[$5 // Edition of 100 // https://personalarchives.bandcamp.com/album/lasers-in-the-jungle]
I really like Scammers and so it is kind of strange to me that for as much as I write about this music I don't really write about the lyrics. It's usually a lot of words (by me) about the music itself with the note of there being vocals/lyrics. This is just weird to me because Scammers can have such accessible lyrics, at least for me.
"Lasers In the Jungle" begins with these blissful beats and then the song begins to go into that "Song That Never Ends" song, which is by Lambchop for those wondering. Yes, I have the unfortunate pleasure of knowing that not because I looked it up and not even because I have a son. Ugh. From there, the songs begin to echo the idea that "There are no real grown ups" and to that extent I must say that I agree.
I remember being a kid and thinking how I was young and didn't know anything but adults had it all figured out, you know. I never thought about things like how to pay the electric bill when I was a kid and I never really heard anyone say anything about it because since it was of no real interest to me it was off my radar. I do believe that the idea of there being no grown ups is true but I'd like to take it a step further.
I don't believe in the lack of grown ups being that we are all children but rather that when we are children we expect to become grown ups. But what we perceive to happen and what we actually become are two different things. For this, I think we become some worse form of grown ups simply because we don't stay in our childlike state but rather go into this perpetual void of "This is not what I thought it was going to be like / paying bills sucks".
Through songs that still remind me of Illegal Wiretaps and now bring out some Talking Heads, I hear lyrics about baseball which I enjoy because I love baseball. Can we use these songs of Scammers here- as he sings about baseball- to say that sports are no longer for the "jocks"? Because I know far too many people who think that if you're an artist (musician, writer or otherwise) you can't like sports and I think that's dumb.
The music can become haunting and I'm pretty sure he's singing about gypsies which he doesn't really need to do because I'm already a fan. (I don't really search lyrics for the word "gypsy" but if someone sent me a "hot new single" called "We're All Gypsies" or something I would be more likely to listen to it than... Let's see what fresh turd is in my mailbox right now... Ah yes, "Precious Life")
By the time Side A comes to an end we have an upbeat almost country type of song with lyrics that state "All you modern day Bukowskis / I know what you're trying to be". Isn't it funny though how so many modern writers have been influenced by Bukowski to the point where it shows and almost makes you sick? Geez, find your own voice, writers! I love Bukowski's writing but I'm not about to drink myself to death just to feel validated.
On the flip we can hear songs of 8bit madness as well as lyrics such as "Be the adult", which I refuse to be, but is a fair point to make because how come when you're a kid no one ever says "Be the kid!"? There is also a super-gypsy type of line that doesn't actually reference the g-word but says "Nobody knows where they're going" and I think it's true in that sense of wandering, especially since I'm not sure how to end this review.
Thaaaannkkssss!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant..