Word: upbeatness
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...than unhappiness, partially obscured by pluck, prevents most other tracks from conveying diverse or interesting emotions. One gets the sense that she only writes abstractly about problems people might have, as opposed to her actual experiences. “Me and You,” a melancholy yet slightly upbeat song featuring poignant strings and steel guitar picking is one such example. It takes the song’s narrator out of the picture, and focuses on an abstract subject, with Deschanel urging, “You’ve got to be kind to yourself.” Coming...
...otherwise run-of-the-mill songs. This is especially evident on the Ward and Deschanel duet “Ridin’ in My Car.” The song is typical She & Him: twangy harmonies deliver a bittersweet message of a lost summer love, matched with an upbeat poppy melody. But Ward’s voice fails to match Deschanel’s richness, and his parts are the low points of the song...
...pretty, well-written record. But, as a second album, it could have gone a lot further. Their retro shtick works to an extent, but prevents them from reaching any musical or emotional heights. It’s light music at best, resolutely unwavering from its affect of bittersweet, upbeat melodies. She & Him’s vagueness ultimately fails to arouse any real feeling, leaving this album a disappointing failure...
Take “Even Heroes Have to Die,” an assertive stance on the reality of growing old, which Leo—now nearing 40—appears to regard with poise rather than panic. Powered by dynamic acoustic guitar, the upbeat melody has Leo singing, “Even heroes have to die / No one lives forever / No one’s wise to try.” The song is more reminiscent of the enervating, passionate style TL/Rx presented on 2004’s undervalued “Shake the Sheets?...
...enthusiasm in others. Harvard’s video does a better job of portraying what Harvard in particular is about than Yale’s does for Yale because it features very personalized stories of Harvard, and Yale’s, though it is definitely more upbeat and catchy, is more general. This trend toward further personalizing admissions outreach efforts is one we should follow...