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Song of the day - The Big Swirl - Barney Cortez




Wild opening sequence  draws you in with a sweep of psychedelic, cowboy energy.  barney favors Stetson looks btw.  Eclectic guitar riffs match the lyrical sass and elegant horn accouterments.  Barney comes at you with silky smooth vocals that belie the hard truth as he tells  a little story about his journey.  He thought he should call this track Runaway but The Big Swirl spews intrigue.  He sing about being a coke a cola freak and the failure trap.  So he Runs away. "The Big Swirl" emanates from a song by "Sir Rockaby",  Frank Black tune. The particular use of the term moved Barney. He told me,  ""It's what he calls the sky and the universe and I came to use the phrase as the spectrum of human emotions and experience. Sort of like a rebirth." This is deep and poignant kind of like much of Barney's music and though process. 

Barney imparts a casual vibe but his songs are ripe with world wariness. He has a groovy vibe sporting a tousle of charcoal brick curls and a lightly bearded face. No hipster here as he could be a doppelganger for a certain 60's folk singer when he dons his wide brim hat. Skilled at crafting a catchy opening sequence, he is adept at spinning an ending that just doesn't fade out. it sizzles n a different direction. Perhaps hinging on autobiographical fact or dreamy up fiction.

Its a a catchy pop flavored song with melodious meaning encased with heft.  The drop kick ending caused a smile as it relies of what sounds like Beckesque arcade game sounds.

The Big Swirl is  song possess his signature style of rollicking riffs married to a lyrical style that  courts depth with a breezy mannerism.  Kind of like a precocious youngster adept at observation and communication shaking his head at his surroundings. He says what you were thinking and wraps it ripe melodies and a plethora of auditory elements. Like some of the great lyricists, Tom Petty comes to mind, Barney doesn't waste a word. He cares about his songs. The Big Swirl is destined to become a favorite Spring time earworm.

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