Good evening dear readers, it has
been ages since last we met. Devoted followers of my work will no
doubt remember the buzz I gave to Shakira’s almost self-titled album Shakira. earlier this year prior to its March
21st release date. Amongst other apocryphal posts I gave some trepidation
rife thoughts to the detailed announcement of the first single and some rather
glowing praise to the second one (Empire
in fact earned the first and much coveted Branden
Instant Classic of this year). Here are some helpful links to
these writings for the heretofore uninitiated: http://creamybrandenblog.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html
It has surely frustrated many that
my much promised review of this album was not as forthcoming as I’d indicated
but at last the silence will be broken. Shortly I shall reveal my thoughts on
Shakira’s latest work as well as elucidate why it took such time for those
thoughts to be revealed.
Henceforth, think of this current
post as a prologue to that long-gestating review yet a prologue which
unexpectedly took on a life of its own. In mulling over that first
single for Shakira. it occurred to my
diseased brain how important first singles have been to me for various artists
throughout my music listening history. To that end I selected 5
singles – including Ms. Mebarak’s – and decided to share my thoughts then and
now on these tunes.
Dani
California by Red Hot Chili Peppers: The
summer of 06’ was a big one for me and with respect to this particular
post. I dare say those were the best days of my life and it all kicked
off with a trilogy of singles from three different bands that came out within
mere weeks of one another. My anticipation could not have been
greater and thoughts of ending it all were blissfully uncommon in those bright
and humble days.
It can be truly said that during
this sunshiney time my favorite band was Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was
that obsessive fan who had every album, tracked down every b-side/rare track,
read every article/book about them and was counting down the milliseconds until
their release of what was sure to be their magnum opus Stadium Arcadium. And so it was during that fateful week in
May when the unveiling took place of the lead single that I was ready and
wearing a freshly pressed Armani tux for the occasion. Upon its online
unveiling I listened with bated ears. Then I listened again and again and
even again. And ultimately I determined that I was extremely, amazingly,
intensely…underwhelmed. Truth be told it would be years before I could
admit this to myself or others but my heart knew the wrenching truth: here was
just another song, nothing less but definitely nothing more. There
was a certain numbing predictability to it which nearly broke my heart (even
more so when I noticed – well after everyone else – that it was strikingly
similar to Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). It didn’t help matters that Anthony Kiedis’s
banal geographically obsessed lyrics set the stage for a double album’s worth
of similarly empty and unsatisfying sentiments.
This song and the accompanying album
truly was the beginning of the end of my slavish love affair with the Chili
Peppers. However with time comes perspective and a newfound
appreciation. I can now enjoy Stadium
Arcadium as a very muscular poprock album. On the whole it did
not break any new ground but it did provide some fantastic variations on
familiar themes. I will say that bassist Flea showed some tremendous
growth and the album showcases some of his best recorded work. And I
can say now with full confidence that the album does truly feature some of
their best songs (Hey, Desecration Smile, Hard to Concentrate). However I ultimately think it was beneficial
to all that guitarist John Frusciante left the band after this work as it
seemed there was nothing left for them to explore. He has since gone
on to make several more amazing solo albums and the Chili Peppers are still
going strong with a new guitarist so I guess it all works out.
This single taught me the painful
but supremely important lesson that it is okay – perhaps even vitally necessary
– to admit when you don’t like a song by a favorite band and to come to terms
with disappointment. It also taught me that one’s favorite artists
can change and yesterday’s love may quickly turn to tomorrow’s old news. Great
video though and Nirvana fans are such perennial whiners as many of them were
offended that RHCP would dare dress up as that sacred Seattle band!
Worldwide
Suicide by Pearl Jam: I hate to do the
comparison thing since they are very different bands but this what I wanted
from my RHCP lead song; something that stuck a mop handle up my ass and made me
jive. The song was so propulsive and Eddie Vedder’s vocal so
unhinged and in my face I could not stop jamming to this. I still
love this tune and every time I hear it while driving down the interstate I headbang
so hard in my motor vehicle that I bash my face repeatedly against the window
until blood clouds my vision and I mow down a few innocent bystanders.
The self-titled avocado album is one I’ve returned to many times since though I
would never rank it among my favorite of their releases. Still, it
does have some great gems (Life Wasted, Unemployable, Come Back, Inside Job)
and this first single ranks very high among them. This was the glory
of a first single delivering that grand initial impression that every artist
hopes for with their album.
Let
Love In by Goo Goo Dolls: Completing this
trilogy of lead singles comes the title track from those 3 nutty Buffalonians
2006 release. A former roommate of mine
absolutely loathed this band and he cleverly took to calling them the “Poo Poo
Dolls”. I often miss his sardonic
wit. Still, I must admit this group is
one of the first where I actually realized I had simply outgrown them at some
point. To be clear, I do not mean that in a condescending way or to say
their music can only appeal to those of a certain age. It was simply that
my own worldly experiences had changed my perspectives on life so much I was no
longer able to connect with their lyrical sentiments or music in any meaningful
way. They seemed to me to be the musical equivalent of a Hallmark card: unbearably
saccharine, cynically calculated and largely unnecessary. I never return
to any of their albums in full, only a few tracks each from 1998’s Dizzy Up the Girl and 2002’s Gutterflower and even then it happens
roughly once a year and largely for nostalgia’s sake. I remember
listening to this particular single and thinking it sounded so horribly
contrived and just…dull, depressingly uninteresting. I still like John Rzeznik’s voice on the song
but the actual writing and music feels stuck in an awful Phil Collins like
world of droning adult contemporary grocery store and mallwalker music yet
somehow still desperately aimed for the slobbering tweens of the world!
