Music Review: Barenaked Ladies Are Me - Barenaked Ladies
Published September 12, 2006
One thing you notice rather early in this album is it's a lot more guitar rifts and a lot less chords. It's a big move musically for the Barenaked Ladies and it affects the music in a positive way. A good example of this is "Home." While many of their songs have always stayed away from the three chords standard, Guitarist Ed Robertson is just plain amazing when it comes to writing unique rifts the fans can fall in love with.
The next song, "Bull in a China Shop," could have very easily gone on their first album Gordon. It goes back to their roots and I love it. It also tests Steve’s voice in a new way. It goes high to low, piano to fortissimo, and ends up with a great vocal performance.
The only thing better than one Banjo song is a second. "Everything Had Changed" is Steve’s musical genius at its best lyrically. I think it is one of his best since "Break Your Heart." I always enjoy his I-regret-the-fact-that-I-can’t-express-emotion songs. What I like best about this type of song by him, they are often written and sung with such emotion that they become sarcastic in tone.
The musician I envy most, the whole reason I play stand-up bass, and maybe the largest musical influence in my life, Jim Creeggan, wrote and sings the song "Peterborough and the Kawarthas." The influence for this song comes from a weather forecast of all places. "Perterborough and the Kwarthas" is a region in Canada that always just caught his ear. The jazz feel along with lyrics of longing for something makes it just impossible to hit the skip button.
One thing that makes "Maybe Your Right" such a powerful song is, it starts off soft and slow and really builds. Another is the layer of lyrics going on towards the end, the most prominent of which is Steve all but yelling, "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're right. Maybe you're right, but I don’t think so." It also features a wicked-awesome horn melody at the end which really brings the song to a powerful close.
I am your everyday 17 year old. Between my attempts of world domination, I enjoy music, playing both the guitar and bass but not the bass guitar. When I am not watching Stephen Colbert I am watching the Detroit Red Wings…or coloring in my coloring books.
- Music Review: Barenaked Ladies Are Me - Barenaked Ladies
- Published: September 12, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Alternative Rock, Music: Indie Rock, Music: Rock, Review
- Part of a feature: Featured Artist
- Writer: Josh Phillips
- Josh Phillips's BC Writer page
- Josh Phillips's personal site
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The biggest problem is 29 songs was to much to digest as one up front mega album. I got the second half today, and it is difficult to take in all the different musical aspects, though there are some wonderful works on the second half such as "Running Out of Ink", "Maybe Not", "Fun and Games", and "I Can I Will I Do." All of which I will cover in my next review for the featured artist. (I need time to digest.)
However if fans are looking for the best way to get the music I defiantly suggest the USB version. The bonuses are worth it I got their holiday CD this way. Adlibs are just great they are the improve songs they do each shows and are quite often hilarious. Also you really want the two bonus tracks; "What a Letdown" is one of my favorite of their new songs.
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You didn't even mention the "intriguing" multiple format options the band has chosen to release this thing in.
Today the 13 track CD comes out in stores. Simple enough. If you download it from Itunes as a full album, you get two bonus tracks. Not only this, but early next year they're going to release another album, the second half of this album (called Barenaked Ladies Are Men,) and it's the same thing - two more bonus tracks from Itunes. But wait, there's more. Starbucks in Canada, of all stores, may get a special release of BOTH discs together in one package, on October 3, but not with the bonus tracks, but they will definitely have the second album by itself that day.
AND THEN there's yet another release that people can buy at concerts - Barenaked Ladies Are USB, which is both albums on a USB thumb drive, PLUS a live album (which could have been bought on CD as a bonus for pre-ordering Are Me from their official site,) an additional bonus track, two videos, 2 "Tru Tones" (whatever those are, but they appear to be songs,) "4 adlibs" (whatever that means,) and some other crap like pictures and stuff.
Yes, of course, you could always just not respond, but the problem is that fans want all the music, and bands are now taking advantage of multiple avenues to make sure fans are parted with as much money as possible in doing so. This may work for a few fans, but the end result will simply be encouraging most of them to trade songs with others who got what they did not - and I can't blame them.