Human relations are like the irregular verbs in a number of languages where nearly all verbs are irregular. — Søren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard proposed to Regine Olsen as she played the piano. ‘Oh! What do I care for music?’ he shouted over the strains of nineteenth century Danish black metal. ‘It’s you I want!’ Søren should have let the music roll; he broke off the engagement the following year, and spent the remainder of his life attempting to resolve Regine’s ungiven forgiveness. ‘Suppose she had forgiven me,’ Kierkegaard wrote. ‘Then, of course, she would not have forgotten me.’

With ‘I Did I Do I Will,’ Vary Landers explores an engagement that resolved itself successfully, a relationship in which forgiveness is a gift granted freely and the proposal grows fresher as the years progress.

There are things I’ve said
Left me wishing I was dead
But you let me stay and promised to again…

There is snow upon the sill
I did I do I will
Marry you again today my love…

‘I Did I Do I Will’ is a wonderful little homespun song, a gem of dream-poppy folk that charms and comforts. Jangly guitars, a few countryish licks, and an organ that appears at just the right moment are overlain by an understated vocal and easy harmonies. Listen for the melodic bass that creates its own hook behind the melody.

‘I Did I Do I Will’ appears on Vary Landers’ new four-song EP, Coerine. He alliteratively self-describes as someone ‘who fiddles with jangly tunes in the way others might build birdhouses in the back shed.’ On his Bandcamp page, Vary Landers claims residence in Detroit. And… and that’s all I know about Vary Landers. The usual social media stalkings turned up nothing save a barren Soundcloud account. He appears to be another of the bedroom troubadours for whom the creation of music is the only sought reward.

Vary Landers’ previous release, the 2016 album Demonstrations, comprises seventeen tracks in styles ranging from 60’s grunge to near-orchestral folk. My favorite is the wistful keyboard pop of ‘Milkweed.’

You can support deserving independent musicians like Vary Landers by visiting his Bandcamp page, listening to his songs, and downloading your favorite tracks. And if you have friends who make music, tell them that they’re doing something Good.