When we put on our favorite song to cry to, our emotions are validated. It’s almost like we can get to the next chapter of our lives, should we choose to.
Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green – better known by his stage name City and Colour – knows how to capture this. His sound is attuned to singer-songwriters like Gregory Alan Isakov or Iron and Wine. But rather than ethereal lo-fi or atmospheric melodies that have a measured take on life’s ups and downs, his songs hit differently.
City and Colour would rather stand in front of the billboard with his guitar than be on it. He deploys a minor tone in songs that are dark yet beautiful. He hits his guitar hard among softer melodies. And he turns up the volume in a more explicit ode to emotions in his latest album, The Love Still Held Me Near.
The album begins with more of the harsh strums than on his earlier works. This is a way his music reflects growth and maturity – declaring failure and grief as necessary components of success. You wouldn’t know this from looking at the song titles alone. The first track, “Meant to Be,” has notions of hope in the title, something you might hear from a friend after a breakup, for instance. However, the lyrics paint a timeline filled with frustration. The music plays the role of cathartic release.
The title track brings the music in for a soft-ish landing without a conclusion. Compared to how 2010s sensation Noah and the Whale explicitly put it: “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.,” City and Colour makes that more implicit. But still, life can be hard.
The world today is filled with terrifying uncertainty and conflict ranging from global to intimate. City and Colour’s music has a way of making us feel better about it, not by telling us that everything is OK, but by being fully present within the hardest moments, and ultimately validating the listeners’ feelings.
Green’s performance at the Golden State Theatre marks the beginning of his latest U.S. tour. It’s been just shy of two decades since he released his first solo album, Sometimes… , back in 2005. While the album is filled with reminders of grief, there’s no question that Green’s music transcends human emotions. Be prepared to be moved.
CITY AND COLOUR performs at 7pm Thursday, May 2. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.
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