well, what do you think? it's a man named sage francis (clearly), and his song "the best of times" (obviously!) from his new album li(f)e, which represents "life is just a lie, with an 'f' in it," a thought provoking lyric excerpt from his song "the cure" off the album hope, released by non-prophets (sage w/ joe beats) in 2003.
if you have never heard the words of sage francis, i highly suggest you set out to do so, and since you're here i thought i might help with a little introduction. as a solo artist, sage has but four studio albums, each of which is a near perfect exhibition of both the musical and personal evolution of a single, concerned and actively intelligent man, and his perception of the world around him. starting with his album personal journals (2002), featuring songs like "broken wings" and "crack pipes," sage shares intimate experiences with his listener, serenading the pain we all feel in life's tragedies with beautiful words and melodies that ease the discomfort of emotional, or physical trauma through the power of empathy.
sage then followed this debut masterpiece with, a healthy distrust (2005). on this second album, ripe with tracks like "sea lion," "escape artist" and "slow down gandhi," sage shifts away from the personal strife of existence, and takes aim at the ignorance, delusions and hypocrisy passed on to developing young minds from those expected to set examples, and shape the world.
before i continue, i would like to admit that sage's third studio album human the death dance (2007), is one i have heard very little from, and what i have listen to has only been in passing. however, if songs like "water line" and "civil obedience" are any indication, i would guess the entire composition is, at the very least, on par with sage's previous well crafted, well written and well intentioned works. and i'm sure, like the others, it follows the uncanny evolution of an individual's desire to create, contrasted by an understanding of impermanence.
and now we've reached sage's latest album, the one i wrote of in my first paragraph, li(f)e (2010). at the end of last month, i was finally fortunate enough to attend a show at the biltmore featuring sage (w/ free moral agents), and his hip-hop-poet counterpart, b. dolan. it was truly amazing and inspiring, and something i hope to experience again very soon. sage had never played vancouver before, so the audience was treated to a collection of songs ranging his entire career, finding a near perfect balance of fan-favourites and brand new material, which live audiences generally seem to disprove of. not on this occasion tho. by the end of the night i could see no faces of disappointment, no whispers of discontent, and no sign of disapproval. sage's words have always seemed to have a way of making everyone who hears them open, content and aware, but having witnessed the spectacle of his performance, i realize now that it is not simply the words, but the man behind them that accomplishes such collective unification.
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