Motion sickness that makes your knees buckle
The motion in your mind will not make you sick
Chrisanne Grise
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
As for the new album, early tracks such as "Jean-Paul" and "Losing Altitude" have a familiar acoustic sound and toe-tapping rhythms. The historical and literary references lend an erudite quality to the music and the simple lyrics cover a huge variety of topics. For example, "Jean-Paul" is about the murder of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical French journalist and politician during the French Revolution in the 18th century. It is a relaxing, acoustic pop-rock song with a creative theme, and it is an excellent way to start off the CD.
The pop melodies make the first few songs sound happy despite the frequently pessimistic and gloomy lyrics.
"30 Lives" is perhaps not as intellectual as the others; it changes directions completely and talks about a secret video game code that gives the player 30 lives. Yet it is upbeat, amusing and rather creative. Yes, the chorus actually is "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Select, Start."
However, later on in the CD, there is the "30 Lives (Up-Up-Down-Down Dance Mix)." The problem with this one is that it lacks energy. The original version works as a song to just enjoy, but doesn't really inspire too many spontaneous dance parties. Simply speeding up a slow song does not make it danceable. Overall, the end of the album is weak, but don't let that overshadow the tracks in the beginning-they deserve plenty of attention.
While most of the songs in the middle of the album are as likeable as the first ones, the last few tracks of the album fall a bit flat. First there is "Tiny Dog (Nobody Cries)," in which Epstein's voice becomes a little too whiny. Next, there is a cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that is mostly uninteresting. Epstein said the band chose the song to be surprising and because it had been well received at live shows. While it is always a fun experience to hear someone else's new take on an old song, this one is too plain and this cover has been done before by other bands.
The pop melodies make the first few songs sound happy despite the frequently pessimistic and gloomy lyrics.
"30 Lives" is perhaps not as intellectual as the others; it changes directions completely and talks about a secret video game code that gives the player 30 lives. Yet it is upbeat, amusing and rather creative. Yes, the chorus actually is "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Select, Start."
However, later on in the CD, there is the "30 Lives (Up-Up-Down-Down Dance Mix)." The problem with this one is that it lacks energy. The original version works as a song to just enjoy, but doesn't really inspire too many spontaneous dance parties. Simply speeding up a slow song does not make it danceable. Overall, the end of the album is weak, but don't let that overshadow the tracks in the beginning-they deserve plenty of attention.
While most of the songs in the middle of the album are as likeable as the first ones, the last few tracks of the album fall a bit flat. First there is "Tiny Dog (Nobody Cries)," in which Epstein's voice becomes a little too whiny. Next, there is a cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that is mostly uninteresting. Epstein said the band chose the song to be surprising and because it had been well received at live shows. While it is always a fun experience to hear someone else's new take on an old song, this one is too plain and this cover has been done before by other bands.
Be the first to comment on this story