Preface

Having heard Broken Heart before, I expected this to be a lamenting romantic album but it was about drugs. Great sounds in it, with many brass instruments, psychedelic guitar sounds, metaphors, and great lyrics. 1h 10m in 11 tracks. not too weird but not too predictable as well. it stands true to its main theme all the way through. A decent straightforward album with a beautiful cover design and a great mix. A conceptual album with a serious theme that also comes with a beautiful demonstration and depiction of the ideas. no phenomenal musicianship(except the orchestral which I assume is not part of the “band”) but overall, a well-crafted beautiful album.

I can’t say what I don’t like about it because everything’s placed well. nothing feels abundant or lacking. the only slight change I’d consider would be a deeper personal theme, than a social pathology. However, even at this point, it focuses more on the personal vistas of the issue. moreover, I’d have liked to see more musicianship, I felt that one was a little bit absent.

Review

Starts wholesome, sweet, and warm, and builds up to a wall of sounds. it seems a bit overwhelming but I can trust the music, I hear “I will love you ‘til I die” and that’s sweet enough. however, it sounds serious as well, with the medical beeping sound the second track starts.

The album’s title is from the philosophical novel Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, the context being:
Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of them fall off, but others cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep in the snug softness, stuffing themselves with delicious food and drink. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen,’ they yell, ‘we are floating in space!’ But none of the people down there care.

“Little Johnny’s sad and fucked”; Come Together talks of a little boy who has an ape up on his neck that has to be fed. the metaphors are starting, because of the intro I’m guessing the ape is either drugs or our busy modern life. again a build-up towards a very large wall of sounds. reminds me of The Beatles’ Come Together too.

I Think I’m In Love starts very dissonant and hazy, strengthening my idea of drugs being the main theme. the main reason being “we’re floating in space”. Vocoder vocals, yup there it is: “warm as dope”, drugs reference. the big band sound reminds me of the dance from Mulholland Drive: it’s so happy that it’s fucked up.

All Of My Thoughts is a love song, but suddenly surprises me with a bang. crazy drums and wandering bass, low brass instruments. it resembles drug abuse: first melancholy, boredom, and a feeling of absence at each verse; and when it’s over the opposite: a crazy complex wall of sounds. the absence that’s probably caused by a heartache, which he can’t move on from.

Stay With Me makes me think that this “love” wasn’t the story behind a heartache that led to drug abuse, but towards the drug itself: “I love the way you slide, you make it all so fine”. it’s very calm until 3/4 into the song, then a saw wave gathering new instruments in. It’s all still so musical but distorted. a glimpse of how the character’s experiencing reality: distorted and amplified.

With Electricity I hear some older sounds, maybe The Doors with the organ or the pop rock sounds from the early 00s, and at the end a very present harmonica. later on, there’s a reference to Hendrix’s Purple Haze (which is also a psychedelic piece) which confirms it: “gonna crash, kiss the sky”.

Home Of The Brave sounds a bit, off! overall it sounds like a slide, where the character convinces himself to “rip it up, tear it out” and to “fly high”. however this “slide” isn’t what he desires either: “I don’t even miss you, But that’s ‘cause I’m fucked up”. I did not understand the title and how it’s related. it’s the last line from the US national anthem so I expected some political commentary before listening to the song but nope, didn’t find any.

The Individual, being very atmospheric, I assume is depicting his experience after dosing up. no lyrics, no thoughts, and only feelings. loud, indistinguishable voices that flow in through every fabric of reality. there’s no idea of how it started(even more for me because Spotify decided to play an ad in a concept album at the worst possible time) or where it’s going. finally, it wears off. as does every rush eventually.

I’ve heard Broken Heart before, to me it was a melancholic love song. hearing it amidst the album, now I have a clue of “why” it’s so sad; even so on a superficial exaggerated level. the instruments are the same, notably the strings(pads?) and the woodwind/brass but it’s a very sad lament of a song. an elegy to the rush that’s now dead. halfway through the song the strings start living on their own and the character stops singing, as if he’s being overwhelmed and defeated by the emotions. that very last drop of “thought” is being lost and silenced by the requiem which is his emotions: the violins. memories rush in now, this rush is as addictive as the previous. at this point, given the cycling nature of the album theme, I’m expecting the last song to be connected to the beginning of the opener. touching on the idea that the loop never ends. let’s see! finally, the song starts to sound calmer but still sad. predictable but someone’s still crying. it fades out, the next track:

No God Only Religion is amazing! I love the sounds of the marching drums and trumpets. it sounds like history: very folk, very psychedelic, very angry. a war’s about to start. it’s mystic, scary, and -well, “spiritual”? it ends with church bells and as a hardcore Pink Floyd fanboy I recall Fat Old Sun and High Hopes.

Next comes an anthem, Cool Waves Wash Over Me. I like to think that the choir reminds me of the church too, with a gospel-like feature. I believe the album ends here because the next track is 17 minutes! Cop Shoot Cop is very psychedelic. I like the structure, taking a piece of prose and reincarnating it in different verses. I don’t understand the whole idea of the song but I guess it’s still about drugs. the hole in his arm is the syringe, which leads to a hole in his mind(the head) and finally, he loses his sanity: a hole in your reason. the last line is “I Will Love You”, touching the idea that this love-hate relationship will continue even after you’re listening to the album.