SOBER RAMBLINGS WITH YORKEDADDY: ALBUMS THAT ARE AWESOME (LIKE, SERIOUSLY)
Hello there, and welcome to
Sober Ramblings With Yorkedaddy, where I pick something and ramble about it whilst not drunk. And today, I'm going to ramble about one of my favorite albums: an album I have endorsed endlessly.
Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe
Now, why exactly, am I going to ramble about this album? Well, that's because it's the closest thing to a perfect pop album that I can even think of. Yes, I like it that much. There are
two whole songs that hold it back from being a 10/10 from me.
But before I start explaining myself, allow me to get one thing out of the way first: Lauren Mayberry is an angel. One of the most pleasant voices I've ever heard, and damn it, she's a fine physical specimen as well:
Yep. Consider me sufficiently seduced.
Now onto the music. This little album here is a relentless onslaught of hooks galore. Every line on this album is catchy as all hell, and chances are that upon first listen, there will be no turning back. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, you're going to want to listen to some more Chvrches. The songs won't leave your head. You will be doomed. So while I can't recommend this album enough, I also have to recommend that you all proceed with caution.
You are first greeted with one of the lead singles of the album and one of the more ambiguous songs of Chvrches' catalog. What exactly does "The Mother We Share" mean? I don't think it's as simple as Lauren singing about a brother or something, so I could speculate about it being about "mother nature" or something deep like that, but I won't bother. Just let the song bask in it's catchy glory as you listen, and let the soundscapes of intricate electronica take your mind to new places. Once this delightful little pop tune ends, you will probably need to go change your pants. I recommend pausing the album and taking care of that.
I hope you brought some extra pairs of pants, too, because this album is only just getting started. The Mother We Share is a sweet ass song. Let's all agree on that. The second song on the album blows it away, though. I mean, it's as if Chvrches have discovered some sort of scientific combination of musical goodness that results in a track so wonderfully cool that resistance is futile.
The instrumentation is just so simple but so effective and atmospheric. It's merely a backdrop for the glory that is Lauren Mayberry, but it gets the job done. An array of dreamy synthesizers enter as Lauren spouts typical themes about having trouble with a relationship, but these lyrics to me are considerably more poignant than the average love song. "I'll be a thorn in your side, 'till you die/I'll be a thorn in your side, for always/If we sink, we lift our love". It's just such a powerful group of words, indicating that even in the hardest of times (which are numerous, as suggested by Lauren stating that she'll be a thorn in this dude's side until he dies :X), that they always "lift our love". It's an amazingly catchy chorus...and wouldn't you know it? You need to go change your pants again. Make sure you bring some more this time, because you'll need it.
Still recovering from the euphoric aural onslaught Chvrches have delivered so far? Well, either unfortunately or fortunately, they're not done. The third track may just be the catchiest yet. This song, titled simply, "Gun," doesn't quite have lyrics that 'sink' (lolpuns) deep into my soul, but it's still a cool little, sassy song: "You had better run from me/With everything you own/Cause I am gonna come for you/With all that I have". As usual, Lauren's vocal carries the song, but the electronic production is surprising superb. This is a band that has no shortage of talent; the males in the band clearly know how to create a nice, poppy backing track for Lauren to work her magic.
The fourth song, which ends the magical opening run of the album (the fifth track is a drag =/), titled "Tether", is an interesting little track that's very slow moving but climaxes in an awesome way. Lauren sees vulnerable here, stating, "I feel incapable of seeing the end/I feel incapable of saying it's over" during the final couple epic minutes of the song. It's not exactly catchy, but it's an effective track that starts out slow and reaches an exciting climax.
So now that you've gone through four pairs of pants, you can confidently leave your current pair on, as Chvrches finally shows that they are human and capable of writing a less-than-stellar track. It's not that I dislike "Lies," I just find it tremendously below the standard of quality presented throughout the rest of the album. It's another sort of sassy track, and it seems like Lauren is straight up playing some dude: "I can sell you lies/You can't get enough/Make a true believer of anyone, anyone, anyone". It's just a strange change of direction from the rest of the album; this track doesn't focus much on hooks and focuses more on an admittedly tight electronic backing track, but that's not really why I'm listening to Chvrches even though they are clearly strong producers. Immediately following is a track, "Under the Tide," that is the first of two instances where Lauren doesn't sing lead, and it doesn't work that great. I actually think this is a solid track, but the male singer's voice is nowhere near as delightful as Lauren's, and he has trouble carrying this track on his own.
Oh, but now we're back into the good stuff. "Recover" and "Night Sky" are by no means works of pure art like I think "We Sink" and "Gun" are, but they are wonderfully catchy songs that are excellent additions to the album. As it typical of the album thematically, both songs seem to describe the many facets of a relationship, and there's nothing remarkable about the lyrics, but damn it, sometimes I love me some catchy synthpop!
The next three tracks are interesting to me. "Science/Visions" is certainly not amongst the upper tier of songs on the album, but it certainly very interesting and a major change thematically and in terms of mood. Frankly there are sections of the song that are a little unnerving, like when the male utters "I, I, feel, feel, your, your, breathing" with some strange vocal effects and it's unlike anything else on this album. I really have no idea what this song is about, either, but it's a curious little album track that breaks up the slew of "relationship" songs that flood the album. Or at least I think so. Maybe this track really is about a relationship and I'm just a complete moron!
But anyway, suddenly Chvrches present you with another nearly flawless song. I can't say enough about how Lungs is one of the coolest songs I've ever heard. The instrumentation isn't particularly interesting besides the post-chorus that features some thick, heavy, almost dubstep-like instrumentation which is kind of awesome. The rest of the song is carried by Lauren's delightful voice singing an awesome melody with a very interesting double tracking going on to make her voice sound incredibly unique on this track. I love basically everything about this song.
If you have the regular version of this album without bonus tracks, the last two songs aren't particularly interesting which is slightly disappointing. The final track is long and led by the male, while "By the Throat" is pretty cool but just always seems like it's building towards something that the song never reaches. Slightly frustrating, but it's still plenty catchy and pleasant to hear.
But if you're the type of person that gets deluxe editions, you're in for a treat. I'm not sure what kind of band makes a song like "Strong Hand" a mere bonus track, but as long as I get to listen to it that a-okay with me. I mean, really? It may be the greatest bonus track of all-time. I can't think of any bonus track that was even remotely interesting, let alone one of the best tracks on an already excellent album. I mean good lord, Chvrches.
Albums like this don't come around very often. I hope after this lengthy review of sorts that everyone clearly understands how hopelessly in love with this album I am, and I hope I made a few more Chvrches fans!
Oh, so what would I rate this album? I'd be lying if I gave it anything less than a
9.5/10.