Music Review // Shawn Pallister "Vertigo"

 

Though the overall sound of this song "Vertigo" might not quite be haunted, it is still October so it is spooky season and this single shares the name of one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films.  Have you ever seen one of those spinning deals on a playground?  The one where you get onto this circle-shaped surface, hold onto handle bars if you're lucky and just get spun round and around?  This song feels like that in ways and if you were to create a music video shot from that spinning point of view it would match the tone of "Vertigo".

Beginning with big acoustics this song kicks into music which falls somewhere between alternative rock and a little bit of country.  It's that sound that is from 1997 and reminds me of Sheryl Crow and Paula Cole.  It just feels so personal.  The music also plays a role in the lyrics to the extent that the word "vertigo" is stretched out over singing and at one point there is even an "oh" that goes "oooooOOOOOHHHHHHhhhh".   In this way, I feel as if the lyrics and music are very much intertwined.

Lyrically this song does define what "Vertigo" is in its own ways.  Lyrics like "Been dizzy for years" pair well with "I know where I'm going, I'm going nowhere".  That playground thing you spin around on leaves you feeling disorientated after you ride it and I think that just feels like vertigo and this song has such a great way of making you feel that both in the lyrics and the music itself.  One of the opening lines also says "It's like my feet can't touch the ground" which also just feels so important.

While "Vertigo" is a fun ride musically and the lyrics really seem to match with the tone it sets, perhaps the best reason to listen to this song whether you feel like you have vertigo or not is because it just truly captures that essence of it.  Songs don't always give you that feeling of what they're about ("Free Fallin" by Tom Petty doesn't make me feel like I'm falling) but when they do line up like this you know you've found a gem.