“Going Up (To See Him)” by Garrett Anthony Rice
Some songs arrive as entertainment; others feel like an act of remembrance. Garrett Anthony Rice’s “Going Up (to see him)” belongs firmly to the latter category. As the lead single from Rice’s ambitious 18-track double album EQUINOX, it is an intensely personal piece of music—one in which decades of grief are finally given a voice.
The song is written as a tribute to Rice’s best friend, who tragically took his own life aged just 21 in Dublin in the early 1990s. The enormity of that loss hangs over “Going Up (To See Him),” but this is not simply a song about mourning. It is about the strange persistence of love: how someone can remain an emotional presence long after they have gone, and how grief can lie dormant for years before finding a way to speak.
Musically, “Going Up (To See Him)” has shades of James Blunt, as well as one of my favourite bands of all time, The Silver Seas. The song is very subdued, yet remarkably expressive in its approach. Everything is audible in the mix, with each instrument given room to breathe. This is about as far removed from Spector’s Wall of Sound as you can get—and I mean that as the highest praise.
The playing throughout is tasteful and restrained. I particularly love the economical use of the piano, which brings to mind those early-sixties Elvis Presley recordings and, of course, The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. The drumming is spot on and really comes into its own in the outro, which, incidentally, is one of the most striking moments in the song. The chord structure changes noticeably here, giving the section a character that sets it apart from the rest of the track. The coda is also where the band really steps up its performance.
But of course, that's not all there is to the track. The bass is beautifully woven into what the bass drum is doing, as it should be, but it really starts to dance during the chorus. And before I forget—how about that wah-wah? A superb touch, if you ask me.
And don’t even get me started on the harmonies. They are terrific.
As the opening statement from the upcoming EQUINOX, the song suggests that Rice has created something much larger than a collection of recordings. This is an album shaped by memory, time and emotional reckoning, and “Going Up (to see him)” gives that journey its human face.
Listen here: “Going Up (To See Him)”
Explore Further:
Garrett Anthony Rice Soundcloud
Garrett Anthony Rice Instagram
Review by staff at MBTM
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