Barenaked Ladies – “All In Good Time”
First off, new layout’s been done for some time. I just need to test it out and upload. The semester’s been kicking my butt, honestly! So once it’s over, I’ll have a few weeks downtime before summer insanity starts.
My favorite band of ever just released a new album… only it was slightly blown out of my radar, despite months of excitement for it, because of three songs that members of Enter the Haggis released for flood relief. I’ll ramble about those at the end of this post briefly.
This post is all about my first listen to BNL’s new album, All In Good Time.
I’ve listened to it a few times since, so I’ll try to stick with just first impressions… which means no hardcore obsessive lyrics rants… I haven’t gotten a chance to *really* look at the lyrics yet anyways, but I’m sure I will soon. Lyrics are what makes BNL so awesome… besides awesome instrumentals.
Overall, it’s a fine album. The remaining four Barenaked Ladies really show that they can pull their own because there’s sooo much talent in their ranks. It’s their second album ever as a quartet… the other being Born On A Pirate Ship, which was recorded just before Kevin Hearn had joined and Andy Creeggan had left.
There are two tracks that were bonuses from amazon.com/going to a concert that I’m still trying to get my hands on…
I’ll put it right out there for the hardcore BNL fans out there…. Yes, it was pretty weird not hearing the fabulous Mr Steve Page, but only until around the fifth track… His absence is really present… Then, I kind of got use to it for a moment… but not really, because as soon as I was starting to really getting use to it, Ed slams my ears with two angry/bitter/bittersweet/ughhh *sigh*!! songs that are clearly about his former bandsmate… And it doesn’t help that Ed is very influenced by Steve’s songwriting. It’s impossible for him not to be after twenty years of beautiful musical collaboration.
So I don’t know… Steve Page himself sang it best “It took me a year to believe it was over, and it took me two more to get over the loss.” But this album isn’t helping. It’s weird, but the others are so talented and so influenced by him… that it’s a good album.
Here are my first impressions of the new songs:
1. You Run Away (Ed Robertson)
Cute little alt-rock song. It’s been out for over a month. I twittered that my first impression of the song was that it’s very Coldplay-meets-the-Decemberists-and-collides-head-on-with-the-epic-that-is-BNL. I think that still holds as an accurate description. The piano kicks so much ass. The lyrics are depressing. And the video is awesome… it shows an angry!Ed Roberston, but more like ‘why’d you do this to me?’ angry instead of ‘I really hate you rawrrrr!’ angry… On a happier note, his falsetto continues to make my life.
“I did my best, but it wasn’t enough.”
2. Summertime (Ed Robertson/Ian LeFeuvre)
My favorite song on the album right now. Co-written by Ian LeFeuvre of the Canadian indie trio [The Hundreds and Thousands]. Pretty awesome collaboration. Robertson/LeFeuvre is kind of weird because of LeFeuvre’s Muse/Radiohead influence, but still interesting. It’s a hopeful song, but still angry… and presented as bouncy. The choruses sound very ‘disco’ for a moment… Interesting contrast. The song shouldn’t work, but in true BNL-fashion, it does. I love the really in-your-face doubled-like-woah “do-me-sol” pattern all over it. Adds to the angry.
“We cover it up, we bottle it in/But that won’t make it feel right.”
3. Another Heartbreak (Kevin Hearn)
An interesting song. Starts with Kevin singing in octaves with a piano, then it turns into a pile of alt-rock awesome. The tune just won’t leave my head. I’ve never really gotten used to Kevin’s voice, but it works with this song.
“I lost my way in the summer breeze/I fell down to my hands and knees/And now I’m searching/Through the autumn leaves.”
4. Four Seconds (Ed Robertson/Ian LeFeuvre)
I really enjoy this song. Again, it just *shouldn’t* work. It’s kind of a Latin jazz thing… combined with a very Indian/Bollywood chorus… I remember seeing a clip of this one on youtube last year. Pretty cool. And, TYLER sings the choruses. I never knew that Tyler could sing until the past year. After seeing clips of his Alcohol, I was sold. It also sounds like it’s pushing through… reminds me of Crazy a bit.. like Ed’s going insane.
“Now rewind./What’d you have in mind?/Could we unwind? I’m fine, we can find a streamline./Recombined, intertwined.”
5. On the Lookout (Jim Creeggan)
Jim singing lead… Woah. With Kevin harmonizing. WOAH. Pure secks, those two. Another cute song. Huge contrast from Four Seconds… Slight ‘gangsta’ feel in the background with Ed. It sounds like a cliche 80s diva song in parts. Really stretched out, flowing lines… I love the strings on it too. It’s one of the most hopeful songs on this album.
