#songbender part 23 – Plaid – Extork
Good afternoon lady or gentleman, who is reading this, you are most likely alone doing that.
But nevermind.
So this time it’s plaid again, and from the album the last one was, but that was with Bjork, remember? and that’s really just a coincidence. This again is going to be one that most first listeners will be like: the fuck is this yo, it’s just noise all over and there should be a melody but i’m not hearing it and yadayadayada
Don’t do that please. Instead, give it 3 listens. Just 3. Doesn’t have to be one after another, in fact, give them a day, or so. And if after the 3rd (or presumably 4th if you listened to it now) you still believe this is crap, then I have nothing for you.
This song features Nicolette, who also had some song with Massive Attack (can’t really tell, not a fan, except for the ones that everybody knows, other than that, for whatever reason, just never resonated)
And I have to say this one is absolute brilliance. The whole thing. The mix, the theme, the NOISE, the riff itself which is NOOOOIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE a’la Nine Inch Nails on their good days, and the way the vocals are mixed so dry, it’s absolutely fkin perfect.
And once you realize the melody (because it is there, you just may not perceive it at first), this whole song is built up masterfully. No, it’s not verse-chorus-verse, and it’s kinda sick. But that’s the point.
And I especially love the one broken beat that is near the end, when the “Don’t you want to” part starts and the whole beat shifts one beat backwards, and suddenly everything is right again. That is SOOO COOOL yo, i can’t even explain it. Managed to do it myself a few times, but it takes the perfect setting to pull it off properly, and this is one of ’em right here.
I’ve shown this song to people over the years, they all went to the wrong conclusion of “plaid is this thing where all kinds of women sing weird songs and i’m not sure i like it but it’s kinda sick but it has a melody and this means that ALL of their stuff is like this let me download” and then fall flat big time because it is not like that AT ALL. This album is genius work, no doubt about it, I wouldn’t say I could just slap it in the player anytime everytime, but if i’m the mood, it does the trick. But the rest is pretty experimental, and even sicker, and be cautious my friend.
So there you have it. Enjoy.
I was wrong
I was wrong
I was wrong
I was wrong, wrong, wrong
I was wrong, wrong, wrong
I never meant to do the things that I did
I didn’t want to, I was trying to be good
I used to use common sense to give me false confidence
But now I can laugh at myself instead of blaming myself
And now I’m lighthearted and free because nothing makes sense anymore
I was wrong
They was hoping we would change
We would change our minds and we’d all stay the same
We could notice that instead, but slap ourselves for our normal mistakes
And with crime, and with fight
And with might, and escape
And we’d play a stupid game, God, sinner, and blame
But black and blue just [?] but sense
The teacher in my head is saying, “When?”
Don’t you want to love yourself, and why not?
If you don’t you might as well be fucked
Don’t you want to love yourself, and why not?
Don’t waste time and energy, come on
I was wrong
I was wrong
I, I was wrong
I was wrong
Don’t you want to love yourself, and why not?
If you don’t you might as well be fucked (I was wrong)
Don’t you want to love yourself, and why not? (I was wrong)
Don’t waste time and energy, come on (Release yourself)
I never meant to do the things that I did (I was wrong)
I didn’t want to, I was trying to be good (I was wrong)
I used to use common sense to give me false confidence
But now I can laugh at myself, instead of blaming myself
And now I’m lighthearted and free because nothing makes sense anymore
I was wrong