

While this song begins like Edie Brickell, it gets a bit funky as it goes on.   There are horns and I wouldn't exactly call it ska but it could be ska-adjacent.  I definitely feel like if you enjoy ska or if Secondhand Dreamcar was to play a show with ska bands it would work well.  But with these wah-wah guitar solos, this just has that overall feeling of funk.

The lyrics within here tell a story and my favorite line is: "It's about what makes you want to go or makes you want to stay".   So much of life can be summed up in that way.   You can even think about it in the sense of music and this song.  It's about what sounds good to your ears and what doesn't.  If you like a song, add it to your playlist.  If don't like a song, you probably won't listen to it ever again- and life should be like that with staying or leaving.

Though I feel like it comes with the idea of this having a sound of funk, there is also a lot of soul in this song and it comes through in the vocals especially.   This is just such a fun song and it has a unique style to it where it isn't quite specific genres but is close to them.   Whether you play cards or not, this song seems pleasant enough in its tone that everyone should be listening to it.