*translated from Spanish
The Canadian band "The Mighty One" lands in the Latin American market with Kickin' Stones: a 6-and-a-half-minute power ballad that looks at suicide from within to escape from it.
At this point in history, you and I have a loved one, a family member, or at least an acquaintance who decided to end their life. Mental disorders, ignored or trivialized, multiply in the context of neoliberal anxiety and welfare dictatorships. In the absence of policies and institutions that seriously address this problem, 4,000 people commit suicide annually around the world in a clear upward trend. Therefore, the strongest support left for you and me is that of our own circles of support. Aware of this phenomenon, the band The Mighty One, from Vancouver, Canada, presents Kickin' Stones: a powerful and emotional anthem about pain, mourning, and the cry for the preservation of life.
Musically and discursively, Kickin’ Stones is a power ballad. A composition about loss, with the piano as the protagonist. The song elaborates on the emotions of Jeff Worobec: best friend of Tim Steinruck, leader of The Mighty One, who committed suicide in 2016. Why release a power ballad in the middle of 2024? Why not? First, musical and aesthetic trends will always be cyclical. And second, when music is of quality it has the power to become everlasting.
Kickin’ Stones begins with a solemn piano solo, which after half a minute gives way to the voice of Tim Steinruck. Deep and slightly torn, his interpretation builds in the first stanza images and poetic ideas around someone who walks without returning towards his precipice.
Smart enough to let it go, But I don't care, 'cause I don't know. How it feels on the inside To the end of this lovers dream. All is dead, silent screams Can you see it on the outside In the bottle peace of my mind Goin' down but, I'm not the kind Trying to get control who gives a damn I am I am not, I can't hide , laughing crying suicide Don't wanna face it on my own No, no, not today
The chorus arrives with the brand-new appearance of the bass and guitar. They are three short and forceful verses, accompanied by the entire instrumental display, about someone who wanders along the road, wandering, kicking stones. Like a ghost, like a soul in pain.
Down the road Kickin' stones Kickin' them all the way (x2)
The second verse of Kickin' Stones has the same rhythmic behavior as the first, but with the polyphony of all the instruments in action. The narrating voice metaphorizes the dead weight that he wishes to free himself from while sailing on an unstable boat. Being eternal for a moment and living each moment with intensity are other ideas that emerge from this set of verses, which ends with the same lines as the first stanza.
"Rowboat sunrise on the lake I could swear, I felt it shake I could use a little shaking right now Say I'm a fool, you can kiss my past I'm living now, and I'm living fast I am the legend in my mind I am I am whatever man Do what I do, doing what I can An easy little problem to have I am, I am not, I can't hide, laughing crying suicide Don't wanna face it on my own No no , not today."
The return of the chorus at a higher level of melodic intensity precedes the appearance of a piano solo and the densest segment of the song, with all the power of an extensive guitar riff representative of a great power ballad that will end the song. . Kickin' Stones cooks slowly and, by taking its time to do so, reaches a state of grace rarely seen in times of imposed and algorithmic music.
The release of The Mighty One includes a video clip with dramatic filters that shows the band performing the song inside a room illuminated by red, white, and blue lights. At the beginning, you see a photo of a young man who would be Jeff, who inspired the song. And in the middle, Tim Steinruck is seen, in panoramic shots, walking on a natural and arid terrain. As the song ends, a piano epilogue plays again to show the song's dedication, a suicide hotline, and production credits.
Less than two weeks after being published, the Kickin' Stones video has almost 30k views and explains the Canadian band's intention to extend its success to Latin America, as part of the promotion of its album Torch of Rock and Roll. Judging by this impressive Hard Rock elegy about life and death, we can conclude that The Mighty One is not passing on the torch. He is receiving it.
By: Álvaro Castellanos | @alvaro_caste – Journalist, web editor and literary creator.