Gosh, I feel like I’m being so hard
on the Goos but I simply left them behind! I’m sure they really felt
the absence of my fandom. Though a look at their history does reveal that
around the time I stopped listening to them they stopped having any real chart
success. Just sayin’.
Ultimately these three songs taught
me much about expectations, how artists change, how one’s own personal changes
can affect their response to music and that it is okay to realize your favorite
artists are not perfect and that they can (and likely will at some point)
surprise you for the better and for the worse. These revelations were
incredibly liberating and freed me to explore and discover music in ways I
likely would not have otherwise been open to. So I want to now thank
every artist who has ever let me down and made me curse my own existence for
not validating it by making good music because you keep me exploring and
searching and wishing and hoping and praying.
Where
Are We Now by David Bowie: The night this was
uploaded completely without warning onto the wide world of web – January 8,
2013, also Bowie’s 66th birthday – Lady Gaga tweeted she was moved
to tears by this unexpected return. I was balling my eyes out right metaphorically
alongside her. I never thought I would actually be able to
witness the first single and dawning of a new Bowie era and it is certain this
onslaught of emotion influenced my reaction to the song. The Next Day was released 2 months later
amidst a massive storm of hype but Bowie himself refused to do a single
interview, letting the music speak for itself and ensuring all his devoted
followers would analyze every note and word to unlock its cryptic messages,
myths and meanings. I will not comment on the album as I am saving
that for another millennium but I will say I have definitely spent many an hour
absorbing its detail and have developed several hypotheses of my own regarding
what secrets lie within.
This first single is quite wistful
and not too dissimilar to the neoclassicist era songs he’d made before his
nearly decade long absence. Yet this is the first time I truly felt
Bowie’s age and that this is a man undertaking deep reflection. Many
have pointed out some rather familiar allusions (familiar for the fans I mean)
and its clear he is reminiscing on the Berlin years. I could not
have been more pleased with this return. That beautiful beautiful voice. Every time the piano chord
kicks in the chorus my heart breaks for his plaintive yearning but he makes it
soar again as the drums move the song to its coda and he is able to find
affirmation and a reason for all this once more. “As long as
there’s me, as long as there’s you”. Indeed.
Can’t
Remember to Forget You by
Shakira (featuring Rihanna): And here we are at the initial song off the
aforementioned album proper. I must say upfront that I largely
despise duets and guest stars and have large problems with songs featuring more
than one singer [I want to be clear that I do not mean backup singers or when
groups employ choir type vocals (though since we discussed them earlier John
Frusciante’s never-ending harmonies on Stadium
Arcadium did grate on me like a giant cheese grater) I simply find that the
nearly always short length of a song is not conducive to so many vocalists and
duets almost always seem like a gimmick.
This song is not really any different and this was clearly designed to
make a pop splash and not any kind of meaningful statement. That is not a problem in and of itself –
though I have always preferred the rock Shakira to the pop one – but the splash
is not terribly impressive. My disdain
for all things Rihanna severely taints the song and the same flat tone she uses
for everything she sings drowns my ears in a vat of acid! But even
dismissing her presence it is still an overall pretty meh affair. I do
appreciate that the music sounds like a Shakira song (rather than a Rihanna
song) and it was lovely to hear her voice again after several years but there
is nothing of much lyrical or melodic interest here. The chorus hook sung by Shakira is pleasantly
earwormy enough and showcases a bit of her trademark quirkiness but I cannot
say this lead single made me particularly excited at all for the album. I
guess I would say this tune made me very grateful for second singles. I will also say the glorious music video caused
frequent messes near my computer now only visible through the use of black
light.
I must say it has been most
enjoyable visiting these songs again. It
brought back many a fine memory and the lovely people who inhabit them. What I realize now is how unpredictable tastes
and songs are in this ever changing world in which we live in. For
example, completely contrary to what I stated earlier I recently learned the
Goo Goo Dolls songs Slide, Black Balloon and Iris on the bass
guitar. They are all simple basslines but they serve the song well
and are quite fun to play, especially Slide. For 17 hours straight I
stormed around my posh flat, Fender Jazz Bass in hand with the song on repeat in
the background and I imagined myself on stage playing with the
Goos. I then realized how much I truly love those songs.
The point being is that in a few years’ time
who the hell knows what I will think? Maybe I’ll love Dani
California and view Stadium Arcadium
as the pinnacle of the Chili Peppers poprock power. Maybe I’ll bow
down to Can’t Remember to Forget You and think of that as THE Shakira single
which most well defines her oeuvre. Maybe I’ll write off Worldwide
Suicide as generic washed up grunge vomit and realize I only liked Where Are We
Now because I was such a greasy Bowie apologist I would worship anything he
crapped out. Maybe I’ll grow to hate all those songs or maybe in ten years
those 5 will be my favorite songs of all time. There’s just no
telling anymore and that’s what makes it all so magical!
Anyway, the idea of a “first single”
is rather antiquated. Or is it? Everything’s about the single these days
since few can be bothered to listen to entire albums. Maybe the first single is actually more
relevant than ever! So much promotion
and glitz is put into them and if they bomb it is typically viewed as a fatal
disappointment. Maybe I’ll revisit this topic in the not too
distant future.
In conclusion I must admit that
despite my renewed love of Slide by the Goo Good Dolls it is clearly and
shamefully a ripoff of Ride by local Pacific Northwest band
Jainism. I typically despise local bands as they are almost always an
untalented and poorly groomed lot but Jainism is the real deal and their 2004
debut album Tequila in the Shade is
an undiscovered classic that I predict will one day be deservedly revered and
ranked amongst the greats. I have included a link below to their wazee
page which has a few mp3’s of their music which no longer work as well as a
link to their now de-activated webpage but at least you can see they existed at
some point! Maybe if enough interest is drummed up they will make their
prophesized return...
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