On the 19th of March 2010, for the world a great loss was suffered – Mark Linkous, who is famous for his work as Sparklehorse’s mastermind. In 2022, I have come to realize that their spirit is alive in Hang Ten’s song, “Balloon.” I have no idea whether they would consider this a compliment or if they have ever listened to Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot and blown their lungs full of Good Morning Spider, but they should.Everyone should.
Nevertheless, people also need to hear “Balloon,” not because of what I just said, but because of the simple fact that through very minimal chord structure, listeners can witness resounding existentialism via the lyrics: “I wish I could like myself, I wonder why?” She sings, and the song seems to be carried out by a falsetto voice that, if I told you, I would believe it to be the work of Linkous.
This is the second time in a row that I have am absolutely clueless about who this band is and why they have written this song. However, I am very much in the moment and this has to be one of my best finds of the summer. Additionally, I did not aim in writing that story as Hang Ten. They just followed us back on Instagram and I did not have to think twice about pressing the play button of the first song I found. I am also glad that I did that because this blog entry is like a wrap-up of my whole learning journey.
Hang Ten – Balloon
