Hollywood has long glamorized the lifestyle of the organized crime family. Ruthless mob bosses stage their own reverse Robin Hood schemes to maintain a stranglehold over their own small dominion. For those at the bottom of the food chain, life may not be as sweet. On his debut single, “High Tower,” Scottish singer-songwriter Ben Walker takes the perspective of the lowly grunt who wants to escape the mob life and start over.
To replicate the pressure cooker when you are somebody’s thumb, Walker maintains a simmering intensity through his melodies. You can feel the strain of being denied an ounce of personal freedom with each and every tense chord. Eventually, all of that pent up energy is set free with every explosive round of chorus. For the most part, you are immersed in a gritty, guitar laden track that reinforces the struggle of breaking through a constricting environment.
From the start, Walker makes no bones about the gravity of the setting he lays out for us. “I’ve got a man in the high tower,” he sings. “Waiting for the sun, living like a king, but he’s picking up his gun and heading out.” He encapsulates how this boss lives at the top of the world, looks down upon it as if it is his kingdom, and proceeds to rule its streets with violence. It’s all of those mafia movies summed up in a few lines.
However, Walker’s protagonist is not a loyal subject. Wanting to “leave this life behind and start a new one,” he strives for his own place in the world, not someone’s territory. Finding that he cannot do this alone, he pleads with a significant other that he can “face the world with you by my side.” In tales such as this, there’s usually the need for a companion for the great escape. Just the two of us against the odds and we’ll let the chips fall where they may.
In his debut, Walker displays all of the nervous tension of a mafia controlled world wrapped up in a spirited, four minute indie rock song. “High Tower” puts it all on the line for love in the face of overwhelming oppression. Instead of cowering, this first effort is a triumph for its clear-cut, courageous spirit.
Written by Travis Boyer
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