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Rating: Sometimes you arrive late, sometimes you never arrive. Often it happens by chance: noise. In the daily noise, you discern a sound so clear that you can’t help but isolate yourself from the rest of the world and tune into it. The alligator bites you when the first notes of "Secret Meeting" wedge themselves into the folds of your hearing. But it's a sweet bite, two hinted notes of some string; a broken drum. As a beginning, not bad, you start to say and think.
Then the voice comes in; after a few seconds when you feel like you’ve entered a dream where the protagonists are the Death Cab For Cutie with Paul Banks on vocals, you wake up, but no awakening was more welcome.
The guy in question is named Matt Berninger, and his ability to envelope you is surprising. He starts with that sideways and lazy tone like Ian Curtis, but with the cheekiness of Bryan Ferry and a crystal-clear class. The hit is not easy to absorb, but after being dazed by the first track, you place little hope in what's to come because such a thing can't happen too many times in a lifetime, let alone in just one album. And yet "Karen" comes on, and when that kind of litanic-refrain arrives, you melt like wax, you become fluid, and it feels like you can slip everywhere chasing that melody.
From here on, you're free to hover among the jewels scattered throughout the record, and every time you're halfway between wanting to listen to the next track and wanting to hear a few more seconds of the current track. You remain trapped among the cushions scattered in the soundscape of "Looking For Astronauts", a magnetic chant; you glimpse the welcoming desert behind the glass of “Daughters Of The Soho Riots”; you're surprised by the sudden accelerations of “All The Wine”, “Abel”, and “Mr. November”; you find yourself cradled and sublimated by the waves of “Val Jester” and “The Geese Of Beverly Road”.
Post-rock, new-wave, sadcore? I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know. I wish I could be struck every day by a diamond of such brightness, this album will accompany me for a long time, with its irreverently '70s cover, so anonymous and cold as to contain the warmth and not allow it to dissipate.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Secret Meeting (03:44)
I think this place is full of spies
I think they're onto me
Didn't anybody, didn't anybody tell you
Didn't anybody tell you how to gracefully disappear in a room
I know you put in the hours to keep me in sunglasses, I know
And so and now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
And now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
I think this place is full of spies
I think I'm ruined
Didn't anybody, didn't anybody tell you
Didn't anybody tell you, this river's full of lost sharks
I know you put in the hours to keep me in sunglasses, I know
And so and now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
And now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
And now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
02 Karen (03:59)
Karen, I'm not taking sides
I don't think I'll ever do that again
I'll end up winning and I won't know why
I'm really trying to shine here, I'm really trying
You're changing clothes and closing windows on me all the time
Well, whatever you do, listen, you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone into America
Whatever you do
Listen, you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone
Karen, we should call your father, maybe it's just a phase
He'll know the trick to get a wayward soul to change his ways
It's a common fetish for a doting man
to ballerina on the coffee table cock in hand
Well, whatever you do
Listen, you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone into America
Whatever you do
Listen, you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone
Without warm water in my head
All I see is black and white and red
I feel mechanical and thin
Hear me play my violin again
I'm living in the target's shoes
All I see is black and white and blue.
Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest
Protect the title
Karen, put me in a chair, fuck me and make me a drink
I've lost direction, and I'm past my peak
I'm telling you this isn't me
No, this isn't me
Karen, believe me, you just haven't seen my good side yet
Well, whatever you do
Listen. you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone into America
Whatever you do
Listen, you better wait for me
No, I wouldn't go out alone
Without warm water in my head
All I see is black and white and red
I feel mechanical and thin
Hear me play my violin again
I'm living in the target's shoes
All I see is black and white and blue
Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest
Protect the title
I must be me, I'm in my head
Black birds are circling my bed
I must be me, I must be me
Black feathers are falling on my feet
Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest
Protect the title
[repeat]
03 Lit Up (02:55)
My bodyguard shows her revolver to anyone who asks
And yeah she comes to attention when you come up to me too fast
For a little while you'll be here, the only good part of me
For a little while you'll be here
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
You wear skirt like a flag
And everything surrounds you, and it doesn't fade
Nothing like this sound I make
That only lasts the season
And only heard by bedroom kids who buy for that reason
Cuz you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie from your bad blood
From your bad blood
Cuz you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
04 Looking for Astronauts (03:23)
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
It's a little too late, too late, too late for this
Isn't it a little too late for this
Little too late, too late for this
Isn't it a little too late for this
You know you have a permanent piece
Of my medium-sized American heart
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
Are we gone
Come on yeah, we know we're gone
Bye bye bye
Bye bye bye we know we're gone
Take all your reasons and take them away
To the middle of nowhere, and on your way home
Throw from your window your record collection
They all run together and never make sense
But that's how we like it, and that's all we want
Something to cry for, and something to hunt
Are we gone
Come on yeah, we know we're gone
Bye bye bye
Bye bye bye we know we're gone
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
We're out looking for astronauts, looking for astronauts
It's a little too late, too late, too late for this
Isn't it a little too late for this
Little too late, too late for this
Isn't it a little too late for this
You know you have a permanent piece
Of my medium-sized American heart
So don't wear the watch
When you're out with the cunts
You can break what you have, but the rest of it's mine
Take all your reasons and take them away
To the middle of nowhere, and on your way home
Throw from your window your record collection
They all run together and never make sense
