Nothing inspires heated debate quite like the Middle East. Let's clarify: nothing quite inspires heated debate like Israel and Palestine. And no place is more at the center of this debate than Jerusalem. So, the idea that a band would claim ownership by proxy of their name is a lot to handle. Frankly, would you even want the responsibility of it being "your" Jerusalem? My Jerusalem? Without being too offensive, wouldn't an American example be "My Detroit?" It's broken. It's yours. Now fix it.
Now that every Zionist and Liberation front nightmare is on edge, this is the most moving piece of indie rock I've heard in a while. It reminds me a of a National record slow-dancing with Beulah's catalogue. You could even make the Wilco comparison when comes to the sad-sack horns. But this isn't Jeff Tweedy's painkiller hangover. Listen to the shrieking pre-chorus before the arrangement spirals into something vaguely orchestral. This is what indie rock is supposed to sound like. The National reference is a piece of creepy deja-vu in the bridge as the lead-singer repeats: "we will not suffer mistakes of our fathers/chariots take us away." It's not "I won't fuck us over/I'm Mr. November" but it's damn close.
In a moment that is right out of Pela's Anytown Graffiti, the arrangement erupts into churning strings, resolving organ chords, and then, finally, an incredibly moving (and rough) set of double-tap drums. It's almost the last thing you hear as the whole mess fades to black. It's not perfectly recorded but it's not supposed to be. This is about taking responsibility for something that is intentionally not perfect.
Listen :: My Jerusalem - "Sweet Chariot"
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