BEST NEW SONGS: DIJON - CANNONBALL

L.A. singer/songwriter Dijon delves into the pain of unrequited love and desire on "Cannonball."

Love hurts. Or it can, anyway.

How often have you heard the advice to go after what you want? When you do, as poet Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." The presence of those two words, 'the universe', alerts us to the fact that this is some New Age platitude, whiffing of The Law of Attraction or other such pseudo-philosophical thoughts.

What if you want something so badly, but you just can't have it? It's like being Charlie in the '70s version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with his little-impoverished nose pressed up against the black, while the candyman bestows precious rich kids with free candy.

Sometimes, no matter how badly we want something, we just can't have it. Maybe it's outside of our means. Maybe it requires resources we just don't possess. I'm sure we'd all love to galavant across Indonesia, finding our bliss and getting our groove back. For those with rent, mortgages, kids, school, that's simply not possible. Shaming someone for not going after what they want is basically kicking someone when they're already down.

On his new single, L.A. singer/songwriter Dijon delves into the pain and heartache of wanting something so badly but not being able to have it. The tender, delicate folk-ish soul is the perfect vessel for expressing this raw vulnerability. Acoustic guitars tremble and thrum like a flamenco quartet at high noon, setting the stage for Dijon's vocals to soar. It's a chilling voice, impressively emotive and expressive for such a young soul.

DIJON - CANNONBALL

Dijon's music is rooted in classic soul & r&b, like a reincarnation of Otis Redding or Sam Cooke for the new millennium. "Cannonball" may sound classic, but it's presented in a uniquely modern way. The recording sounds fresh and immediate, somewhere between a field recording or a bedroom pop anthem. This slightly unpolished quality suits the subject matter well. There is no gloss here, no veneer to protect us from the heartache.

"Cannonball" reminds us that, no matter what, life goes on. This too shall pass, as all things do. We Are: The Guard have mixed feelings about "Cannonball." We're sorry Dijon's hurting, but if it makes music this gorgeously intimate, honest, and real, perhaps it is worth it?

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.