Internal Crash (2005) – Loquat

A piano serenely accompanies Kylee Swenson’s elegant voice as she weaves the somber ruminations of a stroke survivor’s relative. She rues how so much can be lost so quickly: “Internal crash took up seconds / and stole his years / which are hard to win back.” To reconcile this loss of vitality, Swenson dissociates bodily infirmity from the soul’s persistence. Throughout the song she refers to “you,” casting herself as a victim in the second person, as well as distancing herself from the selfish focus on how the stroke has become an imposition upon her. She finally admits that her self-centeredness stems from the extreme psychological toll the stroke has taken upon her, making her perspective as a victim more sympathetic. Indeed, the internal crash inflicted extensive collateral damage.

Listen to "Internal Crash" and purchase from iTunes Music Store.