Sometimes the most interesting music comes from places you don’t expect. Michaels Lyric, based out of San Francisco, has been writing the book series Michaels Lyric using only voice recognition software since 1998, working through a physical disability that made traditional writing impossible. “October Rain” pulls its lyrics straight from those books, which makes it a different kind of project from the start. The instrumental takes clear inspiration from Oasis, aiming for that Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova territory, and it was produced in England with an anonymous vocalist handling the melody. The theme is one we all know: time passing, another birthday, the quiet weight of it all. Worth noting that 100% of the streaming royalties go to Slice Out Hunger through Distrokid’s Artists For Change program, so there’s a purpose beyond just the music itself.
The vocal performance here is nothing short of incredible, and it works in tandem with the poetic lyrics to paint an image of helplessness as the inevitable passing of time takes us all. Yet with such a cruel, inescapable truth, there is always a possibility with every new day that the pain will cease, and so hope is what keeps us awake.
“October Rain” works because it doesn’t try to be more than it is. Michaels Lyric’s Oasis influence is clear but not distracting, the vocals carry the emotional center without getting dramatic about it, and the lyrics have that poetic quality that comes from being written in a completely different context first. The charitable angle isn’t just tacked on either, it’s built into the whole project. If you’re drawn to music that has some real weight behind it, both in how it was made and what it’s supporting, this is worth your time.
