Why I like Dave Matthews

This may seem like a strange first post to bring myself back into the blogging world, especially when I have numerous other, seemingly more important (to me) topics to ramble about. However. This is something I've felt is worth talking about for a while now, and it's what I'm most in the mood to right about at the moment, and as my mood seems to dictate my writing, I tend to let it have it's way.

So, why do I like Dave Matthews, you ask? Commonly, complaints about DMB revolve around how he has too little melody, hard to understand vocals, and doesn't fit into any style.

Well, I answer these sturdy complaints with a solid YES. Yes, he does have little melody when compared to other popular artists. Yes, he is at times hard to understand (especially on the live cds). And yes, he doesn't fit into any pure style. But believe me when I tell you that within the complaints themselves lie hidden the key to understanding and appreciated Dave's Music. To demonstrate, I offer Exhibit A:

Dreaming Tree
Perhaps one of my favourite DMB songs of all time, this piece is fraught with deep, intensely vivid lyrics, poetry, and even parallelism. It has one of the most interesting and open melodies of any Dave piece (though it is in an "unusual" time signature), and boasts one of the most heartrending instrumentations of any piece of the modern era. Take a listen and browse the lyrics below. I'll continue with the commentary further below.



Dreaming Tree on Youtube
Standing here
The old man said to me
"Long before these crowded streets
Here stood my dreaming tree"
Below it he would sit
For hours at a time
Now progress takes away
What forever took to find
Now he's falling hard
He feels the falling dark
How he longs to be
Beneath his dreaming tree
Conquered fear to climb
A moment froze in time
When the girl who first he kissed
Promised him she'd be his
Remembered mother's words
There beneath the tree
"No matter what the world
You'll always be my baby"
“Mommy come quick
The dreaming tree has died.”

The air is growing thick
A fear he cannot hide
The dreaming tree has died
Oh have you no pity
This thing I do
I do not deny it
All through this smile
As crooked as danger
I do not deny
I know in my mind
I would leave you now
If I had the strength to
I would leave you up
To your own devices
Will you not talk?
Can you take pity?
I don't ask much
But won't you speak
Please

From the start
She knew she had it made
Easy up 'til then
For sure she'd make the grade
Adorers came in hordes
To lay down in her wake
She gave it all she had
But treasures slowly fade
Now she's falling hard
She feels the fall of dark
How did this fall apart?
She drinks to fill it up
A smile of sweetest flowers
Wilted so and soured
Black tears stain the cheeks
That once were so admired
She thinks when she was small
There on her father's knee
How he had promised her
"You'll always be my baby"
"Daddy come quick
The dreaming tree has died
I can't find my way home
There is no place to hide
The dreaming tree has died"

Oh if I had the strength...

Take me back
Save me please

So, if you actually scrolled through all of that, you probably noticed a few things right off the bat:

It's in a very simple order: Verse-chorus-verse2-chorus-bridge-solos.
But what's cool about this piece, is the insane amount of parallelism and symmetry between the two verses. Almost every line hearkens in some way to it's counterpart in the other verse. The first verse is about a boy and his mother plays a part, while the second is about a girl and the father is mentioned. They both make note of things such as the falling dark, but use them in different ways.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this song is that the first verse talks about an actual, physical tree which the boy used to dream and fulfil his dreams under and around, while the second is talking about the metaphorical tree which represents the all of the girl's aspirations and hopes for her life, and in both cases, the dreaming tree "dies". It's really an incredibly sad song, and this is emphasized by the bridge which Dave will sometimes sing a little bit a little off-pitch so as to emphasize the desperation in the second verse. Then the flute solo with Dave's vocals and the bands jamming is stirring. The overall effect is insane. I would recommend listening to a few live versions as well if you are interesting, because each one is a little different and brings out different aspects.
Anyway...there you have it, a good sampling of why I like Dave Matthews.
I will just quickly list my response to the complaints above so that you get the idea without me having to give examples for every single point.

1) Too little Melody
First, Dave has some of the best Melodies of any musician around today...you just have to wait for them, and I think this frustrates some people. I mean, sure, if you're used to Radiohead or pre-Viva Coldplay you're not going to know how to wait more than 5 seconds for a obvious and "normal" melody. But that's just what makes Dave special. He doesn't pander to your every pop-influenced whim. He's an acquired taste, like a fine wine, you have to want to like him to like him. And you have to be patient. If you wait a couple minutes through his verses than BAM! He's smacks you with one of the most catchy melodies you've ever heard (see "Rapunzel"). That's another thing, his songs seem SUPER-long to the average listening (very few are less than 4 minutes, most are more than 8, and on live cds, don't be surprised to see 11+ minutes). This isn't bad though, because he manages to fill each song with interesting things for the entire length. More on this below in the point labelled "Thirdly".
Secondly, you have to learn to appreciate good rhythms and guitar riffs to like his verses (See "The Stone" or "Warehouse"), which are excellently constructed, but just take getting used to.
Thirdly, his band is made up of some of the best musicians I have ever seen. This is part of the reason they have such long songs: They are primarily a jam band when live, and to a certain extent even in studio. If you can learn to appreciate a jam, you can learn to appreciate 2/3 of DMB's live music. And some of the jams will blow you away....listen to "Seek Up" or "All Along the Watchtower" from 'Live At Red Rocks' or "Two Step" from 'Live at Mile High' for examples. This also explains how I can have sometimes 5 or six versions of the same song and never get tired of listening to each one, because each one is different.

2)Hard to understand vocals
This is absolutely valid. At times, he can have frustratingly unclear vocals. However, I would say roughly 85/90% of the time this is for effect. You see, Dave uses his voice as if it were another rhythm instrument, and as such, he often sacrifices lyrical clarity for a certain sound or feel. (See "Big Eyed Fish" or any live version of "Ee Hee", "Cornbread", or "Louisiana Bayou"). That being said, it is something to deal with, and if you don't like it, oh well. I won't be upset about it. Do know though, that he can sing very clearly when he means to.

3)Doesn't fit into any style
This is exactly what makes Dave so special. Every band needs to have something that they do different, and Dave Matthews just managed to carve out his "own style" out of almost every other style out there. He's got some Jazz, Blues, Rock, R & B, Bluegrass, Folk, Bayou-folk (or whatever you would call that), skat, and just about anything else he can get his hands on. Dave's style is his own, and that's exactly why he's worth listening to. And seriously, when was the last time you heard a band that didn't have a single name in the "sounds like" category?

So there you have it. My first post since February....hopefully a sign of better things to come. Drop a comment, or rant, I'd love to hear from ya. :)