SoCal-based songwriter and visual artist The Ram's fourth and latest album, I Am Nowhere, I Am Everywhere, explores and celebrates nature, humanity, and the highs and lows of life as an artist.
"Listen to the Cold" starts the album off with a tempo reminiscent of driving down the road, reflecting the track's themes of coming home after a long day at work. The soft backing instrumentals with the harsher guitar and vocals generates a captivating musical tension, amplifying the nostalgia-infused lyrics. "Listen to the cold as it blows / Blowing through the window panes," paints an immersive picture of such a specific piece of his childhood home, the longing and memories associated pervading the entire track.
"The Moon's Loving Light" follows swiftly after "Listen to the Cold," contrasting the cold of autumn with the warmth of the "summer wind." Written about a night when things were finally looking up for The Ram -- aka Mark O'Donnell -- as the full moon shone down overhead, the song overflows with relief and joy. The laid back and danceable rhythm, cheeky guitar lines, and mellow keys work with his vocals to describe a night where "The moon's loving light is on the likes of you."
A 2024 single, "Unbound" distills the overwhelming feelings of freedom into a fast paced, classic rock anthem. Written in the midst of the pandemic, being "free" and "unbound" is a deeply relatable concept, both within its context and without. Matching poignance with grandeur, the lyrics of the track perfectly describe the natural outpouring of energy and feeling that comes with a freeing of the human spirit: "I am nowhere, I am everywhere/ I am free, I'm unbound."
"Warmth of the Fire" closes the album with a deeply personal reflection of The Ram's childhood on a small farm in rural Pennsylvania. The lyrics describe the comfort of living in close relationship with the land, the workday over and sustenance provided for by the day's labor. As the album draws to a close, this track is the perfect summary of the grounding ethos underlying each track: "It's a simple truth, from the seed to the root / The pride of our toil, springs forth from the soil / Sustenance again."
The Carlsbad, CA musician known as The Ram pulls from a diverse array of influences, ranging from classic rock to soul and funk. His childhood in rural Pennsylvania continues to inform and inspire his music, the inspirations for each song he writes available in the project's Youtube descriptions or on his Substack.
The Ram's storytelling is unmatched in relatability, but the undeniable beauty of his music and lyricism stems from his deep connection to the things he holds most dear.
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