You'll find somebody you can blame, and you'll follow the creek that runs out to the sea, and you'll find the peace of the Lord.

Guten tag! That's German. See? You just learned something. Blogs can be educational!

Here's something else I'll be teaching you about: The Middle East.

Surprised? Well, don't be, because I'm not talking about that Middle East, I'm talking about the little band from Australia.

No, please don't leave! This will be awesome, I promise you! Well, maybe not awesome, but whatever! Just listen!

I was watching IFC recently, and they've been airing a lot of clips from South By Southwest, which is in Arizona, I believe? New Mexico? (Oh! Texas. Thanks, Wikipedia.) Everyone on the Internetz seems interested in SXSW, but I wasn't. I didn't give a crud about SXSW because just thinking about all of those sweaty pretentious audiophiles screaming the lyrics to their favorite Radiohead song (even though they're actually watching Broken Social Scene play) in one cramped place made me feel terribly uncomfortable.

But then they showed this video:

And immediately SXSW had won me over. Although, really, they only deserve partial credit, if even that: it was the Middle East that I liked. And it was IFC that brought them to my 32" HD Sony Bravia television (all my Bravia bros., say "Heeeey!" And then don't ever say "Heeeey!" again).

The song is called "Blood." Yes, "Blood" by the Middle East. It is far less violent than it sounds. In fact, it's pretty melancholy, but above all else, it's..."beautiful." That's a word I rarely use, unless I'm talking about my cat. Man, my cat's the best.

Anyway, while watching that video of "Blood", the harmonizing just put me someplace else. The combination of the instruments create this wonderful ambiance that I just got lost in. I stared at the screen, my eyes watering from keeping them pried open, my ears throbbing from how high up I had turned up the volume (only to 65!).

The lyrics are the best part. Please, won't you read them with me?:

Older brother, restless soul, lie down
lie for a while with your ear against the earth
and you'll hear your sister sleep talking
say "your hair is long but not long enough to reach
home to me
but your beard
someday might be"

And she'll wake up in a cold sweat on the floor
next to a family portrait drawn when you were four
and beside a jar of two cent coins that are no good no more
she'll lay it aside

Older father, weary soul, you'll drive
back to the home you made on the mountainside
with that ugly, terrible thing
those papers for divorce
and a lonely ring
a lonely ring
sit on your porch
and pluck your strings

And you'll find somebody you can blame
and you'll follow the creek that runs out into the sea
and you'll find the peace of the Lord.

Grandfather, gentle soul, you'll fly
over your life once more before you die
since our grandma passed away
you've waited for forever and a day
just to die
and someday soon
you will die

It was the only woman you ever loved
that got burnt by the sun too often when she was young
and the cancer spread and it ran into her body and her blood
and there's nothing you can do about it now

Please don't lie to me and tell me that you don't imagine anything while reading that. How could you not instantly be filled up with all of these different thoughts and emotions? I can't be overselling this, can I? I can't be the only one who thinks this is "the bomb?"

Just look at the cover of their EP, conveniently located to your right, which is called The Recordings of the Middle East. I think it encapsulates "Blood" pretty well, or, at least, what I see in my mind when I hear it. Also, the colors are really nice. Look at 'em.

One of the other songs on the EP that I really like is "The Darkest Side." Its lyrics are kind of overdramatic ("It's the darkest side of my heart that dies when you come to me") but it just sounds so good. On that song, too, they do a lot of cool harmonizing. (See also: "Beleriand.")

Regardless of whether or not you're interested in SXSW, and I must admit that I still care very little about it, I implore you to check out this band. I assure you that you won't regret it. Just try to ignore the fact that their drummer is a dead-ringer for current Weezer bassist Scott Shriner. If you haven't watched the video I posted above already, then please check that out, too. It's quite nice, and is every bit as good as the studio version.

Here's a download of said studio version: "Blood"

You can buy the EP from Amazon here. It's also on iTunes, but I'm pretty mad at Apple right now so you can find it yourself there if you have to. (Don't ask why I'm mad at them. Just, don't. Seriously, I know you're going to want to now, but don't even try it. I'm warning you!)