Buried Treasure
Heart of Stone - Mini Mansions (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
Every once in a while a song comes up in my headphones that I haven’t heard in a while. It’s one thing when it’s a tune that I heard once or twice, but the impact it has when it’s something I used to listen to obsessively is almost indescribable. It’s like stumbling upon buried treasure from long ago, rediscovering something that held so much meaning — even better when every note still hits like you’re hearing it for the first time again! This happened to me most recently with “Heart Of Stone” by the Mini Mansions, a tune that may not be as aged as some of my other throwbacks but feels like it has been in my heart for a long, long time.
I think this song is skilled in the reserved way it begins, an unassuming single track vocal over plodding drums and punctuating piano chords. I always heard a sort of excitement in the way this beginning part is sung, a “hang on, give us a second” undertone that makes you sort of lean forward without realizing it. This is perfect for the punch of the chorus, a pleasant punch that has you fall backwards in slow motion, stars swirling around your head like in an old cartoon. This was the part of the song that had me hooked from the very first time I heard it, a moment that felt like my eyes opened wider than ever before just due to the simple swell it provided.
“Heart of Stone” is one of those tracks that plants visuals into my imagination, something I think makes it the best type. I get different images every time I hear it; anything from mysterious UFOs to running for your life, from bright bursting fireworks to big things at stake. I can’t say that any other song has done that for me, most certainly not as beautifully as “Heart of Stone” has, and that’s just one thing that makes it so darn special.
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