Plumbing: A Candle in the Dark

[nyuanshin]

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This single was arguably my gateway drug into a serious appreciation of music; at 14, it provided my first inkling of how music could elevate the spirit. Something about this joyful affirmation of life just reached deep down inside me and evoked a "yes!" and buoyed me during a turbulent period in a way which in retrospect may have been far more important than could possibly have been apparent at the time. Within a week of hearing "Lucky Man", Urban Hymns was occupying my stereo full time, and to this day remains among my ten favorite albums.

Even though my tastes and outlook have advanced, it's amazing to me how well this album has stood up to those changes, both sonically and thematically: songs about seeing the deep wealth of life even amid what superficially appear to be misfortunes and taking the power of change into your own hands, all set to some of the most beautiful guitar textures ever to grace a popular rock album. It's a well that can be profitably returned to again and again. My reservations about rock music aside, this is the form at its best and may even have saved my life.