Hear The Children Sing The Evidence (CD)

When Nathan Salsburg’s daughter Talya was a baby, he often sang her to sleep in a rocking chair. At one point, he remembered a song he had taught himself as a teenager: “The Evidence” by Lungfish, the Maryland band who coined a singular brand of post-punk in the 90s and 00s. Salsburg realized he could play the guitar part with one hand, singing while holding Talya in his other arm. Though the original version of “The Evidence” is only five minutes long, it’s essentially a repetitive mantra, so Salsburg could extend it as long as he wanted–10 minutes, 20 minutes, even an hour. “It was therapeutic and calming and just lovely for me,” he says. “And it worked on her.”


For Oldham and Salsburg, doing extended versions of these originally-short songs uncovered a lot about Lungfish–especially the lyrics of Daniel Higgs, who can infuse a phrase as simple as “Oh the devil is a flower / Plucked from a cloud” with infinite meanings. “Each time through a single word might all of a sudden blossom,” says Oldham. “He puts things together with intentionality, so the more you embody them, the more they reveal and reward.” As a result, as Salsburg says, “The words are constantly unfolding with every listen.”

Tracklist

1. Hear the Children Sing
2. The Evidence