The start of a conversation with most people, that you have some kind of relation with, begin the same way: "Hey how have you been?" "I'm doing well thanks, how about you?" "I'm also doing fine". Then the conversation goes to something like the current events of you life. It's a polite trope the most people do without much substance to it. So, what if you actually said how you are doing when asked? How would the other person react? Will they brush past the answer or will they take the time to dig deeper? It's something to ponder and Barely Civil have decided to answer the question in their album I'd Say I'm Not Fine.
Sometimes the real answer might be you are better now or you are not actually fine. Being honest with yourself first, about how you are, can be the hardest step and Barely Civil have created the space to answer those questions and to face them head on. That can be materialized in the songs, through the spacious instrumentals that lead to a thundering power chord- or it can start with a gang vocal of ferocious voices and resonating drums, to rhythm guitars that soar and take over the show in triumph. This represents the array of emotions that one might feel at a certain time when asked the 'how have you been?" question.
Taking a step back and looking at the album as a whole, I love the cover artwork. It's something you want to own and look at on a wall. The mix of bright scenic colours of a landscape contrasted with a black and grey figure on fire is muah. It complements the music, which has bright musical instrumentation but dark lyrical material. Also the way the track sequences from the "I'd Say I'm..." to the answering tracks (like "Floating Again" and "Coasting Mostly") is such a neat idea to do. I would like to give props to the podcast Growing Up Punk for pointing this out and getting me hooked on this album!
There's so much to chew on with I'd Say I'm Not Fine and I implore you to answer the question, "how have you been?", with Barely Civil because it's important to address your emotions honestly. Even if it's a little loud and little messy, it's worth the catharsis.
______________________________________________________________
Highlighted song and lyrics:
Floating Again- "Right now I’m finding out what it takes to feel let down. How to take that and swallow it down."
______________________________________________________________
Similar bands to check out:
Circus Fires, Good Looking Friends, Camp Trash, Downhaul
_______________________________________________________________
Reviews and links to check out:
Growing Up Punk Podcast- Interview with Connor Erickson (starts at around 27 mins)
Swimintothesound.com- Review
Chorus.fm- Interview with the band
No comments:
Post a Comment