Where would we be without Maroon? (Maroon - Barenaked Ladies)

Member Name: Insane Tommy

Product:	Maroon - Barenaked Ladies
Date:	31/07/02 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Emotional, Fun, Not Cheesey

Disadvantages: Not well known, Still costs £12.99

It’s amazing how many bands ‘sell-out’. Just search the Internet and you’ll find hundreds of forums filled with members ranting about how their favourite bands have neglected their core values in search for music that will fill their pockets full of cash. To many Barenaked Ladies fans, Maroon is a ‘sell out’ and lacks the certain raw ability and ‘jangle-pop’ style that made the Canadian band so popular in the early nineties, to this I say caffobble (thats my own little made up word by the way). Maroon is the best real pop album about, a genre which has suffered greatly at the hands of commercially spawned girl and boy bands. Whilst it isn’t quite as fun or whimsical as ‘Maybe You Should Drive’ or ‘Born on a Pirate Ship’, in a world where only number one singles seem to count, it still retains the Barenaked feeling.

The Barenaked Ladies are a Canadian band with their very own distinct pop/country/jazz style who have been round since 1992. The BNL’s are Steve Page, Jim Creegan, Ed Roberstson, Tyler Stewart and, having replaced Andy Creegan, Kevin Hearn. Maroon, released in 2000, is their sixth album (fifth if you discount ‘Rock Spectacle’ a mere compilation disk) and follows on from the massive success of the album ‘Stunt’ and the single ‘One Week’, both released in 1998. During the period between albums Kevin Hearn, the new keyboardist, suffered a serious bout of Leukaemia, from which he has now recovered. Whilst the style is quite recognisable, Maroon has a real dark and serious side to it in terms of lyrics, undoubtedly influenced by how close the band came to loosing a member and a friend. It seems perfect to me to lapse into such serious music, though some fans feel they have lost touch with the fun lyrics that made previous albums so appealing.

The opening four tracks are pretty much the perfect definition of pop
. ‘Too Little Too Late’, ‘Never Do Anything’, ‘Pinch Me’ and ‘Go Home’ are simple, upbeat tracks that will have you tapping your feet and muttering the chorus even after one listen. These tracks are incredibly easy on the ear and lovely to have on in the background. The beats are nice and simple and everything seems to be perfectly intertwined, soft voices and delicate guitar playing make for very addictive listening. ‘Pinch Me’ was the first single to be taken from this album but in truth any of these four could have been. Despite their simple pop undercurrents these four tracks retain the BNL’s ability to write lyrics that can be funny, sad or just downright strange depending on how the listener is feeling or how closely you want to analyse their genius. ‘Pinch Me’ is a particularly catchy tune that features Ed Robertson as lead vocal as opposed to Steve Page. For me the song is about a bloke who is plodding through life, a life that he wishes he can wake up from – hence Pinch Me! The song is the perfect blend in terms of music, I can’t make any technical comments but it just seems right to me. Ed sings the mellow verses so well before a typical fast paced rap for the chorus. Perhaps I like the song because it pulls out one of my favourite lines where Ed asks the listener ‘I could hide out under there’, provoking the imaginary response of “hide where?” to which Ed chuckles ‘ I just made you say underwear’. It doesn’t have too much bearing on the direction of the song but it drew a smile from me.

‘Falling for the First Time’ is the fifth track and appears to me to be the bridge from the happy, light-hearted, section to the more serious songs. The tracks after this definitely have a more serious feel to them and spawn contemplation and thought. ‘Falling for the First Time’ is an unusual s
ong, the beat and tune is all very upbeat but the lyrics seem to hit me a little bit more, perhaps this is merely because I’m nearing the end of my teens and like to contemplate all things love related. Again Ed takes up the lead vocals but it’s the piano playing of Hearn that really keep it moving at an addictive pace. Technically I’m not sure it’s the best song but it definitely has a personal appeal as I always get goose bumps as I hear it;

‘Anything plain can be lovely, anything loved can be lost,
Maybe I lost my direction, what if our love is the cost?
Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost,
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost.’

