A colleague’s violet outfit at the office led me to watch on YouTube the video for Alcides’ song of the same name… which in turn led me to listen to other songs by this popular Argentine musician, who bears a strange physical resemblance to Giorgio Moroder (probably the mustache…), and although their music belongs to completely different universes, the melodies—the combination of notes and chords—manage to create a kind of nostalgic sadness that’s very hard to define.
I understand that there are happy chords like C major, or sadder ones like A minor, but achieving more complex emotions that evoke past times is truly powerful.
I’ve felt it in songs like Pulp’s Disco 2000, some tracks by the cuarteto singer Rodrigo, random cumbia songs, and more recently, in these Alcides songs.
What also strikes me is that this can be triggered by musicians and styles I don’t even like (Alcides, Rodrigo, cumbia…) or ones I love (Moroder, Pulp…).
In Rodrigo or Alcides’ case, it may be a side effect of the toxicity of that music. With Giorgio or Pulp, I couldn’t say why.
Anyway, I’m off to listen to some Daft Punk to see if it wears off. 😄