To The Faithful Departed
★★☆☆☆
I’ve heard Hollywood before; it sounds grand and angry, unlike the opening arpeggio. the signature nasal oh-oh’s is an introduction. few seconds in and you know who you’re listening to. the repetitions feel piercing, annoying even. repeating a phrase for eight times before jumping into the next section feels like a hammer that just keeps shoving the same words over and over into your ears. the message is simple. we’re human, we’re lonely, life’s not always pretty, and we have a hard time not understanding that.
Salvation, is it actually about drug abuse!? I’ve heard this one before too. sweet, short, simply. very pop-rocky.
When You’re Gone is a bittersweet ballad. it’s about being grateful of having a loved one. the “do-be-da”s makes it sound like 50’s traditional pop pieces. this one certainly focus on the atmosphere more then the previous ones, and the reverb and Leslie do help with that. it started to bore me before the last verse. a bit more lyrical diversity would step it up for me. maybe a bridge/counterpoint section. It’s a more straightforward track.
Free To Decide thematically has more depth to it.
I live as I choose or I will not live at all
about freedom giving one a reason to not want to die. of considering greater things in life than our personal, mundane everyday lives. I love the organs (?) at the end.
continuing with the more “big picture” themes, Warchild is also about war. very relatable to my current days. a lonesome screech into the empty heavens.
At times of war we’re all the losers, there’s no victory
… We’re all the losers now
the outro is accompanied by some horns that resemble military band, a nice touch. The album’s most overtly political and harrowing track. The lyrics are direct and unflinching, detailing the horrors of war.
I don’t like Forever Yellow Skies. it’s all over the place, it doesn’t say much, and it doesn’t sound so good either. feels as if it’s a filler track, everything’s too few. chords, words, themes, the solo, the bassline, all of it.
The Rebels is more of a richer listening experience. dynamics change smoothly, there are build-ups, the imagery is pretty vivid, and finally the vocal performance is refined and thought-out. the sigh ends it after a flashback to the first line of the song. I Just Shot John Lennon obviously a tribute to the Beatle, creative ending, not much to discuss.
I love Electric Blue! it starts like an early 70’s folk ballad, the flute in the second verse confirms this. the Latin chorus is so catchy.
Electric blue eyes, who sent you?
Electric blue eyes, always be near me. I need you
it’s got a catchy melody and a lighthearted feel, but the lyrics still hint at underlying melancholy. works well in the album as a nice change of pace. despite having a rather inconsistent instrumentation (church bell, synth, flute, gospel-y backing choir) the constructed image does make sense, conveying a sense of detachment, and a divine desperation. a goodbye song.
I’m Still Remembering is again very straightforward and honest. again hearing “get away” in repeat. it mentioned Kurt Cobain and JFK, a pinch “modern history” consistent with the overall political disappointed theme of the album.
Yesterday was cold and bare because you were not there
Will You Remember? is tribal. sounds like a fairytale from middle Europe’s deep dark jungles. the chromatic movements are very bold and special!
I will return here again
the story has a twist too, the protagonist asks the contact if they will remember their good times, as if they’re asking to be remembered but at the end she won’t remember it herself. knowing that it’ll be fruitless.
I won’t remember the things that we swore
I will just love you in vain
Joe starts with a mandolin strumming, when did the instruments start sounding like this? I do like it though. it’s again dealing with remembering, and a momentary blessing that has gone away, and has left over nothing but memories.
the angelic intro to Bosnia transforms into a marsh rhythm, wrapping up the 4-track break from war to whimsical remembrance back to politics, war and humans perishing over nothing.
And we all call out in despair
All the love we need isn’t there
And we all sing songs in our rooms
… When do the saints go marching in?
yet another war song. written by people from a nation identified by a war. listened to by someone literally in a war. the saints will never go marching in.
Rummmpatitum!