‘Conventioneers’ is the sixth track and is step down from the fast paced jangle-pop to a slower more reflectionary pace, it also picks up on the BNL’s great ability to tell stories in their songs. ‘Conventioneers’ tells the story of two co-workers who have a fling whilst at a conference and then have to face those awkward moments at work on Monday morning. I haven’t quite figured out why the story is being told, which is one of the good things about BNL songs, sometimes it does take a while to find what they are really singing about and when you do it is so satisfying. ‘Sell Sell Sell’ which is up next is very difficult to explain. It begins as a tale about an out of work actor but goes off at a bit of tangent when Iraq is brought into song, I guess there is a moral – that we are responsible for our actions, but it’s difficult to find. ‘Humour of the Situation’ returns to the upbeat beginnings and takes a break from any serious lyrics and isn’t my favourite song. Track 9 is ‘Baby Seat’ which again isn’t ground breaking but is a good tune with the message that ‘you’ve got stand on your own, don’t admit defeat’.
Apologies for rushing through those last 5 tracks – they are all good and typically BNL but I want to move onto the end of the album.

‘Off the Hook’, ‘Helicopters’ and ‘Tonight if the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel’ are the much more sombre tracks on the album, something the BNL’s haven’t dabbled too much with but that work very well. ‘Off the Hook’ is a mini bridge into the next two tracks. It’s slow paced and soft with a prominent beat that makes it a very good background track. The lyrics are sharp, about a man who has had an affair or a man who doesn’t love his partner and the wife is waking up to it.

‘Helicopters’ is the grimmest song I have ever heard Steve Page utter. As always a nice simple beat and has some excellent guitar work but the emotion is really carried in Page’s voice,it almost begins to wobble when a particularly sharp lyric comes up. The song seems at what the point to death and destruction caused by war is, but there is definitely an undercurrent of he frustrations with public life (first time I heard it I expected it to be their break up song or something) and exploitation of the masses. Whilst it’s not a fun song ‘Helicopters’ really hits me and I guess that’s all that counts’;

‘A world that loves its irony must hate its protest singer’

’Tonight is the night I fell asleep at the wheel’ is the epitome the BNL's. It’s relatively slow paced, with crescendos and drum marches pitched with mellow periods that match the song perfectly. On the first listen, it’s just another BNL song about how a man suffers a car crash and watches his life drift away. On the second, third listen it can be what you want it to be, it’s incredibly personal. For me it’s a classic – you don’t know what you’ve got til you’ve l
ost it song. The final song on the album I have (I know some albums don’t have it) is ‘Inline Bowline’ which is a fast paced, almost loud, affair that’s catchy and upbeat. A song about a knot doesn’t seem to be that important but it just reminds the audience that the BNL’s can be serious and fun!

Between ‘Tonight is the night I fell asleep at the wheel’ and ‘Inline Bowline’ is the hidden track that I think is called ‘Hidden Sun’. Every time I hear it I shed a tear. It’s a slow, quiet track with absolutely no hint that it’s a BNL song, piano being the predominant instrument. It carries so much emotion, and is quite obviously sung in the light of Hearn’s fight with cancer. It carries an upbeat message but it always seems to make me think of how easily life can be taken away;

‘inside ourselves is a hidden sun that burns and burns, and never does any harm to anyone’

Maroon may not be to the liking of traditionalist Barenaked Ladies’ fans (that’s why it’s only got four stars) but for me it’s fantastic. There are tinges of country and jazz music in there but it’s fundamentally pop. The general message of the album is that we aren't here forever and we should think about where we are going in lfie and if we are happy. If you are a Barenaked Ladies fan then you’ll either already have got this or have decided not to buy it (which you really should do!) If you haven’t been introduced then I would urge you to add this to your collection, as a guide I’d compare them with the Beautiful South. I know the Barenaked Ladies are not well known here but I’d urge you take a risk if you’ve got a spare tenner, I’d put them in the same league as the Beatles.

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