This summer was the opposite of hectic, in that nothing big went on — but emotionally, it was busy. As such, I didn’t do a ton of writing. I would start something new, then the excitement (or catharsis) would fizzle and I’d find myself disinterested again. What I did was listen to a lot of music. I rekindled my love affair with owning CDs and whole albums. Music is a fairly big part of the way I write, and as much as I love The Glitch Mob, it’s not right for every situation.
With that in mind, let’s talk about IAMDYNAMITE. Specifically, the album SUPERMEGAFANTASTIC. (Can I just say that the all caps names just make my day every time?)
There are two speeds of song: strong with thoughtful lyrics, or fun but ultimately unmemorable. It all sort of blends together if you’re not paying attention. Early in the summer I had the CD on while some fellow confabulators were over drinking and playing card games, and August asked if we were listening to the same song on repeat.
“Where Will We Go” was the break-out song; I bought it after I heard it the first time. (Actually, it was free on Amazon at the time.) I’m somewhat disappointed that “Stereo” seems to be the next single, or at least what we’re hearing on the radio here. It’s good, but it’s not my favorite song on the album.
As far as I’m concerned, “Carolina“, “Ms. Jones,” and “Annie” are the best songs on the album — but this may be that I like the darker tone in those songs. (Annie, especially; I’m about 80% sure it’s about a dead chick, and I love a good mournful song about a dead person.) Even though the lyrics are sharper than other songs, they still repeat themselves a lot. Still, it’s not quite so bad as “Hey Girl,” where the singer mumbles through half the lyrics.
I’m a fan of lyrics — of the stories in the music — so in that respect the CD is fine, but it doesn’t make it into my rotation as often as others. However, I love the music and I think the band is incredible. Individual songs end up on my MP3 playlists pretty often.
The booklet rocks my world. The lyrics are all there, with the text of varying size and emphasis and orientation. I love it. I think it’s visually interesting and brings your attention to the lyrics that otherwise sort of slip past when you’re just listening. (Here’s the devil coming up to me/said, “You look like a friend in need.”)
In addition to that, I like the colors and the vector-style of the artwork. If I were still the teenager who had no respect for my things, this is the sort of booklet I would tack up on my wall with pins. (I know, I know — cringe away.)
So, I’d recommend the album, at least once. The somewhat repetitive sound and lyrics don’t make it too distracting, but it’s up-tempo and moody if you need that sort of mood music when you’re writing. So, get thee to your local version of Spotify and give it a spin.
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