The album opens with "Words & Birds," which was also the first single released from this disc. Linda kicks it off, establishing a fun power pop beat. And then check out the first few lines: "They can fly, it's true/That's not all they can do/We try to identify/Quantify the sky." The vocals have a delicious energy, which drive the song forward as much as that beat does. This song also provides the album with its title, in the lines "Inexplicable songs/Purple twilight and dawn/Oh, oar on, Penelope!/Sands of mystery/It's all too beautiful, man/Too beautiful to stand." There is a great joy to this song's delivery. That's followed by "Death The Bludgeoner," which comes on hard and glorious, no introductions needed, the vocals having a bit of a punk energy. It's a song I love from those first two lines: "Eats like a horse, drinks like a camel/A lying sack of shit on every channel." Ah, who can watch anymore? I can't. I stopped after the election. "There's never a break, a pausing for breath." Nope. And check out that cool guitar work toward the end.
"Let The Rope Hold, Cassie Lee" is a lot of fun, with a certain 1960s influence and sound, particularly in that work on keys, which is so appealing. The title line, which is the track's chorus, is totally catchy. I found myself singing along by the second time it came around. Patterson Hood (of Drive-By Truckers) provides some backing vocal work on this one. "Grab a harpoon and plunge into the breach." Ah, yes, once more unto the breach, dear friends! Then "I Don't Want To Hate Anyone" has a sweet vibe. When I first glanced at the track list on the back of the CD case, this is one title that stood out, probably in part because I am so tired of hating half the country. Hating those people doesn't make me feel any better (though I can't stop thinking they deserve our hatred). "I don't want to hate you anymore/Your greedy candle's exploding/A fistful of face won't make me feel better," Scott sings here. This track also contains some nice backing vocal work, and on the line "The piano quit drinking on its own," there is a cool moment on keys. I'm also really fond of the drum work here. And at the very end, it all falls apart. I imagine that is as honest an ending as any we're likely to see in this world.
"The Garden Of Arden" has a harder, heavier sound at the start. When I think of Arden, I think of Shakespeare, and specifically As You Like It, but this song was inspired by Eve Arden. "Since the invention of eternity" is a line that stands out to me. I love lines like that, lines that suggest different avenues of thought, lyrics you can ponder for a while. Ah, without that invention, would any of us be depressed? I'm not sure. "She colorizes all of my dreams/A golden voice from a silver machine." This track also features a strong lead on guitar. That's followed by "Last Hotel." There is a sweeter vibe to this one, though its first line creates a strangely, almost playfully dark image: "In the realm of sinking ferries." But the backing vocals sing, "Here we are, here we are," and we are somehow soothed by this. For, yes, here we are. Other interesting, unusual lines include: "Sailors strapped with yards of floss" and "Petrified like wounded penguins." Yeah, these songs are certainly not your typical pop numbers.
There is a darker vibe at the start of "Bison Queen," a captivating instrumental section to set this one in motion. Yet the lyrics are even more captivating, and they are especially appealing as sounds. Reading them doesn't work nearly as well as listening to them, so I hesitate to quote any of them here. But here are a few lines from the end of the song: "Lousy limousine, shout out to the maimed/Deadman call her pilot, his bay is unclaimed/Lay me down or suit me up, she dares to give us health care." Spencer Tweedy plays drums on this one. Spencer also plays drums on "Falling Like Jets." There is an interesting energy to this song, somewhere between punk and pop, where things become quite catchy. "All things are stolen/Or borrowed at best/Nothing is broken/Nothing is broken/Just falling like jets/Falling like jets." That last line is one I don't want to have in my head when I head east soon, but this is a really good song.
"Burgundy Suit" is a totally delightful number. Seriously, it's a song that gives me great joy every time I listen to it. Here are the opening lines: "I'm gonna take a stroll/Eat a piece of fruit/Believe in rock 'n' roll/Buy a burgundy suit." Oh yes! We need this. And maybe we all could use a burgundy suit. Wearing one might cheer us up. "The world is sucking hard/Our future looking grim/My feathers may be tarred/I'll still be your Sunny Jim." Those backing vocals add a lot to the playful vibe of this song, and there are even hand claps. Well, I may not be able to afford a burgundy suit, but this song has perhaps the same effect. "Blow In My Bag" contains another wonderful and interesting set of lyrics. Check out these lines, for example: "Go steam yourself, flat fork relay/Napoleon rowboat/Back and forth across the bay/Yeah, it's pretty hard to breathe/Blow in my bag." I've never tried blowing in a paper bag. Does it work? We all have anxiety at this point. I can imagine crowds of people on city streets breathing into paper bags while marching to work, and even more fun is imagining them blowing into each other's bags. Patterson Hood provides backing vocal work on this track.
The first line of "Sharktooth," "There was a cosmos," is another that gets me thinking, mainly because of its past tense. It feels like much of life is in the past at this point. There is a bit of a David Bowie flavor to the delivery of the first couple of lines. Anyway, there is something unsettling about this track, in its sound, which grabs us. "They ran across red plains/Swam through the sand/The hourglass was shattered/Just like the band." The album then concludes with "We Shall Not Be Released," the title feeling like a response to Bob Dylan's song, though its sound is nothing like that earlier number. There is a new wave feel at the start, and there is a playful reference to a Moody Blues album in its first line: "The days of future pastel/They were not invited here/Leave them in the roadway/Like a twisted deer/There's a cloud inside me/When it rains, it pours." While those lyrics might have a darkness about them, this track actually has a fun feel to it, a sort of positive, empowering vibe, and the guitar work during that instrumental section is exciting.
CD Track List
- Words & Birds
- Death The Bludgeoner
- Let The Rope Hold, Cassie Lee
- I Don't Want To Hate Anyone
- The Garden Of Arden
- Last Hotel
- Bison Queen
- Falling Like Jets
- Burgundy Suit
- Blow In My Bag
- Sharktooth
- We Shall Not Be Released
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