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Life in the Loading Bay (a Shriekback song-by-song)

 

“Life in the Loading Bay,”

a Partial Song-by-Song of the

New Album by Shriekback

 

1."In the Dreamlife of Dogs:" Of the new song collection, I must admit to having a soft spot for this song. The philosophy sings (for lack of a better word) to me. The lonely delicacy of the instrumentation communicates a kind of longing for something we humans assume is a simple thing, yet continues to stretch far beyond our limited understanding. Barry suggests it might be a bit more complex than we believe in the extravagant piano phrase that paints a vast sonic painting of Dog's inner world. The music, both lilting an a little bittersweet, matches the language of the lyrics perfectly. The phrase "palace of scent" I found to be particularly striking. It brought to mind the psychological term "Memory Palace," having to do with spatial mnemonics. The dog's olfactory sense would be the firm basis for any canine's Memory Palace, the scent being the dog's strongest sense that connects it to existence and its own comprehension of the existential. The ending of the song is deeply satisfying, with Andrews' camparison of how little we know about each other to the mystery of a dog's dreaming mind. Favourite line from the lyrics: But the dog as he sleeps is opaque as we are. We dream as we live all alone in the nightmare of history. And, as much as I know who you are in the dark behind your eyes, the Dream Life of Dogs is no more of a mystery.

2.“Loving Up the Thing:” Probably my favourite of the collection, the word play pulled me in early on. That combined with the orchestral phrasing that frame the song perfectly exude a kind of sweetness not often found in a Shriekback song, but can be enjoyed to a great degree in this one. I consider it a companion piece to the more celebratory and amusement park ride “Hooray for Everything” from the album Glory Bumps. The hint of Gospel makes for a very feel good, sing-a-long feel to Shriekback’s typically twisted rhymes and wordplay. The orchestral portion of the song sounds like something one would hear during Cylon-Human battle in the new series. It makes one wonder if Barry was a fan and absorbed the sound by default. I suggest you listen to the song at least four times, each time for a different reason. A) Listen for the lyrics, as they’re typically Shriek brilliance. B) Listen for the music and how sonically perfect the instrumentation alone is. C) Listen for the sound effects. I swear I hear a Wookiee in there somewhere. What do you hear? D) Listen to the song in toto for the full effect of a wonderfully-constructed pop song. Favourite line from the lyrics: “Guilt is its own reward said the Martyred Angel to the Pleasure Lord.”

3.There’s nothing like an old-timey Gospel song about surrendering to the ramifications of our actions and that’s it seems “Make It Mauve” is all about. Pulling from the Parc Stic prophecies, Barry sits us down in the church of Alexander Leviticus to show exactly where we’re headed. Pulling from his love for traditional Black Gospel, Barry creates a song of praise and celebration mapping out how pollution is going to get us in the end. Fans of prophetic songs, tent revivals, word play, and general mischievousness will thoroughly enjoy this song. Keyboards are happily busy on this song, which makes for an even more fervent round of celebration. Favourite line from the lyrics: “that’ll be our history written on the air and, if we made it up then really who would care? Now we’re aniline purple with a febrile glow, and I just think it’s the only way to go.”

4.“Nowherenothingnever” is Shriekback’s sojourn into the Blues, as the band takes the trip down that long road of things happening and making things happen to see what can be stripped down, examined, and told to the audience. After their long Blues trip, the Shrieks decided the thing to cover up is “Nowwherenothingnever.” I can’t help but see this song as a bit of an autobiography on Barry’s part. Most Blues songs are autobiographies, and he uses a language that only he can be sure to understand, while at the same time allowing the listener to apply his or her own interpretation to the lyrics. Many emotions are touched upon in the song, but it does end on a relatively bright note, like many Blues songs aren’t noticed as doing, but actually do. Even though the message might be a little bleak, not to expect too much, one can still end up happy, despite The Blues creeping into your world. Favourite line from the lyrics: It don’t make no never mind, It don’t make no never mind, every naked ape wants to live forever / every human soul and all our best endeavours.

5.“Now I Wanna Go Home” speaks of midlife rocker angst. The driving beat and the bleak message just screams of someone who went out and did exactly what he intended to do, and now has has enough of it. Rock songs don’t have to be complicated, and I don’t think this one is, being the only full-blown organ-driven industrially-bludgeoned rock song on the album. The Shrieks have done what they’ve come to do. It’s time to go to go home. Favourite line from the lyrics: Gaffed like salmon and clubbed like seal, scraped me down to the bone, educational in its way, built some character I daresay, but now I wanna go home.

6.“Pointless Rivers” finds us in a territory the Shrieks have never consciously explored until now. We find the word play we’ve come to find so familiar with the lyrics, we just find them in the Paddy Rock format. Think Barry Andrews meets Flogging Molly over Guinness. Of all the songs, this one has the fullest sound the busiest music going on. The lyrics play at being both sarcastic and desperate. Of all the songs “Pointless Rivers” surrounds and binds the album and gives Life in the Loading Bay a cohesiveness it doesn’t otherwise have. And Barry on accordion is always a good and Holy Thing. Favourite line from the lyrics: Gonna lay my hands upon you, gonna chase you round the pond (may not be so exciting now these elements are gone). We know that Satan’s watching us and has been all along, and thus we see the Pointless Rivers flow.

7. The most bittersweet of the collection, “Simpler Machines” caresses those of us heading into the second interlude of our life into taking the trip easily, unsure of the technologies of the day and where we may fit inside their clockwork poetry. It makes us long for days when we understood the newness of the day and didn’t find ourselves doddering in response to our younger nature whose apps, tweets, and torrents carry on to a place that not as comprehensible as the world sung about in “Simpler Machines.” The busy, almost multi-metronome beat maintains the illusion of those things that work, but also promise us that our day is the that’s past and the future date may not be so joyously simple as hoped. Favourite line from the lyrics: the scrapyard stars are glittering tonight – the shards and smithereens – no question – it is a sentimental sight. Our toys and tools: all of those simpler machines (they’ll break your heart alright, those simpler machines).

10 July 2010

Tracy Angelina Evans