Carl Sagan (Blue Sky Black Death)

If you enjoy this song, please be respectful of its creators by buying it.

This is one of the songs that I feel I was presented with as a personal gift from the universe. While searching for something completely unrelated (‘Machine Heart’ by Instrumental Core), YouTube decided to offer me Blue Sky Black Death in the list of suggestions.

I was immediately drawn to the artist name, and although I did not realise at the time that ‘Carl Sagan’ was the title of the song, I always had the utmost respect for the man, so I went ahead and clicked the link.

And what an intriguing marvel I discovered.

To be sure, the music has a beautifully haunting quality, and adds a great deal of atmosphere. But the lyrics are out of this world -- perhaps literally. Whether or not my interpretation is congruent with the intentions of the writer, I have a strong sense of the speaker’s identity as implied but never explicitly stated. The arrangement of the clues, though, and the poetic eloquence with which they are expressed, serve to evoke a visceral understanding in the listener that exceeds what directly naming the subject could achieve.

The eeriest thing is that there seems to be such truth in this song. It does not feel like a figment of the imagination, a work of art, a fictitious narrative.

It feels like a harbinger.

Check it out on YouTube

Addendum

I emailed Alexander Chen (theconsulategeneral.com), the person responsible for the lyrics and vocals on this song, congratulating him on such an exceptional piece of music. To my amazement, he actually wrote back to say thanks. What an admirable gesture! If only more successful and famous individuals retained such humanity.