carl 2008-07-09
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Every so often, these guys manage to find their ways back onto the pop charts. And this might just be the album to get them back. Bully for them if it works. It's not quite as immediately pushing-the-envelope as Hello Young Lovers or its predecessor Lil' Beethoven, but it's decidedly more accessible than either and very arguably as ambitious. And I keep finding new layers of sound and/or more strikingly funny-but-really-not lines each time I hear it. I may actually end up liking this better than HYL when all is said and done. In fact, I think I'm already there. It's a catchy thing of beauty that makes you laugh out loud yet hurts if you stop to think too long about it.
The album as a whole is appropriately framed by its closer "Likeable" and the line used in the multi-track-vocaled "Intro" and "Intro Reprise": "I don't care if you love me, just so you like me..." From there -- and to underscore the absurdly pointed hollowness that's all over this -- we veer into the electronic poppiness of "Good Morning," detailing the morning after with a woman who doesn't even speak English, and who of course the singer doesn't remember: "Thank you, God, for something rare as this / What surely must have been a holy night of bliss.... Good morning / I need you, I need you / Who are you?"
Next comes the Beach-Boys-meets-symphonic-punk "Strange Animal," which narrates the battle between a musician, an overanalytical (imagined?) fan, and all the characters in the song, ending in the songwriter killing everyone concerned and starting over. Definitely one of your more original songs about the creative process, and for that matter probably the closest thing here to the scary-good "Dick Around" from Hello Young Lovers.
Then, for the first time in years, they revisit their glam years (albeit trading in Queen for T-Rex here) in the funny-as-it-sounds-except-it's-not "I Can't Believe You Would Fall for All the Crap in This Song." When Russell sings to a would-be fan, "I want you and only you and only you, my love" you both believe him and kinda get creeped out by it. You know, like when Morrissey sings something like that. But that's too early in our story.
Then comes the quasi-classical Ron-piano-driven section. On either side of the "Intro Reprise" comes "Let the Monkey Drive" ("It's only fair / It's the monkey's car / And he hates to share") and "I've Never Been High," both of which are better than I'm letting on for some semblance of brevity's sake. "(She Got Me) Pregnant" turns the tables, even while reminding you of its unturned-tabular relevance, "You know how these girls can be / they treat you all so casually / They wine you and they dine you and expect a little la-dee-dee /And then you learn that though she's several thousand miles away / There is a part of her she's given you and now you have to deal with being / Pregnant /She got me pregnant / She got me pregNANT...."
Then comes what REALLY oughta be the hit single here (at least in Britain), and if only for its topicality, "Lighten Up, Morrissey." Veering a bit more gently into glam-land , the protagonist in the song pleads with his hero to give his girlfriend less material to work with: "I got comparisons coming out my ears / And she never can hit the pause / If only Morrissey weren't so Morrissey-esque / She might overlook my flaws... / She won't dine out with me / No, she won't dine out / Since my t-bone steak is at fault / She won't dine out with me / No, she won't dine out / With a murderer passing salt..." Anyone who either loves OR hates the guy should hear this. (And FWIW, the subject matter himself reportedly loves it.)
"This Is the Renaissance" is growing on me big-time, and turns the social observation even wryer. Although the context is different it reminds me a bit of one of my all-time favorite Sparks songs, "It Ain't 1918" (from Indiscreet), in that it starts out poking fun at the "old ways" then turns the tables to reveal how intolerant and empty the "new ways" are: "Middle ages sucked / Spent all day in prayer / Judgement Day was everyday and / Witches burning everywhere / But now we are in luck / Beauties everywhere / Paintings filled with foxy women / No one's got a cross to bear... If you like to read / Man, you are in luck / Gutenberg is cranking out The Bible with a centerfold... This is the Renaissance / Came upon us all at once...."
It tails off a bit near the end. "The Director Never Yelled `Cut'" features the lyrical repetition that figures prominently on the last two albums, but again musically it's very hard to fault - there are some truly lovely passages here -- and the verses themselves tell the story of yet another guy who doesn't measure up to his girlfriend's/"director's" standards just fine. "Photoshop" is the most obvious thing here, regarding the protagonist's plea to "photoshop me out of your life," but it's a'ight.
Then finally to "Likeable," a six-minute classical-rock-waltz-a capella paean to... well, being liked... and the ultimate hollowness therein: "Wonder what it feels like to be in love / How would you describe it -- like a push or shove? / Guess I keep pretending this is all I need / Wanting more than what I have might appear as greed / Cause I'm likeable, they all say / Wouldn't have it any other way / And there's no other reason things go my way / I'm just likeable, night and day." When the album's opening line finally reprises here, "I don't care if you love me, just so you like me / Like me, like me, like me, like me..." it's actually rather heartbreaking. (Again, not unlike my all-time favorite Sparks song, "Dance Godammit," in which the phrase "Do you want to dance?" grows from casual come-on to a desperate plea for ANY kind genuine human connection whatsoever.)
Bottom line: Once you get past the decidedly funny surface of Exotic Creatures and into the "Deep" of the music and the emotional disconnect portrayed throughout.... well anyway, if you still think it's a joke, then it's clearly a joke you're not getting.
