Third of May / Odaigahara

Listen while you read:  Third of May

Light ended the night, but the song remained
And I was hiding by the stair, half here, half there, past the lashing rain
And as the sky(e) would petal white
Old innocent lies came to mind
As we stood, congregated, at the firing line

Night ended the fight, but the song remained
And so I headed to the wall, turned tail to call to the new domain
As if in the sight of sea, you're suddenly free, but it's all the same . . . 
Oh, but I can hear you, loud in the center
Aren't we made to be crowded together, like leaves?

Was I too slow?
Did you change overnight?
Second son, on the other line . . . 

~ Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes)

I taught "Creative Writing" for close to thirty years. I always disliked that title, as it seemed to imply that there's some other writing that is non-creative. Having said that, it was still a challenge to help my students understand that their creative pursuits might receive a better response if their meanings were accessible. Teenagers often like to wave the flag of "poetic license" as an excuse for a certain laziness in revising and creating better poetry. I had to walk a very fine line between trying to help them become better writers and accepting the inner voices that allowed them to write incomprehensible garbage about which they were very proud.

So in terms of Fleet Foxes' latest effort, I would make a big fuss over the excellent use of assonance and internal rhyme as well as the lines that poke the reader with profound internal contemplation, like Aren't we made to be crowded together, like leaves? At the same time, I'd be thinking, "What the hell are you trying to say here?"

Obviously, I had to choose "Third of May" for this post. It is the already-released single from the upcoming Crack-Up, scheduled for June 16, the first Fleet Foxes album in six years. Not-so-coincidentally, Helplessness Blues was released on May 3, 2011. May 3 is also the birthday of guitarist and founding member Skyler Skjelset. "Third of May" is Becknold's tribute to his friendship with Skjelset.

The song is the longest and most experimental number to come from Fleet Foxes, clocking in at almost nine minutes in length. Pitchfork traces the evolution of the song from "contemplation to melancholy to chaos to resolution." All in under nine minutes. If only real-life conflict could be resolved so quickly!

I know it sounds like I don't like this song. I do. If I seem overly-critical, it's because Becknold, were he in my writing class, would be one of my better students, and I would hold him to a very high standard. I would caution him against being too esoteric, and I would encourage him to be more mindful of his readers/listeners.

I was a fool
Crime after crime to confess to
But I hold the fleet angel, she'll bless you
Hold fast to the wing. Hold fast to the wing

What?

Oh, and Odaigahara is a mountain in Japan.

Third of May 1808 Francisco Goya