Why I Love Passenger: Music Recommendation

Over the past couple of years, I have been religiously listening to particular singer/songwriters. I wont pretend to know anything about music, but I do feel that if you like something, you should spread the word and hope others agree! This blog looks at one artist in particular but I’ll be writing more soon!

Passenger

Passenger is the stage name of UK based singer/songwriter – real name Mike Rosenberg. Formed in 2003, at its peak it was a 5 piece band with a record label. However, by 2007 other members decided to opt out to work on different projects, Rosenburg decided to stick with the name and take to the streets to busk alone. Finding busking empowering and fruitful, both monetary and emotionally, he started to expand his horizons and travel the world doing it. Busking has allowed him to make a number of albums, two of which I listen to most and will tell you about!

“Flight of The Crow“, released 2010, was the first album of his I heard. This album has a perfect blend of cheery and upbeat songs as well as ones that will make your arms crawl with goosebumps at how emotional they are. Inspired by his busking tour of Australia, this album features independent Aussie musicians such as Lior and Kate Miller-Heidke. As soon as the intro to “Diamonds” came on, I knew immediately that I was going to love it. And love it I did. The hugely upbeat instrumental intro makes you sit up and listen. Then comes his quirky British accent which is both soft and rough around the edges, a simply perfect blend for this song in particular. Unlike most songs these days, it has a story, a beginning, a middle and end which makes you listen all the way through. It’s an upbeat, light-hearted and beautifully written song.

In stark comparison, the emotionally driven and haunting song “Blood Stains“, featuring Katie Noonan, makes you sit and reflect on relationships, love and endings. Their voices compliment each other wonderfully and makes this one of my favourite tracks.

“All The Little Lights“, released 2012, has a different vibe to Flight Of The Crow. Love is a big theme in this album, but far from a mushy, heart wrenching, vomit inducing manner. It’s an album about loving life, including the bad bits. It’s full of songs about picking yourself up and getting on with it rather than moping about. A great example of this is the song “Holes“. The opening verse sums it up and really sets the theme for the whole album:

“I know a man with nothing in his hands, nothing but a rolling stone. He told me about when his house burnt down, he lost everything he owned. He lay asleep for six whole weeks, they were gonna ask his mother to choose, when he woke up with nothing he said I’ll tell you something when you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose“.

Another of my favourite songs on this album is “Let Her Go”. Despite its more somber theme, it is essentially a song that realises you can’t have the good without the bad and without one, you can’t recognise the other. Something that is vital in understanding the world and is, in itself, a positive lesson to learn.