Finley Quaye - "Dice" (feat. William Orbit & Beth Orton)
William Orbit seems to have a knack for capturing a certain sense of emotional tourism. I never really feel involved in the situations established by his songs, but I always feel that I'm in the presence of something of exquisite beauty. I think it's mainly the ambient influence. The music captivates without becoming controlling. I feel that I can drift by and appreciate the wonder of human emotion without being immersed in it. It's not that I don't enjoy relating to the emotion that a song is expressing directly. In fact, I think that's my general reaction to the majority of songs that move and stimulate me beyond purely intellectual interests. It's just in the case of this song and many of Orbit's others that I find I'm in a sense appreciating the "aesthetics" of emotion rather than the emotion itself. It's like I can comprehend and even to a certain extent, welcome the emotion that the music is trying to convey, but it all seems so distant and untouchable, like it really isn't MINE. That's part of the allure of a song like this I think. Despite the dangerously close to overly sentimental lyrics and Beth Orton's overwrought wailing, the entire musical package takes me to a place where none of that really matters. I can appreciate the essence and power of love and yearning while not having to acknowledge the gaudily decorated box it's presented in. The basis for the emotion seems pure, rooted in beauty alone, and not some hackneyed conceptualized situation complete with picturesque settings and tacky self-pity (see lyrics).
