SOUNDTRACK: BARENAKED LADIES-Stunt (1998) & Maroon (2000).
Stunt. BNL took over the world with “One Week,” one of the most ubiquitous songs of 1998, and one that I never actually got sick of, which is pretty surprising. But it’s got many different elements and–and I think this is the clincher–the words are so hard to understand, that I spend most of my time while listening to the song, just trying to figure them out. Weird Al even parodied it (called “Jerry Springer”) so you know it was big.
[DIGRESSION]: Some day I’d like to plot the fortunes of any band that has been parodied by Weird Al. My theory is that a parody by Weird Al = instant commercial failure on future records…some day when I have free time I’ll see what I come up with.
This song helped Stunt sell millions of copies. But to me, Stunt is, overall, one of their weakest efforts. It starts off so strongly with “One Week” and “It’s All Been Done” (a song that is even catchier than “One Week.”) There are some other strong songs on the disc: “I’ll Be That Girl” is a pretty ballad, and “Never is Enough” is another poppy gem. While “Who Needs Sleep” is one of their silly sounding songs that packs a great chorus. However, the rest don’t so much balance out the mania of the rest of the album as deaden it. I’ve listened to the album twice in the last few days and can’t really remember what some of those middle songs sound like.
Despite that, I made sure to buy the limited edition with bonus tracks, and I must say the bonus track “She’s on Time” is one of the best things on the record.
Maroon. When I grabbed this record next, I had complete forgotten it existed. I assumed that the next one was Everything for Everyone, so imagine my surprise to find Maroon. And, evidently I’m not the only one who forgot about that album: allmusic says sales were off pretty far for this one (do I blame Weird Al?)
Regardless, I think that Maroon is a far superior record to Stunt. Reviewers suggest that it is sort of a Stunt 2.0, but I think the melodies are stronger and the hooks are sharper. “Pinch Me” is a fun conflation of ballad and the manic energy of “One Week,” while “Too Little, Too Late” starts the record off with a strong singalong. And “Sell Sell Sell” is a fun, over the top rocker.
Steven Page, for the most part, could sing anything and make it interesting. However, when BNL fall into a slightly more “adult contemporary” vein as they did on Stunt, Page tends to lose the pizazz that makes his voice interesting. He gets it back on Maroon, so even some of those middle songs that aren’t awesome, are still enjoyable. Of course, Ed Robertson, the other singer doesn’t fall into that same trap, but I think that’s because he doesn’t often do the mellow songs.
There’s also a bonus song by Kevin Hearn at the end of the album. And, I hate to say it, but I’m just not that big a fan of his. His songs and singing style are all very pleasant, but his whole style is just a little too pleasant. There’s no edge, and I find myself drifting away during his songs. He has more songs coming on later albums too, and they’re all very pleasant, but often very forgettable.
[READ: September 2006] Half in Love
As you can tell by the date, this is one of those books from over a year ago that I read at my previous job. I’ve been reading pretty quickly lately and haven’t had a chance to catch up on some of the old ones on my list. So, my memory is a little rusty of the details (always a danger if you read a lot).
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Meloy’s two novels, so I was very interested in reading her short stories. This collection is mostly set in the Western U.S. Overall, it has a feeling of sadness, or melancholia, but the stories are not depressing. Okay, that’s not entirely true. Her stories are set in a harsh real world, where loved ones leave and precious things are lost. But her characters don’t give up hope, so they never get overwhelmed by depression.
There are some other stories in the collection that are set in Europe. As in her novels, she has a good sense for Europe, and her characters are believable regardless of their setting. She seems to get the tone and feeling of the city she conveys.
My favorite story was “Last of the White Slaves,” a story set in a Greek villa. An American woman on vacation gets caught up in a story of gossip and intrigue, far more than she would have expected from the elderly woman telling the story.
Her writing style is similar to that in her novels: very sparse, yet not without character or flourishes of detail. I think “unsentimental” is a good word to describe her style. She is simply not very flowery in her prose; a technique that really suits the content of the stories. But having said that, her work is also not devoid of emotion, and it really draws you in.
There are 14 stories in this collection. You can read one online: Kite Whistler Aquamarine (warning, that’s a sad one). This is full story for Ranch Girl, it says excerpt, but it’s complete. This is a story of a girl who grows up on a ranch and longs for a college life; however, she feels compelled to stay with her boyfriend, possibly sacrificing her dreams. Not uplifting, exactly, but very compelling.
I am looking forward to her next work, whatever it may be. Which leads me to wonder if she has any new short stories out anywhere….
Contents:
- Tome
- Four Lean Hounds, ca. 1976
- Native Sandstone
- Ranch Girl
- Garrison Junction
- Red
- Aqua Boulevard
- The River
- Kite Whistler Aquamarine
- Last of the White Slaves
- Thirteen & a Half
- Paint
- The Ice Harvester
- A Stakes Horse
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