Hopefully you are ready to embrace the torment of the soul, because On Your Living Room Floor is brilliantly dripping in angst. In particular, the lyrics are spat out with such passion that I find myself paradoxically enjoying the loathing. It's like a slower Rage Against the Machine but the reduced tempo has done nothing to dilute the fury. Brilliant.
Stale Thoughts trades the menacing slow-funk groove for a more bouncy soul feel, courtesy of a wonderful hammond organ and hoppin' bassline. This is perfectly contrasted by the wailing lyrics and shredding guitar. Again, every last ounce of bitterness and passion has been poured into these lyrics, and the results are captivating.
Before all the anger gets a bit much, Coming In From All Angles gives us a breather, due to the nice smooth female lyrics. They are still rather spat out, so it's all relative. Similarly, this song is perhaps the token "fun bouncy party tune" of the album. Again, relatively speaking. There's no denying its bouncy catchiness though.
Continuing the light-hearted interlude is Hands in the Air. In the context of the journey of this album, this song is flowers-in-the-hair hippy singalong music! Also, the use of hammond organ is brilliant, so of course I really dig this song.
Fistful of Dallas is a bit disjointed, but each section is enjoyable in its own right, so I won't complain. In fact, the combo of spaghetti western and hammond organ is a winner in my book. Therefore Our Sunshine hits the nail on the head, with its strong spaghetti western theme. The lyrics are brilliantly evocative, thanks to Paul Kelly. The wailing lead singer returns with this song, however the bouncy feel provides great contrast and avoids fatigue. A key element to this is the great basslines (which are a feature of the whole album).
Head in the Sand keeps things nice and bouncy, thanks to the upbeat soul style.
The lyrics of As the Winter Months Approach are as earnest and thought-provoking as ever, yet the singer has taken a chill pill, so they are delivered in a manner appropriate for a gentle song featuring xylophone and acoustic guitar. However, the song's raison d'etre is to give the audience a breather before the upcoming onslaught. It perfectly achieves this aim and, as a bonus, is enjoyable itself.
Before we get to said onslaught, a quick note about recording quality. A harsh treble sound may well be a valid artistic decision, but it remains that this CD can actually be painful to listen to at high volumes. I'm probably overstating the problem, but it's the music is so good that I just want to listen to it... and loudly...
Anyways....It' Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)... The title and lyrics are courtesy of Bob Dylan, however really it is a completely different song. This 10 minute rock-opera is an epic modern classic which brilliantly combines funk, rock, country and vehemence. Lots of vehemence. It's beautiful and ugly, horribly bitter yet brilliantly uplifting. The very definition of bittersweet. This conundrum makes for a unique and intense experience.
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