Word: riff
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...harmonizing with “ooh-aah” and very simple lyrics about girl troubles. The lighthearted pop sound continues through to the second and title track. It ups the fun notch by incorporating tambourines, seagulls, a distorted, power-chord based guitar backbone behind a melodic, single-line riff, and lyrics addressed to, one can only assume, the mermaid on the album cover...
...album’s opening track, “Get Me Right,” begins with a single, insistent guitar riff and then proceeds to build with electronic synths, gunshot drums, and Carrabba’s voice nervously fluttering above the ruckus as he pleads. “I know you’ll get me right / Oh Jesus, I’ve fallen.” The song’s religious overtones do not quite fit with the remainder of the adolescent-themed album, but thrown listeners will feel right at home as the record then effortlessly...
Unfortunately, a nearly four-year studio hiatus seems to have somewhat dulled Casablancas’ previously superb songwriting abilities. The album’s opener, “Out of the Blue,” rides a driving guitar riff resembling something from a punk rock Johnny Cash as Casablancas delivers one of the album’s best lyrics: “I know I’m going to hell in a leather jacket / at least I’ll be in another world while you’re pissing on my casket.” While Casablancas?...
...rest of the songs vary in genre, but the overarching weakness of the album can be summarized in a single word: excessiveness. The opening track “Good Looking Man About Town” begins with a sharp electronic riff and falls into a disorderly mélange of bass-driven groove. “Ganglord” is dominated by incessant cymbals and mechanical echoing; underneath all the extras, the song is nothing but a piece of lackluster...
...usual, each song’s backbone is a distinct and catchy guitar lick. Sometimes these guitar melodies are comparable to the coarse, raspy, and low-pitched riffs played by the Black Keys; “Pilgrim,” “Phoenix,” and “White Feather”—the album’s slower, sparser moments—are prime examples of this. “Pilgrim” starts with an upbeat, swing-feel guitar riff that is soon joined by percussion. “She?...