“When we looked out/The waves crashed/Smashing our past/Moving fast/Nothing lasts/Make it last.”
6. Ordinary (Ed Robertson)
Another song that really stands out. Very folk-rock. Think For You, only more moving and awesome. (OK, nothing beats For You..) The more I listen to it, the more it’s becoming one of my favorite BNL songs of ever. I love the melody sooo much. It’s been stuck in my head all week. It’s ambiguous, lyrically… but probably about Steven Page. My mind started freaking out on it the first time… because I’d just gotten use to not hearing his voice… then this song popped up, which is clearly very influenced by him, if not about him… ughhh. And the opening is just melodic brilliance.
“I can’t stay too long/Can only play a handful of songs/How a melody can make up your mind/Take a memory and leave it behind.”
7. I Have Learned (Ed Robertson)
YES! Angry!Ed Robertson! This one stands out too… It’s just, in one word, angry. And also, CLEARLY about Steven Page. ughhhhh. I was just getting used to not hearing his voice too… and then Ed throws Ordinary and this one at my ears… I love it. It’s an angry rock song. And the chord progression is secks.
“Spare me the parlor tricks/That impress your fans./Waving your candlesticks/In your burned hands./I have learned to live with livin’ with/Every choice we made./But I would love to live with giving this/Shaky voice some shade.”
8. Every Subway Car (Ed Robertson)
Another one I’d heard before. It was called “Graffiti Love” for the longest time. (Graffiti is also spelled wrong in the liner notes oops) It’s also very alt-rock. And clearly influenced by Steven Page. It’s bouncy, but also very ambiguous. I have almost no idea wtf Ed is singing about, and that’s a good thing.
“My backpack was faded black/But now it’s all blue./It looks whack, but it’s compact/And works like brand new.”
9. Jerome (Kevin Hearn)
It’s growing on me… Kevin sings lead, and it’s more of a slow country-ish ballad about ghosts. I really didn’t like it at first and nearly blew it off as one of those songs I wasn’t going to pay any attention to. It’s weird… and the beat is so straight-forward that it annoyed me at first.
“Bar brawlers and drifters/Gamblers and gun fighters/Ladies of the evening, and copper miners/They kept the jailhouse filled‘til it rolled down the hill.”
10. How Long (Ed Robertson)
It’s really different from anything else they’ve ever done. It’s also pretty angry, and the beat is driving. And the piano blows my mind. It sounds like Ed is going crazy. I love it. The way it starts is brilliant. “So give it up for anger, it makes us strong.” It just starts with that line, and it’s really in your face. And the guitar line is interesting. Pretty prog rock… think Muse or Mute Math…
“We never discuss the notches/We just fight away/Even a busted watch is right twice a day.”
“That’s what it takes to go there/On and on/You make a good case for nowhere/So that’s where I’ve gone./Don’t say how long.”
11. Golden Boy (Ed Robertson)
Again, a huge contrast from the last track. It’s pretty happy. I don’t get the chord progression in the chorus; it’s slightly awkward, but it’s growing on me. I love Ed’s vocal line into the instrumental section. It’s very showtune-like. It’s another hopeful song… slight tint of angry/cathartic… And, OMG, they finally learned how to write an incredible ending. It’s also one of the only tracks that I can really say that I miss Steven Page singing on… His influence is just such a huge part of the entire song that it’s hard to miss. The harmony just screams PAGE/ROBERTSON!!!!! RAWRR!!! I almost cried. It’s also probably directed at Page, but these guys have always been good at ambiguity. ughhhhh.
“Hey, Golden Boy/Don’t let the darkness in to take you away from yourself./Nobody else, there’s nobody left to make you run/Somebody new, maybe it’s you/Only bereft of meaning.”
12. I Saw It (Jim Creeggan)
Woah. Jim singing lead again! Pretty awesome. And his harmony with Kevin is pure SECKS. This song is also quite ambiguous, but probably directed at Steven Page. I never thought that Jim/Kevin harmony would be this incredible… It’s a really cute song, and really bittersweet. In the end, it just fades away. It’s an interesting contrast from Golden Boy..
“You took what we all hide./We all hide from/The hooks went right inside/Then the feeling numbs./In the park/By the playground/I won’t let you down/You think you deserve it./I won’t stand and observe it.”
