Chris Hill and the Stardust Crush is unlike any other musical group you’ve heard before. The Stardust Crush is more like a musical community in Seattle than a formal band. Chris Hill does the writing, singing, and most of the instrumentals and their music is genreless. They span from Pop/Rock to Rhythm and Blues or Middle Eastern and Jazz. There are also a great deal of sound scapes and ambient noises in the background of the tracks. The lyrics have a folk sensibility to them in a Bob Dylan sort of way. Their newest song, “The Gravity of the Goddess (No One Else Can Dance Like You)” is an alternative rock song that takes musical inspiration from the Middle East by using the sitar and an overall sound very much like Bob Dylan meets Pink Floyd meets Johnny Cash.
“This is a song of encouragement with themes from pop culture and ancient culture,” says Chris. “The line ‘the broken bowl will be glued with gold…stronger and more beautiful, behold’ refers to the Japanese Kintsugi method of repairing pottery with liquid gold. I’d been thinking of telling my friend about Kintsugi as a metaphorical encouragement but I felt like putting the concept into the actual song lyrics would be more powerful. Kintsugi makes pottery stronger and certainly more beautiful than before it was broken! The gold looks like fingers of lightning going through the pottery. Kintsugi comes from a legend of a shogun warrior who had broken his favorite tea bowl and liked it so much that he decided to repair it with gold and tree sap instead of throwing it away.”
“Another idea inherent in this song is that there is a value in following the proverbial Yellow Brick Road in life provided you are learning from and caring for your friends along the way. You don’t need the wizard of the future when you already have the road of the present to teach you the wisdom of the moment. The wizard is right there in the energy released by the rhythm of dancing down the yellow bricks! The line in the song, “You clutch four emeralds in your fist” talks of having the wisdom of the emerald city within your grasp already before you get there. My friend had found two separate four leaf clovers in short succession during their difficult time and was encouraged by this multi-clover find. So It refers to that hope bringing find as well, also a gift of the moment. The four emeralds/clovers represent the luck and the magic of the moment!”
This piece is all about finding strength inside themselves, it’s about how others believe in you, but most importantly, that one needs to believe in yourself. He conveys that there is hope, even if we can’t feel it at the moment, that we are all stronger than we realize. Humans are broken, but we are worth repairing. “The wild and somewhat discordant ending section of the song sonically illustrates a restrengthened warrior returning to battle life difficulties with a renewed sense of vigor,” says Chris. “This vigor comes after finding a win in the internal battle of self-acceptance and self-compassion through their healing process. It is meant to sound joyful and fearless, full of love protecting both the self and the warrior’s loved ones. I am also presenting a sonic journey to portray the hero’s journey talked of by philosopher Joseph Campbell here.” “The Gravity of the Goddess (No One Else Can Dance Like You)” uses the piano and sitar to exemplify strength and fervor that everyone has within them. It’s a beautifully written song with extraordinary depth. The use of music and his lyrical writing is poetic. This is a song for anyone who needs to feel seen, encouraged, and valued. We are all worthy of healing. Be sure to listen now. You can connect with Chris Hill and the Stardust Crush via the following links:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Soundcloud
