Review of Maroon by the Barenaked Ladies
Maroon by the Barenaked Ladies
Reprise Records, a Time Warner Company. Produced by Dan Was. Songs: Too Little Too Late, Never Do Anything, Pinch Me, Go Home, Falling For The First Time, Conventioneers, Sell Sell Sell, The Humor Of The Situation, Baby Seat, Off The Hook, Helicopters, Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel.
Personnel: Jim Creeggan: electric bass, vocals, double bass, and viola. Kevin Hearn: piano, symth, vocals, and guitar. Steven Page: Vocals. Ed Robertson: Acoustic and electric guitars, vocals. Tyler Stewart: drums, vocals, and percussion.
I have always said the only thing I miss of a past girlfriend is her collection of Barenaked Ladies albums. After recreating her collection for myself, I learned that a new album was on the way. Maroon -- the band's sixth album is filled with 12 brand new songs with enough quirkiness and pop that will forever be the marks of the Barenaked Ladies (BNL). To my surprise Don Was, a Grammy Award winning producer whose name was also on my B-52's and Rolling Stones albums, produced this album. This pop-infused CD displays the BNL's signature of happy, jangly, tunes filled with sarcasm, irony, truth and passion embedded into every song that brings out old memories to everyone.
The first song on the album, "Too Little Too Late," is an upbeat song with a good backbeat with a catch chorus. It talks about a person who is not able to talk with their significant other about an issue -- whatever it may be. BNL takes a daily concern of a person in a relationship and although many times it is serious, the music turns it into a catchy fun time.
"I could be good-And I would-If I knew that I was understood-And it would be great-Just wait-Or is too little too late-One day this embarrassment will be behind me-And that day I could think of things that won't remind me-But these days-It's unbearable for both of us who can't discuss it this way-Getting strength trying to learn it my own way."
The second song on the album, "Never Do Anything," is an upbeat song of a deadbeat who is just signing and proclaiming that they will never do anything. As with many of the BNL's songs, one can see the response, this person singing the song is giving to someone who asks, "Are you ever going to do anything or just sit on you're a**!?
Sam Smith revealed that he wrote and already recorded the official soundtrack of the upcoming James Bond movie, “Spectre.” The British singer confirmed the news on his Twitter account on Tuesday.
Naturally the body fights the tensions of good and evil by justifying right from wrong. The body is persuaded by one side but ends up conquered by the other. It is a constant battle of pain and pleasure: a constant desire of imperfection from perfection. Dr. Jekyll wanted evil to be completely separated from his goodness. Hyde was not considered a human. He was a creation that possessed life only when Jekyll self medicated himself as a form of release. “Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde are not one person but two, not a single individual compounded like common humanity of both good and evil traits, with the one or the other in the ascendant at any given moment” (Sanderson). As two separate souls inhabited a single body, conflict w...
Jekyll says, “With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two” (Stevenson 83). Jekyll believes he will get pleasure from both alters without any backlash; however, Hyde soon becomes more powerful than his ‘good’ alter and ultimately leads Dr. Jekyll to his doom (Singh). Stevenson creates in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to coexistent to make up a “normal” individual (Singh). Seeing things as Jekyll did, “Humans are half-good, half-evil” Stevenson separated the two, making one pure good (Jekyll) and one pure evil, as Jekyll says, “Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil” (Stevenson 88). After all, good and evil are independent objects, people; they possess distinctive psychological characteristics and consistently fight with each
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” depicted many aspects of psychoanalytical and biographical references in which moral choice played a role in the transformation between Jekyll into Hyde a cycle of identity disorder. “Stevenson thoughts at this time was the duality of man 's nature and alternation of good and evil” (77) states Graham Balfour representing how Jekyll morally distinguishes what his foil persona commits as wrong, but evil wins the battle conquering the goodness within himself. The image of god and satan correlate into their human characteristics one presents the righteousness of good will meanwhile evil is exposed inconsistently. In the end Hyde 's evil persona lies beneath Jekyll knowing that in an attempt of suicide Hyde will get destroyed. Ironically Jekyll 's given up his life, but Hyde regains dominance so that his body would be found. The historical victorian era in which the novels was written reveals how immoral life was lived in reality a way in which Stevenson used the protagonists Jekyll and Hyde “Hide” to fit his
Every story has two sides. In the novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde duality is represented by the good and evil in Dr. Jekyll. His dual personalities demonstrate how each story is two-sided. Because of Dr. Jekyll’s forbidden impulses, there are multiple factors that can affect his complexion. He does not try to intentionally be evil, but he can not help his need to be Mr.
murderous actions and statements. Hyde has no sense of morals or guilt. Dr. Jekyll states, “...that
Jekyll unveils his story, it becomes evident that Dr. Jekyll’s efforts to keep Mr. Hyde, his immoral outlet, reticent are in vain. Dr. Jekyll succumbs to Mr. Hyde once and eventually the pull of his worse self overpowers Dr. Jekyll completely. His futile attempts to contain Mr. Hyde were more damaging than auspicious, as Mr. Hyde would only gain a stronger grip on Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll writes, “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (115). Dr. Jekyll’s inevitable passion for debauchery is only further invigorated by his repression of Mr. Hyde. By restraining a desire that is so deeply rooted within Dr. Jekyll, he destroys himself, even after his desires are appeased. Like a drug, when Dr. Jekyll first allowed himself to concede to Mr. Hyde, he is no longer able to abstain, as his initial submission to depravity resulted in the loss of Dr. Jekyll and the reign of Mr.
