Upon further listening, I feel my initial, cursory exploration of the new Craig Cardiff album, Goodnight (Go Home), might have been a tad bit shallow and narrowly focused. In other words, the CD is growing on me. In a big way.

Cardiff is, principally, a stellar songwriter. The title track of his album, “When People Go,” is the most bubbly take on death I’ve ever heard. But despite the deliciously syrupy music which accompanies, the lyrics are still heavy with emotional weight:

When people go
When people leave
Makes some people cry
Makes some people drink

When people go
When people leave
It’s the saddest thing

When people go
Is it like they’re asleep?
Lost to the world
In the longest dream

Like when boats at sea
Never come back
Is it like that?

I think it’s gonna be
Another long night
I think it’s gonna be
Another long ride

He conveys the fallout people face as a result of death perfectly: some people cry, and others drink. The metaphors in this song, which he described as writing for his young child, are both playful and overwhelming.

I particularly like the last major verse, or perhaps we could call it a bridge. His imagery is the perfect balance between cliche and fresh insight, which may just be the magical formula for good songwriting; where the familiar meets the unique.

Dizzy in the head
Broke in the heart
There’s no business
It’s all art
Until it’s far behind
And it all comes back

When people go it’s so sad
So sad, so sad.

As Cardiff commented at his recent Toronto show, this upbeat music has caused a number of his college fans to use the song as a “clearing out the party” track to get people to, well, GO HOME. It’s pretty funny to think people would miss the heavy death imagery, but then again, not everyone pays attention to lyrics.

“Let’s all use less energy by turning off our computer tonight” lyric of the day: “Rolling blackouts, put out the light. Let the sun go down. Bring on the night, put our blankets on the floor, ’til the power gets restored.” – The Constantines, “Hotline Operator,” Tournament of Hearts