Birds and Daft Punk, and a Kick-Ass Chorus

photo courtesy of @noah_chenfeld instagram

Alternative music is always very hit or miss for me. I think it can be one of the most intimate genres, like someone singing to you in your dorm at 3 am. But at times it can also feel very distant like the singer is so much better at life than I am, or their issues are so much more complicated than mine. I never know what I’m in for when it comes to a new song or artist, and when I picked up this article to review a song, I went in anticipating to be alienated and maybe pleasantly surprised with a nice guitar riff. 

Noah Chenfeld, a New York City native, was inspired by the melody of a group of orioles that he heard on a spring day after a jog. He recorded himself humming the melody and it immediately turned into the starting point of his song “Orioles.” 

I love the way the production blends an ‘80s synth with a funky bassline. It adds some dystopian, science fiction style element to a fun, dancing rhythm. The lyrics are delivered with a strong, almost hollering cadence, like Chenfeld trying to get it all off of his chest, which transitions into a questionative, then determined bridge. Then, that fucking chorus hits. Man… “I came home and heard somebody singing/In a language I don’t understand.” I love how these lines can talk about both someone in Chenfeld’s life or anyone’s life, as well as the orioles that led to the song itself. These two simple lines are then followed by an instrument I can only describe as the most beautiful sounding chainsaw ever mimicking the melody. If I was knowledgeable in music theory I’d probably tell you how the note progression here or something resonates with us so deeply because it’s in a certain key, but because I know none of that stuff, I’ll just say this part fucking HITS. Chenfeld says his melodies on this track pay homage to those of the Pixies, a late ‘80s alternative band. The chorus and bridge end the song with a Daft Punk styled synth in the background, as the ballad comes to a close. 

I really expected to listen to this song a few times, write a review, then never touch it again. But I just saved it on my phone and will be returning to it regularly. Noah has a bright future ahead of him.