13. The Love We’re In (Ed Robertson)
I just LOVE the intro… and the chord progression. It’s perhaps a very cliche song, but Ed’s voice makes me MELT on it. The melody is pretty awesome… and it also shows off the vocal awesome I’ve grown to love with the harmonies of the other three gents. As much as I generally don’t like Kevin’s singing as a lead singer (he’s an INCREDIBLE mutli-instrumentalist/musician!), he’s clearly the vocal glue behind most BNL songs. It’s a cute song. Yet, if I didn’t know that Steven Page was no longer in the band, I would’ve probably placed a bet that the song was also a Page/Robertson collaboration… He’s just become such a part of Ed’s songwriting… The over-all concept of it is clearly very ROBERTSON… but the lyrics and some aspects of the vocal lines scream PAGE. *sigh*
“Even a beggar must have to choose./They say you shouldn’t wager more than youcan lose/So, make mine a double, just hold the booze.”
14. Northern Lights (Kevin Hearn)
I don’t know where to place this song. Kevin sings leads (ok, still not my favorite thing in the world, but I can deal)… and the piano is pretty freaking awesome. I just think that Kevin could write a much better melody than this… (after hearing his work with Thinbuckle) It’s a pretty awesome piano line though… And I enjoy the harmony, and how the song builds. He scats at the end. It makes no sense, but it works. It’s a very surreal ending instrument. This was sort of the kind of song that I was almost afraid of, but it’s really not the disaster I was expecting… far from it.
“In the true northern darkness/Far from the sleeping towns/We lay there in the silence/Young and free, half asleep, spellbound.”
15. All In Good Time (Kevin Hearn)
It’s the title track… Awesome folk-y guitar intro. Kevin sings lead… and the harmony is what makes this one stand out. Some of the lead vocal line sounds like Shopping… like Kevin singing Shopping, specifically. I think that’s why I don’t like this song as much. I just don’t like Kevin singing Shopping… But it’s a good attempt.
“The clock has two hands/Strong to hold you tight./You can’t buy another chance/To get things right.”
16. She Turned Away (Jim Creeggan)
A bonus track for being a dork and pre-ordering. It’s Jim singing lead. And the other gents backing him. I LOVE the harmony on this one. And the instrumentals are cute. Really slow, relaxing song. I was afraid that it’d be another “Rabbit and the Res-erection”… thankfully, it’s not. In fact, as much as I like that abomination of a song, nothing on this album’s like it. THANKFULLY. So yea.
I freaking love this album…
But it’s release was almost over-shadowed by three songs written by three members of Enter the Haggis for the recent floods in the Northeast. BNL will always be something special to me… but I’ve seen Enter the Haggis live many more times… and the gents are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. They blow my mind with how incredible they are… and their humanitarian efforts are more mind-blowingly amazing than their work.
So yea, go [HERE], download, donate and ENJOY.
Trevor Lewington wrote Watch the Water Rise, which seriously sounds like it belongs in Flaherty & Aherns’ The Spitfire Grill. Brian Buchanan’s fiddle part is so awesome in it. It’s so in-your-face FOLK that it just makes my life. I like the tempo and the pacing the most… it’s a serious song, but it moves. Sounds a lot like an Elders inspiration.
Craig Downie wrote Save the Real School, which shows off his comedic “laugh it all off and it will work out” attitude. Amusing little tune. Makes me giggle my arse off, even though it’s supposed to be for a serious situation. There’s a line in it about turning a tuba into a canoe. I’m not kiddie. Craig Downie’s comic relief lyrics FTW!
And finally, the tune that I just can’t get out of my head all week… Brian Buchanan’s The Flood. It’s in d-minor, the saddest key of all. “All these years of commitment and careers and we’re all up to our ears in fear and doubt and water flowing down and out. We all try to drown it out and stay dry. We all try.” For a song he wrote in two hours, he surely shows an incredible way with words… and a fine approach to songwriting. He said he wanted to record a violin line, but didn’t have the time. Sad! I hope he builds on this song, because he’s got something beautiful with it. The tune’s been haunting me really badly. I’ve worked it out by ear on the piano and want to play with it myself… because d-minor is awesome on my voice. The range is comfy (up an octave, obviously), so I enjoy singing along with it. It sounds like it took him way more than two hours to come up with it too… Pretty awesome. I can imagine a cello or viola line… Violin just isn’t mellow enough. But it’s gorgeous. I can’t say enough good about it… because he just doesn’t stop blowing my mind.
So yea…. next post will hopefully be pimping out a new layout and trying it out more like than my local version of “live”, which just gives me a rough idea of how it will respond truly live. It’s looking shiny! After that, I’m going to clean this all up and make it look like a legit website. That’s my plan.
Bye, loves!
Tags: albums, barenaked ladies, brian buchanan, enter the haggis, music, why brian buchanan will one day rule the world