flamepillar's Full Review: The Burdens of Being Upright by Tracy Bonham
When Alanis Morissette unleashed all the havoc in 1995, it was almost inevitable that others would come along to try out to pacify the apparent addiction among music listeners. One such person to show up at the angry white chick party was a violin player who actually got dumped from a music school for smoking a cigarette.
Say hello to Tracy Bonham, folks. The one and only. I was this close to having a crush on her, and it just never came to be. Sure doesn't mean that I didn't want to let it happen.
So it was spring of 1996, one of the most boring years of my life, and I kept hearing about this song called "Mother Mother", but on the rare occasion that I could hear it, I was always somewhere noisy where I couldn't concentrate on it. And you know how the radio is, it doesn't capture the increase in volume of a song the same way that a CD does... or television, for that matter.
So I actually have it on tape the first time I sat down and listened to the song one day, when it came on MTV. It's a riot to listen to myself saying "Holy sh!t, can you believe this?" and other such assorted nonsense. The song, aside from having a wickedly subtle verse, had this unexpected flurry of drums and a full-on rock band to back it up when it got to the chorus. Then, of course, Tracy screaming I'm hungry, I'm dirty, I'm losing my miiiiiIIND EVERYTHING'S FIIIINE!!! A few days was all it took and that CD was mine.
What is most surprising is that even though Tracy screams and wails her way through "Mother Mother" (and strangely enough, her mother liked the song so much, she got to be in the video), there is no other instance of such abrasive singing on the CD. Which is good, because the band does more than make up for it.
A perfect example would be the second single, "The One". With an extremely high-pitched violin hovering in the background, Tracy sings some downright scary high notes to go with it. I sleep the day away, giving you all I can, ready to reach new lows, dying to wash my hand. Just when you think there's nowhere to go, the song slams into a near-pop chorus that may just be the catchiest thing that came out that entire year (yeah, better than "Ironic".) You're the one, you're the one, that froze the sun.. say you love me as you pull the trigger, better today than tomorrow. I always loved the way she condescendingly shook that violin stick at us in the video. Turned me right on.
No two songs on this CD are anywhere near alike. The first big surprise after "Mother Mother", the first track, is "Navy Bean" which jumps in with a fast beat and some of the weirdest lyrics you've ever heard -- Shaving cream is thicker than it seems, shave it off and don't ask what it means, parade around... an angel wing is caught up in the tree, if you know what's best, get the hell away from me.
"Tell It To The Sky" is one of those songs that nobody on the planet could rip off without it being blatantly obvious to those who know it. I might even go so far as to say it sounds like something Radiohead would be playing if they were from this planet. Then, "Kisses" relies on a singular bass riff to back up Tracy as she laments being rejected for someone else -- She kisses harder than me, I guess I'm not that hungry.
"Sharks Can't Sleep" was a third single and actually hit the radio where I was. Tracy is obviously no fan of "regimented" poetry -- this one's all hers. Saw a shark today, ate a man and then just swam away, but it wasn't OK... no, it wasn't OK. Tracy hovers on the verge of screaming the Ohhh, ohhh, wooah! of the chorus, and it might actually be annoying if not for the fact that the song is just so darn catchy.
It always sounded like "Bulldog" used a nearly identical chord sequence as "Sharks Can't Sleep" except for the fact that it's about five times faster. "Bulldog" is probably the happiest sounding thing on the CD, a real "bopper" for sure. Lyrically, again, it gets kind of confusing as she repeatedly asks Who's got the bulldog? in the chorus. Otherwise, it's pretty funny. You talk of genius, I feel an undertow, which head of yours is bragging now? One made of lettuce is smarter than you both, you fooled that manhole anyhow. Oooo-kay!
"Every Breath" doesn't have a lot going for it besides a really nice beat and an absolutely killer violin solo. It is unfortunate that Tracy doesn't utilize the violin more often in the songs here, but from what I understand, there is more of it on her later albums. "30 Seconds" is the only song on the entire CD that I don't get into much. It's just downright depressing! I'm sure that's what it's trying to be, both lyrically and musically, so in that case, it definitely does its job. For every star, there's another one that's fading, Fading away, hating every bit of life, 30 seconds, 30 seconds, One day of sun and the rest you're spending as a no one, no one.
Nothing beats a good last song. "The Real" ends up being one of my favorites. It has all the essentials -- a throbbing bassline, an anthemic ba-ba-boom, ba-ba-boom, ba-ba-boom beat, and an unpredictably groovy chord sequence to settle into when its weird introduction is all over. More weird lyrics incoming -- Pocket the business card, be on your way, Pocket the smiling face and save the day, Most likely to perform was who I knew, but now it's you that I have to know, only the real world is so unreal. It's pretty funny how she deliberately lets the last occurrence of "real" in each chorus come out like re-ee-eeal, letting the last syllable trail off in pitch.
The Burdens of Being Upright is an appropriate title for this CD. Tracy doesn't follow any rule of music besides following the beat. Otherwise, there's no telling what she's gonna do. By the time you've learned the CD, it's a part of you that doesn't go away. Ever.
Track Listing
1.) Mother Mother - 8.5
2.) Navy Bean - 8
3.) Tell It To The Sky - 8.5
4.) Kisses - 9
5.) Brain Crack - 7
6.) The One - 10
7.) One Hit Wonder - 7.5
8.) Sharks Can't Sleep - 9.5
9.) Bulldog - 9
10.) Every Breath - 9
11.) 30 Seconds - 4
12.) The Real - 9.5
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