Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Top 100 Songs of 2011 -- #72: "Something to Believe In" -- Parachute

I'll admit, before 2011 I was none too interested in Virginia five-piece Parachute. The band wasn't anything to shake one's head at in disgust, but they weren't yet making music that really set them apart from any other young adult-alternative rock act out there.

To be fair, I still don't believe there's much to Parachute that we haven't heard already from a hundred other bands. That said, I gained a new respect for the band with their summer single "Something to Believe In."

The song finds the band with a bit of a skip in its step, at least compared to a few of its more popular singles. "Oh, just give me something to believe in," sings frontman Will Anderson over a hefty combination of guitar, bass, drums and piano. A horn section brings added flair, as does a chorus-esque backing vocal.

And of course, we must recognize that 2011 is the Year of the Sax. The saxophone, to be exact. The instrument was featured prominently in quite a few major songs this year, and "Something to Believe In" is no different. It makes me wonder why this craze seemed to catch on this year, and how. But enough of that -- maybe we'll touch on the saxophone's peculiar rise later on in the countdown.

Best of all, there's an underlying power to the song, one that keeps it moving at a formidable pace. The chorus is big, probably the biggest the band has done. The rhythm section remains tight and focused, allowing Anderson and the backing vocalists to do some big things vocally.



Not that I'm one to go to when it comes to making band decisions, but if I were Parachute, I'd invest more time into making music along the lines of "Something to Believe In." It's their best effort, and it showcases the potential the Charlottesville natives really possess.

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