Jeremy Dion -- Bend in the Middle
Jeremy Dion makes love the obvious answer, to, well, everything on his new folk rock album Bend in the Middle.
Like many of you, I reached for music after learning about the election results. I'm sure glad the first album I reached for was Jeremy Dion's Bend in the Middle. While I certainly don't feel the optimism Dion evinces that we can all work across our differences, the album evinces a quiet strength that is the sort of determined hope that we will need to carry us through the foreseeable future.
That strength lies in finding joy in the everday love around us all. The opening track, "All I See is You," is a gorgeous duet about the transformative power of love. Meanwhile, "It Happened So Fast" is a mellow groover about the sudden passion of love. These songs are all the more remarkable because, as Dion wrote in his essay here a few weeks ago, he had to work through his internalized homophobia before he could sing about his queer relationships.
On Bend in the Middle, Dion sings these songs with an effortlessness that makes it seem like embracing our relationships – romantic and otherwise – is the obvious answer for, well, everything. No matter what else is happening, it's our bonds that feed our souls and make us stronger. We don't have to beat our heads against a wall or spiral into anguish. Love is the answer – and that reminder from Dion is a gift in the uncertain times ahead.
