Music Review // Opeongo "H"

 

When you see a song simply called "H" it can mean any number of different things.  This song is actually part of an album by Opeongo called "Eventual Mt. Lee", which starts off with the song "Ceiling Rats".  But I can't help but wonder what it would be like if this was part of an album with every song being a letter of the alphabet, so that the song titles went from A-Z.   Or even just having other artists cover the other letters and so you can make a playlist and put together this alphabet of songs- that'd be amazing.

Opeongo takes us through this song with his unique vocal stylings and disjointed piano keys.   This comes out rather somber and feels like Randy Newman playing post apocalyptic reflections on life and its meaning.   While this does have that general sense of sound, there is also a big sax solo within here.   By the end of the song you will also hear a harmonica, which seems fitting because harmonica is an h-word.

One of the things I like most about this song is that while not every word in it begins with the letter h, a lot of them do.   This just goes to show you how many words out there begin with h and we just don't even really think about it.   Words like harmony and hellfire, which both can be found in this song.  But then alliteration such as "human history" and even the opposites of Heaven and Hell.   But then sometimes Opeongo just flexes that poetic nature of these lyrics and will drop lines like "helpless howling at the moon".

As a concept I love that this song has a focus on the letter h, but also it can have lines which don't have words which start with that letter at all.  If you were to try and create a song and set the rule that every word in it had to start with the same letter that wouldn't be as good.  To follow the boundaries of this song though and create other songs for other letters will hopefully inspire people and if nothing else, this song can help show you what a powerful letter H can be.