The obvious push-and-pull between Dr. Jekyll’s good intentions and Mr. Hyde’s desires to create corruption sparks an innovative conflict between the forces of good and evil within one’s self, specifically the inherent evil that exists within humans. This issue is evident in various parts of the book as Jekyll constantly tries to control his evil self, but fails frequently. Jekyll recognizes this evil is portrayed in himself:
The song could be considered “schmaltzy based just on its chords, tune, and phrasing” (Pollock 156). It has jazzy chords and is in G major, while the backing track, written by George Martin, “uses a string section that would be on the small size even for a Mozart period orchestra, plus a sparse complement of woodwinds and brass; ditto for the small choir” (Pollock 156). A “very slow and dreamy Lennon ballad” it ends the White Album and follows “Revolution 9” (MacDonald 294). “Revolution 9,” an avant-garde piece filled with terrifying noises and shouts that may leave the listener scared and confused, is contrasted sharply by “Good Night” (Pollock 156). If any other song from the album were chosen to follow “Revolution 9” it “would sound a combination of anticlimactic, stylistically repetitive, underwhelming, or too weird” (Pollock 156). Following “Revolution 9,” “‘Good Night’ has the simultaneous virtues of providing musically arch-conservative ballast, a change of style as refreshingly surprising as anything else on the album, and a clever, self-referential of telling you the music’s over; turn off the lights” (Pollock 156). The listener is in need of Starr’s calming vocals after the jarring impact of “Revolution 9 and Starr’s childlike innocence and naïf persona add an extra sense of calm. Starr’s childlike persona can calmly lull us to sleep
Jekyll plays man as a whole, good and bad, he was “wild” and also “smooth-faced” at the same time. Both characters lack vital emotional outputs that make humans socially, even though the psychopath is more cunning than the sociopath. “…lack of conscience, remorse or guilt for hurtful actions to others….There may be an intellectual understanding of appropriate social behavior but no emotional response to the actions of others” (“Psychopath vs. Sociopath” -- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath). Both are social defaces, and cannot be helped; however to the naked eye, these two characters are savage. Both victims of anti-social disorder are lacking factors that make humans acceptably sociable, one lacking empathy while the other lacks sensibility. Diffen, a website, tells us, “Psychopaths…lack of empathy; no conscience…sociopaths…high impulsivity” (“Sociopathy versus Psychopathy” -- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Sociopathy_versus_Psychopathy). Dr. Jekyll shows no empathy by using and manipulating people close to him, and Mr. Hyde, as intended, has no sensibility to act with caution resulting himself in trouble for barbaric actions. This, in turn shows the comparison and contrast of the psychopathic creator and his sociopathic creation which in reality are two halves to a whole.
Her song expressed how relieved and blessed se felt after the moment of crying out to Jesus in her bedroom. Through her hard times in life, Britt Nicole accepted Jesus in her heart and from that point, it changed her life. She feels relief about the acceptance of Jesus. The song “All This Time” is her salvation story and how Jesus rescued her in the moment. She learned that she didn’t have to face life alone. He would be with her every single moment and would not leave her side. In her blog Britt Nicole states,” He saved me from a broken life and gave me something to sing about. He restored my darkest moments and I know what the enemy meant for bad, Jesus will turn for
This song implies that individual’s are violating the norms and values of society. They start the song with a verse that expresses this concern. “What’s wrong with the world, mama/ People livin’ like they ain’t got no mamas…” (lines 1-2). This makes one aware of the disobedience of values that are held in the family. Values are “standard[s] of judgment by which people decide on desirable goals and outcomes.” (Newman, 32) Another verse in this song that illustrates how society is defying norms and values is when they sing: “People killin', people dyin'/ Children hurt and you hear them cryin/ Can you practice what you preach/ And would you turn the other cheek…” (lines 50-53). These lines utter that society has failed to act in a sane and coherent way that society once viewed as correct. The actions affirm that individuals are not living up to society’s norms. Norms are similar to “rules of conduct” and suggest how an individual “should” act. (Newman, 34) In the song they question the acts that would be taken that violate certain norms. Another example of the infringement of society’s norms and values is expressed when the s...
A major theme in the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the duality of good versus evil. A character in the novel by the name of Dr. Jekyll believes in the dual nature of human beings, for he states, “With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.”. Dr. Jekyll is a respectable and well mannered man that gains an urge to set free his “wild side” from his
Jekyll himself. Dr. Jekyll is a symbol of both the good and the bad in mankind, while Mr. Hyde represents pure evil. For instance, when Dr. Jekyll is himself, he is seen as a respectable man who is adored by his colleagues: “he became once more their familiar quest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for his charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion” (Stevenson 29). However, when Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde his morals are quickly disregarded. An example of this occurs when Mr. Hyde murders Sir Danvers, shortly after Dr. Jekyll submits to the temptation of changing to Mr. Hyde: “instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me…with a transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow” (Stevenson 56). Even though the carnal side of Dr. Jekyll enjoys the incident, this event also illustrates the conscience side of Dr. Jekyll because in the mist of this brutal murder, he begins to feel guilty for committing the crime. This guilt drives him to have “clasped hands to God…tears and prayers to smother down the crowd of hideous images and sounds that his memory swarmed against him” (Stevenson 57). As a whole, the text demonstrates that Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is the mastermind of pure malevolence who participates in activities that Dr. Jekyll cannot
This song really brought the band to the front lines for a lot of their audience. In the music video recorded for the song, the visual appearance that goes with the music does not seem like the typical music one would expect from a Japanese pop and heavy metal band, but seems expected from these three young women in Babymetal. The way their music transitions from head-banging music to idealistic pop style music is intriguing at the least. They have an ability to draw in multiple audiences. The biggest question that seems to arise from all of the work that Babymetal does, is why they play the music they do. Throughout the research, there seemed to be a lack of criticism, but a large array of people who voiced opinions about why they did like the band, and most people claimed it was because of the way they sung, the music they played, and the amount of energy they put into every