Song Review: Human Sadness by The Voidz

by Isla Salgado

If you enjoy The Strokes, try The Voidz.

The Voidz is an experimental rock band formed in 2013. Their lead singer is Julian Casablancas, who is also the lead singer for the well-acclaimed band, The Strokes.

The song begins with an eerie, yet whimsical hum. Then a muffled voice utters: “put money in my hand and I will do the things that you want me to do,” to which in an interview on the music media blog, stereogum, Casablancas informs that the lyric is “…Just regular, all-encompassing human behavior since the dawn of time”.

The combination of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor and the bass is hypnotic. I honestly wish that it appeared throughout the song. In act II, the song picks up more speed; it still has a melancholic tone but it does not contain the same melody and the percussions are much more prominent. It feels as though it is the song’s turning point or break through, from sorrow to indignation.

The chorus returns at the outro of the song as well as the previous Requiem in D minor melody (only the bass is subtle) Personally, I find the first 3 minutes of the song to be the best part. It feels raw and conveyed more emotion to me than the fourth and fifth verse.

While the song focuses on a variety of predicaments; it primarily tells a story of Casablanca’s relationship with his estranged father along with the emotional struggles of coming to terms with the severance. A plaquing of distress, human sadness.

The song slows as Casablancas sings his final lines: “To be is not to be, to be is not the way to be,” this may convey that Casablancas, who’s contemplating on how to respond to his struggles, believes that the best way to counter them is to start over. This is concurred by the song’s softer ending which served as a resolution, acceptance.

This song takes a more experimental approach that fans of The Strokes may find to be unique and possibly off-putting. I highly recommend giving this song a listen.