After the Flood Part I

If you were anywhere near Chicago last Wednesday then you know how the late afternoon sky flipped a switch to night, shrouded itself in fog and then initiated an all night marathon of rain. 

It all started as I was a block away from the highway.  When I finally hit the on ramp, an old mixtape playing in my deck delivered "After The Flood" by Talk Talk. 

The synchronicity was eerily beautiful. This epic track with its unique feedback squall made the lightning and waves of descending water not only bearable but joyous.   

It took me close to two hours to get home that night; I rewound this song and played it three times to preserve my sanity. 

That very same night I wrote a blog post but neglected to save my work as I wrote.  An errant keystroke as I neared the end caused the whole entry to be wiped out instantly.  

"Aw, fuck it."  I was too tired to start over.  I was grasping for something about how the storm reminded me of the lasting power of this record.  It had been elusive anyway, I rationalized that all my faithful readers were well aware of this album's sway. 

In retrospect I realize that the real message was in that keyboard snag which resulted in loss.  That feedback squall was a flood, not rain.  

I was being warned but I mistook it as a comfort.  I trundled off to bed and slept while streets became rivers. 

*******

Laughing Stock was the Talk Talk's fifth and final album but it was my introduction.  I recently found an article on its creation and mythology that is worth checking out.