"A Crack in the Sundial" by the Slip

From their album DOES to be released on June 20 by Flying Frog Records

Marc Friedman (bass):

"It's something of a hybrid tune, with long instrumental passages but vocals as well. It's got a slower kind of groove but it still grooves. Brad [Barr, guitarist] basically brought this tune to me, maybe a year and a half ago. It's inspired by a trip that he and Andrew [Barr, drummer] took during a Christmas vacation with their dad to Oaxaca, Mexico. It's got a deep message about the terrible plight of the Zapotec Indians, who were depleted of their land, lifestyle and condition by Spanish Conquistadores. It's an all too familiar situation that we find in South America- of course it happened here too. So the song has deep meaning in that realm. The song's lyrics mention jaguars, rocks and trees which is what they believed their ancestors were.

I have never personally been one to remember lyrics. I've always been the guy who remembers the sound of the lyrics, maybe remembers one line and twists it around but if I listen to the lyrics in any tune it's this one, some of which are in Spanish. Of course this event is just a small fraction of what continues today in this world of big nations bullying little nations and destroying history. I get pretty emotional playing it. The chords Brad wrote for it really are evocative of the lyrics, which is a great accomplishment in my eyes. My favorite part is the last minute and a half where everything really kicks in and Brad sings this vocal harmony over the band. It's very emotional and it's one of my favorite tunes on the album."

Listen to "A Crack in the Sundial"