I recently saw someone complaining on Twitter about the use of “cerebral” as a polite way of dismissing music. I don’t agree with the complaint; for me, “cerebral” music is a good thing, music that requires effort to engage and understand, music that is challenging, rewarding and interesting.

So “cerebral” isn’t at all synonymous with “bad.” Similarly, music that isn’t cerebral can still be excellent; most music on the pop charts, good or bad, is not cerebral, aiming to get you dancing or to get stuck in your head.

“Trounce” is about as far as you can get from cerebral and I love the song for it. It avoids rational thoughts and goes straight for the nervous system. Not to stimulate dancing or toetapping, but a fierce, primal impulse that evokes something ancient. “Trounce” is a tribal circle around intense orange flames, a chant, stomping and swaying and embracing something that can’t be explicated. The drums form an irrepressible pulse, something loud and insistent, exciting and immense.

It’s pop music, perhaps, but if only more pop songs were like this… commanding attention and flaring out in under ninety seconds. Music doesn’t always require mental effort to be powerful and rewarding.