But that's how we like it, and that's all we want
Something to cry for, and something to hunt
06 Baby, We'll Be Fine (03:21)
All night I lay on my pillow and pray
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
Son, I've been hearing good things
I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
And say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind
I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I don't know how to do this
I'm so sorry for everything
[repeat]
Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I had a stilted, pretending day
Lay me down and say something pretty
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
Say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we've gotta do is be brave and be kind
I pull off your jeans, and you spill jack and coke in my collar
I melt like a witch and scream
I'm so sorry for everything
[repeat]
07 Friend of Mine (03:25)
Hey, where the hell are you
You don't call me back, John
Won't you come here and stay with me
Why don't you come here and stay with me
Hey, where the hell are you
You don't call me back, John
Won't you come here and stay with me
Why don't you come here and stay with me
Show up here loaded with bells on your toes
I don't care what you're into
I'll put velvet ropes around you, if that's what you need
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
Take his limousine, you gotta get back to me
I'm getting nervous
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Red hair and blue eyes
I'm getting nervous
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
I was in a train under a river when I remembered what
What I wanted to tell you, man
What I wanted to tell you, man
I got two sets of headphones, I miss you like hell
Won't you come here and stay with me
Why don't you come here and stay with me
I'm getting nervous
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Red hair and blue eyes
I'm getting nervous
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Fake a heart attack, you gotta get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
08 Val Jester (03:00)
Build a fire for Val Jester
Build a room for your love
Take your time when you tell her
How she lives in your blood
You should've looked after her better
You should've looked after her more
You should've locked the door
Fill her coat with weapons and help her get it on
Cuz one day when she goes, she's gone
You should've held on to her better
You should've held on to her more
You should've locked the door
All the most important people in New York are nineteen
All the most important people in New York
[repeat]
09 All the Wine (03:15)
I'm put together beautifully
Big wet bottle in my fist, big wet rose in my teeth
I'm perfect piece of ass
Like every Californian
So tall I take over the street, with highbeams shining on my back
A wingspan unbelievable
I'm a festival, I'm a parade
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls
God is on my side
Cuz I'm the child bride
I'm so sorry but the motorcade will have to go around me this time
Cuz God is on my side
And I'm the child bride
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
I carry the dollhouse, safe on my shoulders
Through the black city, night lights are on in the corners
And everyone's sleeping upstairs
All safe and sound
All safe and sound, I won't the let psychos around
All safe and sound, I won't let the psychos around
I'm in a state, I'm in a state
Nothing can touch us my love
I'm in a state, I'm in a state
Nothing can touch us my love
10 Abel (03:37)
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
[repeat]
Abel, come on, give me the keys, man
Everything has all gone down wrong
Abel, come on, give me the keys, man
Everything has all gone down wrong
I see water on the bridge
Well, you better hold my hand through this
Turn around, turn around, take me back
I can't calm down
Turn around, turn around, take me back
I can't calm down
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
[repeat]
Abel, come on, give me a reason
I am not as bright as I could be
Abel, come on, take me with you
Everything has all gone down wrong
You turn me good and god-fearing
Well, tell me what am I supposed to do with that
I'm missing something
Yeah, I'm missing something
My mind's gone loose inside its shell
My mind's gone loose inside the shell
Well, I'm missing something
Yeah, I'm missing something
Abel, my mind's gone loose inside the shell
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
My mind's not right
[repeat]
12 City Middle (04:27)
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Where they hang the lights
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
La di la
[repeat]
I've got five hundred in twenties
And I've got a ton of great ideas
I'm really worked up
I'm on a good mixture, I don't want to waste it
I'm on a good mixture, I do not want to waste it
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
I'm really worked up
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Where they hang the lights
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
La di la
[repeat]
I have weird memories of you
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
I have weird memories
I have weird memories of you
Pissing in a sink, I think
I have weird memories of you
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
I'm really worked up
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
I'm really worked up
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Where they hang the lights
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
La di la
[repeat]
I have weird memories of you
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
I have weird memories
I have weird memories of you
Pissing in a sink, I think
I have weird memories of you
Parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed
You were parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed
You said, I think I'm like Tennessee Williams
I wait for the click
I wait, but it doesn't kick in
I think I'm like Tennesse Williams
I wait for the click
I wait, but it doesn't kick in
I have weird memories of you
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
I have weird memories
I have weird memories of you
Pissing in a sink, I think
I have weird memories of you
la da da da...
I have weird memories of you
13 Mr. November (04:00)
This is nothing like it was in my room
In my best clothes
Trying to think of you
This is nothing like it was in my room
In my best clothes
The English are waiting
And I don't know what to do
In my best clothes
This is when I need you
The English are waiting
And I don't know what to do
In my best clothes
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
[repeat]
I wish that I believed in fate
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
[repeat]
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
[repeat]
I wish that I believed in fate
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
[repeat]
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
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