Music Review: Armin Van Buuren & Trevor Guthrie "This Is What It Feels Like"

Armin Van Buuren & Trevor Guthrie

This Is What It Feels Like

Album: Intense

Year: 2013

           Trevor Guthrie experiences loneliness for the first time in the precise “This What It Feels Like.”

              Anxious synths  open the single, setting a contemplative tone. An animated squirrel runs across the television screen. But it’s not enough to distract him. He glances at the door Around 6 pm, after she got off her work, she would arrive at his house. It’s6:30, though and he checks his telephone out of habit. There aren’t missed calls or messages waiting for him. She would always make sure to call him if she got stuck in traffic. The quiet is disconcerting. (“Nobody here knocking at my door/The sound of silence I can’t take anymore/Nobody ringing my telephone now/Oh how I miss such a beautiful sound.”)

              In the chorus, he hadn’t planned on her leaving him one day. He hadn’t realized how much he depended on her for her friendship and unconditional love. He’s numb nd goes through his days in a daze. It’s as though he’s been hollowed out and made into a husk. (“And I don’t even know how I survive/I won’t make it to the shore without your light/No I don’t even know if I’m alive/Oh, oh, oh without you now/This is what it feels like.”)

        Guthrie “oh’s oh’s”

     The long picture frame with four pictures inside the squares still hangs in his foyer. Whenever he passes, he remembers it was their fourth date. They had gone to see a movie.  On their way out of the theatre, they had passed by one of the photo booths. She exclaimed how cool it was but stood there sheepishly. After some coaxing from her, he decided to do it.  She had a way of getting him out of his shell.. He wasn’t afraid around her. It was easier to try, knowing she would be there for him even if he failed. He’s already started to revert back to some of his old habits. He’s going to be same scared person he always he was. He doesn’t want to be that person again. (“Nothing to hold but the memories and frames/Oh they remind me of the battle I face/Without your love, without you I drown/Somebody save me I’m going down.”)

       The chorus is sung again.

        Guthrie “oh oh’s” again.

      In the final chorus, he’s incapable of being alone. He had come to rely on her  Now, he’s lost, uncertain of which direction next to take. (“And I don’t even know how I survive/I won’t make it down the road with one headlight/No I don’t even know if I’m alive/Oh, oh, oh without you now/This is what it feels like.’)

        Guthrie’s matter-of-fact vocals take full responsibility. He took her for granted and made a huge mistake. He won’t ever hear her voice again. It’s his punishment for expecting her to constantly take care of him all of the time. He has to deal. There isn’t any other choice.

   Van Buuren keeps the strict arrangement consistent, adding in the instrumentation as the single goes along. It’s accommodating and correct, shying away from the flamboyant flourishes and unnecessary crescendos. However, one synth go could astray every once in awhile instead of being locked inside.  

            The polished “This Is What It Feels Like” stays within its comfort zone.