Night Hymns - Blue Bottle

Night Hymns is actually a singer/songwriter named Wei, who is from Vancouver, BC. You might not guess this, but the single "Blue Bottle" is about a fly. Yes, a fly. You know, those annoying little buzzing bugs that are always bothering us - particularly while we're eating. The subject for this song came to Wei while in San Francisco. As Wei explains it, this inspiration came while at a caf� called Blue Bottle. Wei said the image of a fat fly came to mind. Add to that how this caf� was located in a rather dirty part of the Bay area, and it all came together in song form.

The song begins with big drums, before Oasis-y electric guitar and British-y vocals set in. The groove is jangly and rather fast. It sounds a little like something from the British Invasion era. It creates an upbeat, happy vibe. This makes sense, as the subject of the song is whimsical. It's certainly not as dark as, say, Bono's Fly character, many years ago with U2. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find any other positive songs about flies in music history. Flies are kind of like rats and roaches, in that nobody really likes them. Their very presence nearly anywhere is a reminder to stay away. And yet, Night Hymns is able to paint this imaginary blue flying insect in a positive light. This takes some vivid imagination, indeed.

The song brings to mind a time when rock and pop music were nearly one in the same. The '60s was a wonderful time, and this song is both contemporary and retro at the same time. That's a tough task to pull off, but Night Hymns gets it exactly right.

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