Percewood’s Onagram – Tropical Brainforest
So I don’t really get much into songwriting on here, but let’s honor a spectacular song here, one whose merits rest almost entirely on its brilliance as an emotive and expressive vehicle. I’m referring to “Tropical Brainforest” by German-American roots-prog group Percewood’s Onagram. Nobody’s heard of this band (173 listeners according to last.fm), and I sure as shit wouldn’t have myself, if it wasn’t for the ProgNotFrog blog,* which I unwittingly stumbled across and which unwittingly turned me on to one of my favorite songs of all time:
Hyperbolic, sure, but also true. About the only less-than-perfect thing about this song is its admittedly rather embarrassing name, which would lead you to think it’s a slice of low-budget psychedelic wankery way too overcooked for the Nuggets box. This, blessedly, is not the case. Rather, the criminally unknown Percewood’s Onagram has crafted a heartfelt, melancholically triumphant masterpiece by marrying Beatles-esque phrasing, rootsy instrumentation, and suite-like pop-song construction. So get over the name and listen to “Tropical Brainforest.” You’ll become a Percewood’s Onagram evangelist, I swear! Become that 174th listener! Impress your friends! Enrich yourself!
*A breathtaking admission from someone who was categorically allergic to anything even tangentially referred to as “prog” just four short years ago.
