Like Cohen reimagining David in “Hallelujah,” Troyer’s seven-part symphony of Samson plays with Christianity without veering into Christian rock. Just as artists like M. Ward and The Grateful Dead so often deconstruct and reinvigorate these ancient tales, Troyer’s vision approaches the faith with fresh paint. In “Chasing the Glow,” one can easily forget the titular thrust of the album and simply get lost in images and gorgeous guitar tones, a playful and exquisite composition with lyrics that, far from preaching, instead confess to a struggle with self-consciousness: “Despite my love of falling, I’m not falling in love.” If this is Samson, with a prophet’s intuition, here is a voice laden with dramatic irony. We know Samson will disobey himself. He will fall in love and it will be his undoing. He will break his own heart. But this self-annihilation will also be bound to the heroic moment when, without his ostensibly magical locks, he tears down the old pillars of the Philistines.
That moment is this album.
lyrics
There comes a time and each and every old life. “Is she the one? Is she for fun or is she for searching eyes?”
“Is he a 10 is he a 9, 8, 7, or 6? or is he a pile of oddly weird-shaped bricks?”
Stands in the window a perfectly lifeless window nothing inside, nothing behind, nothing for searching eyes. They’re teething, believing perfection is stitched the width of those manikin's clothes.
Despite my love of falling, I’m not falling in love.
I’m spinning around in circles in my mind.
I’m only chasing her eyes down the road.
I’m chasing, chasing the glow.
I’m not telling a history. I’m diagnosing a misery but I ain’t no doctor and she ain’t no nurse and we aren’t healing anyone tonight.
I got the case of the twitching eyes-a stumbling tumbling mind and a sneaky disguise. Cause I’m a believable but leave-able friend - asleep in the shadows wearing a halo for a one-night stand.
Despite my love of falling, I’m not falling in love.
I’m spinning around in circles in my mind I’m only chasing her eyes down the road.
’m chasing, chasing the glow.
Believe me!
You’re next in the line.
Till next time I’ll leave this behind.
Cause I don’t keep track of my wondering eyes.
So keep smiling a while.
So speaking my mind is a dance.
But where do I put my hands?
I’m not writing choreography for other people’s romance. Cause I’m only trained in a runaway love, believe me, relieve me, then leave.
Despite my love of falling, I’m not falling in love.
I’m spinning around in circles in my mind I’m only chasing her eyes down the road. I’m chasing, chasing the glow.
credits
from [SAMSON],
track released August 13, 2021
Tom Troyer - Songwriter
Aaron Cummings - Drums
Mark Byerly - Electric bass.
Tom Troyer- Electric guitar, Rhodes.
Recorded, mixed, mastered by Tom Troyer - Black Rabbit Audio
Farewell Friend is a North Carolina based folk rock band. Farewell Friend’s music is first and foremost an exploration of
poetry and narrative
Tom - singer, songwriter, guitar
Evan - upright bass, moog, rickenbacker
Caleb - violin and telecaster
Zac - drums
Featuring Kevan Chandler on harmonica and Galen Clark on mandolin.
Soulful guitar interplay form the heart of this lovely Americana collaboration from Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 2, 2018