I’ve been going through a real electronic pop sort of phase lately, and the lush, meditative beauty of “So Be It” by the team of Jenni Potts and OKADA really suited my mood. It’s perfect for walking around in the fog in your warm winter jacket, with its glacial synths and gorgeous vocals.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the words the first few times I listened, instead just absorbing the sound. A couple of the lyrics about love and anger made me assume that the song, like so many songs, was about the end of a relationship, and one that might have verged on abusive, which really bummed me out. There’s been too much romanticizing of that sort of thing in the history of music and well, everything. I finally realized what should have been obvious all along, from the name of the song (which is the English translation of “amen”) to the opening lyrics “whoever believeth in Him should not perish” and so on. It’s not about a romance between people, but about the rejection of a long relationship with God. The singer is more than fair to God and the role he played in her life, but is thoroughly done with him and the cage of his love.
Jenni Potts’s vocals are perfect for this work, tender and aching, occasionally soaring with pain. The music undergirds the the vocals with choral effects and low, insistent drumming, creating the space and structure for the singer to make her argument and to walk away from God forever and ever, amen.
Jenni will play a solo set to open up the Ball of Wax 50 release show at LoFi this Friday (December 15th). Get your tickets now!