“The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement” is a big title for a little moment, but one worth considering.

Track: “The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement”
Album: Goths (2017)

“The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement” barely digs into the fantasy element beyond the title. It doesn’t really need to, because it’s really just an indelible image that John Darnielle saw once: a guy, with fangs, who was clearly more about this life than he was. Who among us hasn’t had a similar experience?

I remember seeing guys at basement shows when I was younger that constantly reminded me that I was never going to be the coolest guy in any room. The thing about these experiences is that they don’t require you to believe that for them to matter. It’s not really about you puffing up your chest and getting knocked down. It’s more about the unstoppable power of someone who knows no one can knock them down. I knew someone once who would ash a cigarette on anything. They were into drag racing. As Darnielle says, nearly in full whisper by the end, “I’m pretty hardcore, but I’m not that hardcore.”

The horns fill this one out and there’s a lot to love around the edges, but my favorite bit is the untold story behind the lyrics “…and good friends // most of them good // most of them friendly.” You may not be The Grey King himself, but your crew is worthy of note then they require a disclaimer for both “good” and “friends.”