To hold her, to keep her — just as she was — with her cruelty, with her vulgarity, with her blinding blue eyes, with her miserable poetry, with her fat feet, with her impure, dry, sordid, infantile soul. All of a sudden he thought: If people are reunited in Heaven (I don’t believe it, but suppose), then how shall I stop it from creeping upon me, over me, that shriveled, helpless, lame thing, her soul? — Vladimir Nabokov, Pnin

The partial self-domestication of humans has produced a species that craves the freedom to go bounding across the existential prairie in search of someone to whom we may be bound. Successfully tethered to our supposed soulmate, we learn to retrieve small objects, roll over, beg, and — it is to be hoped — stay, the minimal tricks required to keep us warm, fed, and free of fleas.

With ‘Shiny Bone,’ the Pink Stones explore the dualism of our desire to be simultaneously leashed and unfettered, and learn that even when kicked to the curb we will return to the marked tree in search of a familiar scent. The chew toy of our obsession — once shiny, now well-gnawed but no less fascinating to one whose eyes perceive limited hues — may come to rest beneath the compost pile, beside that hitchhiker we encountered on US-78, the one we annually claim as a dependent on our income tax return.

and I’m thinkin’ ’bout
draggin’ you outside
and I’ll bury you
where no one can find
and I’ll dig you up
when it’s your time
and maybe then
my bone can shine

Given the point of view, ‘Shiny Bone’ — held in less-talented teeth — could have been rendered as a country shitkicker. Instead, the track is a grayscale front porch dream, the somber scenes easing out between thoughtful sips from the shot glass, while the cigarette grasped loosely between the fingers burns down to the filter. Think Poco’s ‘Magnolia’ but with less stuff and more soul.

Based in Athens GA, the Pink Stones comprise Hunter Pinkston (vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, percussion), Will Anderson (keyboards, vocals), Adam Wayton (bass), Logan Brammer (guitar, vocals), John Neff (pedal steel), and Jack Colclough (drums, percussion). ‘Shiny Bone’ appears on their soon-to-be-released album, Introducing… The Pink Stones.

Today’s track marks the Pink Stones’ second song of the day; in 2018 we featured a demo of ‘Blueberry Dream.’ That file has disappeared from the internet, but an updated version is included on the new album. The song’s Official Video is worth a watch.

The Pink Stones’ music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Be sure to visit their website, and follow the Pink Stones on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.