Homes by the sea

: music, October 23 2020 ▶

In the light of the upcoming Helloween, there are ... actually two songs, that fit perfectly into the mood and overall scenery - "Home by the sea" and "Second home by the sea" by Genesis, from their 1983 album with the same name. The first song is about a burglar who breaks into a (sea) house, to find it is haunted and gets trapped by the ghosts for the rest of his life, as they retell him the stories of their lives. The lyrics are very descriptive, action packed and straight - there is no hidden meaning, no unseen layers, which really helps to set up fast the overall picture. The beat is passionate, rhythmic and smooth. The first song translates abruptly into the "second home", which is a bit different - aggressive in the beginning, but somehow calmer further on, relaxing, but also true 80's synthwave-guitar-drumfest. Phil Collins singing gives me (nice) chills and he also plays the drums in the second one. The composition of both marks the transition of "Genesis" from rock to a commerce-pop, which is a bit sad, but hey - whatever floats your boat. Maybe they felt like doing it more "modern". After all "Land of confusion" comes 3 years later, so maybe their decision was right. If I was even celebrating Helloween, "Home by the sea" would be my theme-song for this year!