Navy Blue - Ways of Knowing
FRT ALBUM REVIEW
What do you know and how do you know it? Have you considered that what you know might be more of a feeling than actual fact, truth, or science? What if what you know is born of experiences not only from you, but from an infinite river that flows both from your past ancestors and your own future children? This knowledge doesn't necessarily stem from your genetic inheritance but from the manner in which aspects of ourselves are transmuted, transported, and translated into our style of flow.
Given that we exist in a world where "truth" can be manufactured by A.I., distorted by political or oppressive forces, or where any truth is inherently finite, what is true today might not be true tomorrow, but it doesn't mean it wasn't true - you know?
I think that's what this album is about - it's about a truth you know, even when you lack the facts or empirical data. It's the truth you feel beneath your skin and can only be accessed by drawing attention to your awareness, not analysis.
Navy Blue's album is poetic and intimate in its storytelling. He maintains a style that positions his voice front and center, never appearing rushed or falling into intellectualizing his experiences. Instead, each song hits like a different aspect of his life - lost love, a grandmother's encouragement, the sensation of a steady hand guiding you as you learn to ride a bike for the first time.
These are the things we know - the feeling of a cousin's hands as he grabs an NES cartridge, the warm glow of a brother's voice singing "Lack of Color" in the middle of a guitar center, the taste of a mother's akasan, or a grandmother's repeated story about you. Somewhere in this life, the truth is that no matter how old you get, you're still just a 5-year-old on an airplane taking your first journey to somewhere new - excited and ready to talk to anyone. More than what we know, we know that we're contributors of unique knowledge. Through our children, our organization, our friendships, our daily commutes on the bus, we have the opportunity to share the sensation and spirit of our lives, detached from our bodies and infinite in their own way - like stars that shine long after they're gone or the darkness required to make them twinkle even more
As a therapist, clients will often come in stating, "I don't know how I'll deal with this." Truth is, neither do I - I'm just curious to sit with them and see what comes up next. When I share with clients that I don't know how they'll get out of it, they'll respond, "Well then how do you know if I will?" And then I get to laugh and say, "I know you will. I just don't know how." That's what we're here to discover together.
Listen to this album - play it right now, especially in the background during those Chicago spring rainstorms.
Contemplate what you know.
- Fabrice Robert Lubin, PsyD