“More Than Meets The Eye” is the latest single from Missouri’s Bill Abernathy. Arriving at a turning point in history, “More Than Meets The Eye” presents itself as both a rock track and folk song. Abernathy’s penchant for writing hooks and questioning what is really going on behind-the-scenes and what is being spoon-fed are just a few of his major bullet points. He fires back and he fires hard. “More Than Meets The Eye” feels like the awakening we’ve been patiently been waiting for in our musical bubble.
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Abernathy’s cautionary tale, bleeding with rock rhythms and an army of drums, is one escape that should be at the top of many listeners’ lists. It’s true we’re all dying for something other than binge watching Netflix, or trying to ‘get into’ the latest Facebook live from one of the local indie artists, but Abernathy’s song captures that relentless spirit that makes music so endearing. You can’t duplicate the sound he has on a Facebook live session. You can’t get this tone and this energized, funneled frustration on a YouTube stream. He brings the live show into this recording and no stage in the world could imprison or box-in the drum arrangement he has in “More Than Meets The Eye.” Maybe it’s because he’s from Kansas City, but when I hear the drums, I hear the whole state of Kansas (and possibly Oklahoma) stomping their feet in agreement. Something’s on the horizon; something big is about to happen. Those drums are the driving force in this song, and it starts and ends with their direction. If you take the drums out of the equation, I don’t think this song is the same. It’s effective, yes, but it’s not powerful.
In the chorus, there’s more than this than meets the eye, decisions based on biased lies, determining who lives and dies, whose freedom are lost, whose justice is blind, there’s more than this meets the eye, when leaders mandate sacrifice, when freedom’s lost to comprise, there’s so much more to this than meets the eye, Abernathy raises a variety of flags. You can almost picture him in a room next to you, conversing. He raises his eyebrow and looks back – there’s more to this, he says with this eyes. When he sings it in his Midwestern voice, the prowess of a proud artist and man that has lived through many changes, he has a natural cadence that just floored me. I found myself nodding in rhythm and nearly meditating to the beat. More than meets the eye, more than meets the eye, I chanted.
APPLE MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bill-abernathy/id466035386
Abernathy has few choice words (the pure misinformation, the mental masturbation, talking heads ejaculate agendas…) that may come across crass to some listeners. I think it’s worth giving you a head’s up on that. Otherwise, Abernathy has a converted me into a new fan. If you find yourself apprehensive with politically-charged songs, don’t. They aren’t meant to change your mind, they are meant to open your mind. “More Than Meets The Eye” does just that.
Troy Johnston