'I Will Remain' is their anthem, their track in which to hang their weather-beaten hat. The song starts with a lively acoustic rhythm, and lead Matthew Hegarty sings through it, giving it depth and weight. He is a young man, still in his twenties, but his voice is reminiscent of an old folk storyteller, the old man in the corner who seldom speaks, and when he does speak everyone listens, because they know it to be worthwhile.
Like Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind' Hegarty sings of a man who has wandered on roads, roads that winded through meadows, past woods, seeking the one to whom the song is addressed, the silent listener, the one who the man hopes will hear his voice whispering in a willow. The imagery of 'stone', 'wooden floor', 'meadow', 'widowed home', conjure up an image of the English countryside, one that abounds in rolling hills and folk who speak of things that once had been. In this Hegarty remains.
The song is communal, lively, with a constant stomp-clap accompanied by a banjo rift and chorus. It's a song that could have been sung a hundred years ago at a family reunion, or could have been stumbled upon in the appendix of some old English hymnal - it has that texture.
'I Will Remain' is an anthem indeed, distinct but not exclusive, vibrant but no poppy, seasonal but could be played anywhere. It's a masterpiece.
Here's the song:
