Track description

Visible Invisibilities is the third track from the sophomore album from Katie Coyle. Whereas the first two tracks on the album were very different from what might be expected from the 19-year old songstress, the third song sees Katie return to the sort of music her fans have come to love in the early part of her career. This song sees her go back to the basic notion which she always talks about of "Katie and her guitar." The song is slow in nature, with lyrics which are far more figurative and less literal than the previous track. It deals with the notion of things that happen in life that we all know happen, but we can't see them happening, or can't see what causes them to happen, only the result. It ties this notion to the emotions of people, and how it is only ever the effect we see, and no one can tell why anyone feels like they do.

The track begins with a slowly picked section on guitar, which is followed by a brief second of silence, broken again by a solitary guitar chord, strummed so slowly that it is almost picked. Just then, the floating and haunting voice of Katie Coyle comes in, reminiscent of the same sort of vocal that became her trademark on her debut album, almost gliding through the air, smoothly and calmly, almost soothing the listener with every velvety word.

For the first verse, her voice is accompanied by just the occasional guitar chord, striking for the fact that it sounds happy and major, a huge turn from the tone felt in any other Katie Coyle song before. Even her more triumphant songs have always played out with minor chords, the vocals alone playing the perfect oxymoronic foil to the music. But in this case, despite the style being akin to her darker days, the guitar, and her slowly meandering voice both sound happy and bright. For the duration of the verse, a single chord is strummed slowly and slightly inconsistently at the middle of each slowly sung line.

As the chorus comes to an end, the strumming guitar gets louder, as Katie races into a much faster chorus, sounding bright, airy and summery. It is another surprise, as this side of Katie is something which has never been too evident in her music, and it sounds like a breath of fresh air, as she relaxes into something which is obviously coming more naturally to her; being happy.

At the end of each chorus, to act as a barrier between the bright chorus, and the slightly more low-key verse which is coming in, Katie sings a slow line each time without any music, every one different than the one which came before it, but serving as a suitable buffer between chorus and verse, her smooth and almost whispering voice calling out for more.

The bridge in this song comes near the end, where the song becomes slightly more demure again, as Katie becomes quieter. The guitar goes back to the same slow strumming heard at the beginning of the track, playing only at the start and end of every line, and Katie's voice sounds less cheery and happy than it did before.

From there though, the song surprises once again, as Katie hits what is without doubt the most differential yet pop-inspired moment of her career, as the chorus comes in again, grand and spectacular, brought to life by the key change as Katie ramps it up a notch. The final chorus ends with one more slow yet happy chord.

Katie's comments

Hello everyone back home and anywhere else in the world who is listening to this. This is Katie, coming to you from Tokyo! We just landed here and I just got settled in my hotel, and I thought it was time to bring you the next track from my album. It's so perfectly awesome and lovely here, and everyone is so helpful. Anyway, this is the third track, coming to you from Japan, on my first ever trip here, and this one is called Visible Invisibilities.

The first thing that I want to talk to you guys about with this one is the choice of theme for the song. Anyone who listened to my EP that I brought out in December of 2011 will know that I said I wanted some of my lyrics to be less literal and stuff. I've always been one for telling stories and stuff as opposed to like making up cool metaphors, and that's not to say that I don't really like my own style, but I think I like to toy with different ideas, and that's what I've tried to do thematically with this track as well. I want it to be mysterious. In fact, what I want is for people to hear it to say: "Hmmm...what was Katie talking about just then?" I want it to be the sort of music that people have to think about, and have to work out. I'd like to know that people are talking to their friends about it, and trying to figure it out.

That said, I'm still going to explain to you what it is about right here and now. (laughs). The song is about emotions. It deals with the idea that no one can really see an emotion as such. I mean, sure, you can see that two people are in love, but can you actually see love itself? No. At the same time though, we all still know that love exists, even though we can't see it actually happening, or more importantly, what causes it. For example, when I talk about a flowing river, we all know that it is flowing, and we all know the final effect that that flowing river has, but we cannot actually see what is physically making it happen. And I like that. The notion that something is happening, but the idea that we can't see what makes it happen, only the final result. I think it works well to tie that idea to emotions as well. Such beautiful and unpredictable things. But also so inevitable. All we can do is marvel at the end result.

Next, I want to talk about the music in this tune. People will notice first of all that I have stripped it right back to just me and my guitar. If you have known my work through the years, you will know that that was my biggest dream as a little girl, and even though I'm nearly 20 now, I still sometimes have little flashes of a five-year old Katie, holding an acoustic guitar way too big for her, and dreaming of the day she and her guitar could create music together that people would want to listen to. Now, no matter how famous I am, and how much I have achieved, thinking back to that moment, I can't deny that little girl the chance to keep doing that. I know that sounds cheesy, but I really can't help myself, and writing songs like this, where it really is just me and my acoustic, I feel all warm and happy inside.

And finally, I can say a few words about the musical stylings of this track. People will be aware that it is more of a return to my debut album than the last two tracks were in terms of musical style, but that's only to be expected. After all, I am still that same musician, and although I want to grow, I cannot just abandon who I am totally. So what I do try to do is to offer new advanced, and evolved ways of still being me, but taking the chance to move on. That is why this song sounds so happy and smiley and stuff. Because I am. The dark days have kind of faded now, and this is the girl that I am now instead. And I want people to be able to share in that.
So I hope you can, and I hope you all like this one as well. This is Visible Invisibilities.

Lyrics

The rivers flow,
I've seen the rains pouring too,
I can't see it go,
but still I know it must be true,
Just like I'll always think of you.

A child grows,
We all age further every day,
They all show,
Effects of time will always stay,
Just like when I can hear you say.

Just what it means to be with me.

That time will pass forever more,
Even if we can't see every moment drain away,
And joy will fill my heart, when you walk in through my door,
The sun will always shine down, until it fades away some day,
But I will always love you,
No matter how many seasons come and go,
In summer sun, or winter winds, my feelings will stay true,
Just because we can't see reasons, or why things have to show,
Visible invisibles,
Still...we'll always know.

New people born,
Is it a God or something deeper?
Still some are torn,
The question will keep getting steeper,
Just like I see you when we cry

A life is taken,
But I still feel so much pain,
There's no use faking,
it's as inevitable as the falling rain,
Just like my smile when I hear your name.

And it's why I say.

That time will pass forever more,
Even if we can't see every moment drain away,
And joy will fill my heart, when you walk in through my door,
The sun will always shine down, until it fades away some day,
But I will always love you,
No matter how many seasons come and go,
In summer sun, or winter winds, my feelings will stay true,
Just because we can't see reasons, or why things have to show,
Visible invisibles,
Still...we'll always know.

And everything on this great earth,
It happens when in season,
Every little flap of a gentle wing has it's worth,
It's rhyme it's reason.
I can't see why, or when or how,
Those minutes pass from then til now,
But I know that each tick has its cause,
Just march on because we cannot pause.
Stare devils red and angels white,
In the eyes before you take flight,
But I know one thing that is true,
The fact that I will always love you...

That time will pass forever more,
Even if we can't see every moment drain away,
And joy will fill my heart, when you walk in through my door,
The sun will always shine down, until it fades away some day,
But I will always love you,
No matter how many seasons come and go,
In summer sun, or winter winds, my feelings will stay true,
Just because we can't see reasons, or why things have to show,
Visible invisibles,
Still...we'll always know.

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