Word: strongly
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...album’s catchiest tunes, vocalist Ed Robertson sings, “Hey golden boy / Don’t let the darkness in you take you away from yourself / Nobody else, there’s nobody left to make you run.” Upbeat, strong chords, with some funky, synthesized piano pieces create a playful sound, which, in combination with some classical violin pieces, give the album a very harmonious and happy-go-lucky feel. “On the Lookout” and “Every Subway Car” are other good examples of joyous...
Occasionally the album does seem to hint at genuinely darker subject matter, but these attempts feel rather half-hearted. “How Long” is a great example: “So give it up for anger / It makes us strong,” the song begins. The song’s introduction, set amidst deeper tones and more ominous beats raises expectations of a darker mood, but the pace of the song changes abruptly and resumes the album’s positivity. Similarly, “I Saw It” begins with the lyrics...
...tracks sport choral refrains while others feature heavily rhythmic rap-like lyrics—an element which has long been part of the band’s signature style. These tracks, especially “Four Seconds,” feature a large variety of rhythmic concoctions and utilize strong percussion pieces, adding a playful banter to the album. The album also incorporates slow tracks like “The Love We’re In” which balance out the fast and upbeat nature of the rest of the album. Much of the record, however, has a folky...
...Tacloban,” to confidence in her femininity on “Men Will Do Anything,” to a tragic realization that she has gone unappreciated on “Why Don’t You Love Me.” It’s a strong, sure-handed plot that moves as though Byrne is completely oblivious to the difficulty of sympathising with Marcos. For those who don’t know much about the protagonist, it’s a powerful story. For those with an even passing familiarity, though, the rose-tinted perspective...
Despite these generally strong performances, the show is much too long, and the plot drags heavily in the middle. Suffering from surfeit scene changes and repetitive, pedantic monologues on life, sex, morality, and meaning, the show’s pacing quickly becomes bogged down in the mire of political and philosophical musings. The action also becomes unnecessarily convoluted in the middle acts, with the confusing web of deception and devious plotting further detracting from the play’s potential dramatic effect. At two hours, the show feels wearying; at almost three, it borders on insufferable...