“Strange Bodies” is the Broodily Suggestive Chapter of a Dark Rock Opera Unfolding

ParliamentCat1_crop — Parliament Cat, photo courtesy the artist

In writing “Strange Bodies” for his solo project Parliament Cat, Douglas Guerra seems to have had in mind some kind of rock opera and we get a peek into some late chapter of the drama. The lead character, a kind of anti-hero is taking stock of the action up to now. “Where did you place your excitable ways?” is the opening line before going into a story of the pursuit of a one night stand. The lonely piano line and chilling synth washes imbue the narrative with a dark and creepy quality to match the chorus of “strange bodies” which sounds more like a strange rationalization than fact. Like the mantra of someone who thinks that being intimate with another human means you can really be strangers and that both parties will walk away without any lingering emotional connections. It’s that disconnect and the articulation thereof that gives the track an eerie quality beyond the brooding atmosphere. It makes you wonder what brought both people to this place like we’re seeing one slice of a multi-perspective movie and in fact only one aspect of the narrators life. Guerra says the song is “A dark ballad that illustrates a forbidden one night stand” so the lurid underbelly to the tale is established. And as a song that suggests much more to the story, it works on its own but makes you want to hear more. Listen to the song on YouTube and follow Parliament Cat at the links provided.