"The Clock," by The View

I relish in the ticking of the clock on my wall. I find it calming, almost meditative, listening to it tick and tock as the seconds pass. It helps me focus when I'm working and fall asleep when I'm resting (and reinforces my impeccable sense of rhythm).

For others, though, the ticking of a clock is torturous. It can be a constant reminder of one's own mortality. After all, life is fleeting. Our insignificant lives are but a blemish on the face of the universe waiting to be erased. As our cells battle to replicate at a rate faster than they die off, we inch closer and closer to the grave and the clock ticks on uncaring, as if it is waiting for us to perish. Though I relish in the clock, perhaps time itself is waiting for me to die, and when I do the grand cosmos will snicker at the insignificance of my life. It will keep spinning on as if I never was or will be again.

The View on tour in Japan, courtesy of their website.

Ahem. My apologies. That came from a dark place. But whether you feel life is fleeting or rich and full of purpose, we can agree that the best way to spend it is with great music, and this week's second track is just that!

The View is a Scottish indie band that has been around the block a few times since their conception as a cover band back in 2005. I imagine their thick Sco'ish accents made the cover band gig an impossibility, and they released their first original single, "Wasted Little DJ's," in 2006 and their first album followed a year later. Having listened to a smattering of their work from the past couple years, I can tell you that this group is very eclectic, embracing a lot of punk and pop influences infused with a folksy vibe. Their fourth album, Cheeky for a Reason, was released last year, but we're just now seeing it in North America, and along with it a track from that album, "The Clock," released for free download.