Warrior

My July 2012 Song of the Month

Warrior by Kimbra, Mark Foster, & A-Trak

Golly, last month’s pick really drove traffic to the website. Gotye’s song overtook my Pathfinder Parkway information as the top draw, although over time that will fade. This month is a follow-up, because my favorite new song was Warrior by Kimbra, A-Trak, and Mark Foster of Foster the People. I was sufficiently interested by her duet with Gotye in last month’s pick that I sampled several of her own songs and liked this one best. As the month was consumed more by reading than listening (see a forthcoming post), Warrior became my favorite new-to-me song for July.

“Warrior” features A-Trak on the boards while Kimbra and Foster supply vocals. I love the energy in it, which reminds me of some of Beck‘s better work. The song was written as a part of the “Three Artists, One Song” annual series by shoe company Converse. The mix is potent. I especially love the powerful synthesizers in the chorus, which are highlighted when they blast you out of the breakdown and its Kimbra-esque layered harmonies.

Being sponsored by a shoe company means this song naturally has a video:

Warrior

My hands are tired
But my eyes are open
This modern denial
Has me broken

Nothing mystical
No hullabaloo
Just chemicals
And no one looking down on you

What am I thinking (if you’re so sure it’s rational)
While the world’s shrinking (but that don’t make it logical)
What am I thinking (if you say I’m just an animal)
I feel like I’m sinking (you can’t explain away the way I feel)

You’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They tell you ‘trust your head, be like men’ but never feel like you’re good enough)
You’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They wanna take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love)

(I’ll be your warrior, warrior)

You’re taking over
And I’m feeling small
When I was a child
I knew it all

Nothing magical
No hologram behind the door
Just a chain reaction
But I know I’m made for more!

What am I thinking (if you’re so sure it’s rational)
While the world’s shrinking (but that don’t make it logical)
What am I thinking (if you say I’m just an animal)
I feel like I’m sinking (you can’t explain away the way I feel)

And you’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They tell you, ‘trust your head, be like men’ but never feel like you’re good enough)
You’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They wanna take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love)

And you’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(You wanna change the world, but your girls will be seen and not be heard)
You’re just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They wanna take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love)