matthew azrieli wraps you in thoughtful lyrics with “i thought i saw you the other day”
If you’ve ever been to Montreal, you might remember the water. To fly over the city is to look at a maze of tiny tributaries and substantial streams – the water sleepwalking beside bustling streets to St. Lawrence river. Montrealer Matthew Azrieli captures this movement in his new song “I Thought I Saw You the Other Day.”
With a voice like a country road, Azrieli sings of a broken bond with an old friend or lover. The track runs for just over a minute and thirty seconds, but feels longer. In the brief time he has you, Azrieli wraps you in warm guitar and thoughtful lyrics, gently leading you along each turn of phrase. It’s a simple tune, but “I Thought I Saw You the Other Day” is the kind of song that leaves its door open for revisiting again and again. It wants you to sit with it and it wants to stay with you.
“I Thought I Saw You the Other Day” holds itself with certainty – capturing its sentiment with confidence. The memories revisited in it are reminiscent of the water, steady as it drifts away. Azrieli doesn’t mourn this, but rather accepts it. “I’m not quite sure if it was you, but even if it were there’s not a lot I would say,” he admits. The track is one of bereavement without grief.
The instrumental of the tune dances easily with the lyrics. Nothing but a guitar weaves around the words. This simplicity gives the track its charm. It also creates a stronger sense of intimacy with the listener. At times, you have the sense Azrieli is talking to himself. Others, it seems he’s reaching to hold your hand.
On both this record and his others, Azrieli feels like an old friend. The wit and vulnerability of his lyrics resemble that of Bob Dylan or Nick Drake. Perhaps this parallel to the cherished folk tunes of the ‘70s is what makes Azrieli appear so familiar. Listening to him croon through his buried thoughts makes being alone your own thoughts more bearable. Clearly, his songs are best suited for long drives and longer nights.
As you listen to “I Thought I Saw You the Other Day,” think of the waters of Montreal, the same waters Azrieli grew up singing to. There, you can see the memories drifting away, without resentment or pain, but simply with the inevitable passing of time. There, you, too, may see someone you used to know.