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22 December 2023
Good God, man! I didn’t realize it’d been so long since Barenaked Ladies (BnL) had released their last album until I heard they had a new one coming out! Everything To Everyone is the slightly tongue-in-cheek title of the Canadian band’s newest album. As a follow-up to the swell-- but commercially disappointing-- Maroon, it still bravely continues to move the band’s sound forward, all the while remaining true to the style they’ve been developing since their start way back before their major label debut with 1992’s Gordon. (A quick check on a BnL fansite revealed that they put out some tapes as early as 1989, but I don’t know if they were “official”.
Most people in the US of A probably best know BnL from their 1998 song “One Week”-- from the album Stunt-- which seems to be a love it or hate it mix of poppy music, emotive singing, and quick, white boy, non-sequitur rapping. I’m in the “love it” category. And while there is nothing quite so bouncy or rappy on Everything To Everyone, the closest thing to that type of love/hate song on the album would be “Shopping”, which almost goes too far with a little cutesy sound and a bit of the “lalala”. Fun to some, obnoxious to others.
I do like the message of the song, the smart-ass commentary on consumer culture. It’s an infectious bit of music, though,.. almost too infectious. Still, it’s a pretty good little ditty. Oops, it’s in my head right now,.. out of nowhere,... Well, I was writing about it, I guess.
Uh,.. lalala-- oh, uh,.. there’s also a side to BnL that people who only hear their radio singles probably wouldn’t know. The first single off the album is one of the jauntier, goofier songs called “Another Postcard”. It’s good fun, but the lyrics get a little deeper on other tracks, such as “Celebrity”-- scheduled to be the next single-- about the empty facade of being famous. And it's even more apparent on “War On Drugs”, a heartfelt ballad about lost love and contemplating suicide. It’s just a really emotional, gut-wrenching song. Delicate, yet painful. Miles away from: “Chickety-China, the Chinese chicken,...”
But, again, BnL still has fun, too. There are happy lil’ tunes throughout this album, as well as some more signs of real musical maturity. This is a great mix of moods and styles. They’re making pop music like back when pop could mean rock 'n' roll, not teeny-bopper / soulless / pseudo-R&B / techno / dance crap. Barenaked Ladies’ Everything To Everyone is a solid and accomplished album from start to finish.
CHICKETY-CHECK IT OUT HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
Most people in the US of A probably best know BnL from their 1998 song “One Week”-- from the album Stunt-- which seems to be a love it or hate it mix of poppy music, emotive singing, and quick, white boy, non-sequitur rapping. I’m in the “love it” category. And while there is nothing quite so bouncy or rappy on Everything To Everyone, the closest thing to that type of love/hate song on the album would be “Shopping”, which almost goes too far with a little cutesy sound and a bit of the “lalala”. Fun to some, obnoxious to others.
I do like the message of the song, the smart-ass commentary on consumer culture. It’s an infectious bit of music, though,.. almost too infectious. Still, it’s a pretty good little ditty. Oops, it’s in my head right now,.. out of nowhere,... Well, I was writing about it, I guess.
Uh,.. lalala-- oh, uh,.. there’s also a side to BnL that people who only hear their radio singles probably wouldn’t know. The first single off the album is one of the jauntier, goofier songs called “Another Postcard”. It’s good fun, but the lyrics get a little deeper on other tracks, such as “Celebrity”-- scheduled to be the next single-- about the empty facade of being famous. And it's even more apparent on “War On Drugs”, a heartfelt ballad about lost love and contemplating suicide. It’s just a really emotional, gut-wrenching song. Delicate, yet painful. Miles away from: “Chickety-China, the Chinese chicken,...”
But, again, BnL still has fun, too. There are happy lil’ tunes throughout this album, as well as some more signs of real musical maturity. This is a great mix of moods and styles. They’re making pop music like back when pop could mean rock 'n' roll, not teeny-bopper / soulless / pseudo-R&B / techno / dance crap. Barenaked Ladies’ Everything To Everyone is a solid and accomplished album from start to finish.
CHICKETY-CHECK IT OUT HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
1825
Old Image
6_4_bnl.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 04 (dec 2003)
section
entertainmental