Stephen Becker employs a minimal, melancholic keyboard figure to introduce “Range” fitting the impressionistic lyrics seemingly built out of the mundane details of life that separately seem insignificant but together develop a vivid emotional portrait especially when his vocals join together with those of Alena Spanger and they seem to be reassuring presences for each other. Ghostly tones and textural tones give the otherwise fairly abstract song a tactile quality and one that’s gentle yet slightly unsettled. The lyrics toward the end of the song, “I’m not lost, I’m just outside my range/I’m not lost, I’m just a little spaced,” point to the overall mood of the song in its embodying an uncomfortable acceptance of unfamiliar experiences and settings and a slight feeling of being unmoored emphasized by the realization that the song has no standard percussion yet the rhythms have their own organic sense of order even if it’s unconventional in the realm of pop music. Listen to “Range” on Spotify and follow Stephen Becker at the links below. Becker’s new album, the existential and sonically daring Middle Child Syndrome released on October 25, 2024.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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