It’s festival season and I had a ton of performances to pick from but all I’ve been doing this week is listening to Muna’s release of their Live at the Greek Theatre recorded late last year. Festival season vibes indeed – you prep for weeks, make military-like plans organizing your granola bars and pee breaks, and yet at the end of the day, you just follow the music and let it take you to stages you weren’t even considering. That’s the beauty of the whole thing.
I go where the music takes me because that’s where the joy is.
There are bands that bring you back in time, others that are part of your support system, some to vent, some to cry, some that will send you spiraling down the rabbit hole of introspection and some that just bring you utter joy. I often wonder if these latter aren’t the most important ones. That casual little pick me up holds true power in your everyday life. You can’t ever underestimate the impact of having a smile on your face in your day. Gosh, especially on a monday.
I’ve got a few of those bands on my playlists and one of them is especially great at doing just that : Muna. I’ve been listening to these guys for a while now and they’re yet to fail to lift my spirits up.
I can hear you mumbling again. Yes, Muna is pop. So what?
Maturing is also recognising that pop can freaking rock – and also understanding that anything that brings you joy definitely needs to be enjoyed regardless of genre (see what I did there?). I’ve been navigating this fucked up world long enough to appreciate anything that let me grab that fleeting feeling. And that’s what that live album did.
Yet, funnily enough, it brought me more than that and that’s probably the main reason why I felt the urge to write about them today. I put it on for the usual reasons, the fire vibes and uplifting beats to kickstart the lazy caffeine in my system but it quickly turned into quite a moment. There’s a number of songs I had probably heard but never really listened to and I was taken by surprise by the comfort they brought me, that unexpected sense of peace. I came to shake that wee arse of mine and got served with a soft hug as a bonus point – let me tell you, it’s a pretty wholesome combo.
I’m yet to try and understand where that comes from, there’s an undeniable beauty in those songs for sure, but for the old timers – and the curious youngsters – maybe you’ll get what I mean when you hear a certain reminiscence of Dolores O’Riordan in Katie’s tone on some of those. That definitely caught me off guard in the best way. It’s not just a voice though, there’s something else about those melodies that make me crave for more. A lurking feeling that speaks volume. I’ve always believed in the fact that one of the undeniable marks of great music is how it comes alive in a live setting. Muna is undoubtedly one of those bands and that album my cue to dive deeper in their work. That probably means I’ll come back to annoy you some more about them at some point, but in the meantime, and as always, this is merely an invitation to give them a listen yourself.
See? Go where the music takes you – it’s never too late to be curious and keep an open mind on new artists, or artists you thought you knew – who knows, it might work and lead you to joy, ha, sometimes more.
Speaking of joy, I’ll shut up – the highlight of your day I know – and leave you with that perf from those nights the album was recorded, for I have absolutely no doubts it will work its magic : put a smile on your face on a monday morning.
Enjoy.
