Hem

Hearing the song "Half Acre" by Hem (from their 2002 debut album Rabbit Songs) makes me want to spend December somewhere cold. Somewhere you can feel warm and cozy inside, while everything outside is frigid and uninviting. At least, that's how a kid from California would romanticize it, having never lived anywhere that gets colder than 50 degrees F.I am holding half an acreTorn from the map of MichiganAnd folded in this scrap of paperIs the land I grew inBut don't blame my cold-weather ignorance for this sentiment, blame Hem for painting such a nostalgic picture of the Midwest (which I can only assume is snowy and cold).Think of every town you've lived inEvery room you lay your headAnd what is it that you rememberDo you carry every sadness with youEvery hour your heart was brokenEvery night the fear and darknessLay down with you Given the soft vocals, piano, and strings, this song could so easily sound cheesy and overproduced. But Hem's sound is subtle: there are no instruments fighting for space on the track. At the same time, though, there is no one who is unnecessary (the glockenspiel and clarinet provide an additional beautiful layer). Lead singer Sally Ellyson's voice is gentle, but expressive; you believe every word that leaves her mouth, whether she tells of longing, sorrow, or nostalgia. A man is walking on the highwayA woman stares out at the seaAnd light is only now just breakingSo we carry every sadness with usEvery hour our hearts were brokenEvery night the fear and darknessLay down with us And it's not just that you believe it, you feel it as well. We have all carried our sadness with us, unable to leave behind a past lover's words as we try to live our lives. Or perhaps it's a physical place - a restaurant, a park, a kitchen - where we can't help but feel sentimental about joyful memories spent there and then feel heartbroken when we remember they're just memories.But hopefully, you have that place that will transport you from the heaviness of such thoughts and feelings, a "home," whatever that may be. For me, it's this song. But I am holding half an acreTorn from the map of MichiganI am carrying this scrap of paperThat can crack the darkest sky wide openEvery burden taken from meEvery night my heart unfoldingMy home