Herbert "Something Isn’t Right"
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
That this song isn’t cranking out of every car stereo and every kegger this summer (I live in a college town) is just a damn shame. The opening track on Matthew Herbert’s newest and best album yet Scale, “Something Isn’t Right” (mp3) has so much more right about it than so many other songs you will hear this summer, or this year for that matter. If you’re interested in hearing about Herbert’s modus operandi when recording and writing music, I’ll direct you toward Jess’ review here, because I don’t find it all that interesting. I’d like to talk about this song. It contains all the streetlamp-lit urban sophistication of Steely Dan’s “Peg” or “I Got the News,” or Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out,” but with a jacked-up BPM and eerily insular feel, as if it’s all taking place in miniature, or within a test-tube or something, never able to push out and breathe like it needs to, which is what gives it all of its energy and tautness and irresistablilty. Opening with the syrupy, cooing vocals of Dani Siciliano, it works toward a male/female tradeoff over a quickly repetitive piano plunk. The male voice is unnaturally low and tubby, sounding for some reason like a big guy doing a sexy female voice (it’s actually Dave Okumu from Jade Fox). Then the strings come in and ratchet the drama up to Harold Melvin territory (”Don’t Leave Me This Way”), before breaking it all back down with the refrain and that piano again—”there must be something wrong, I don’t feel love,” like Donna Summer left at the altar. And it progresses from there, for almost four minutes, ending with the staggered, repeated “I’m all over this” that leads to the string shriek that ends the song. It would be perfect if it were just what it sounded like after a few listens—an eavesdropped conversation between an arguing couple—but it’s not. Anyone who’s listened to Herbert’s earlier records won’t be surprised at the transcription of the first bridge: “Cover up, when expose you ought to, wise up to the things they taught you. Cover-up: its an allied slaughter. Pucker up: it’s a friendly torture.” The string parts (probably concocted from carrots and copper wire, if I know Herbert) then assume a different posture in this light; somewhere between spy theme and Bernard Hermann. I haven’t heard a song yet this year, or probably ever, that combines the sumptuousness of city summer nights in the city with a (surprisingly unclunky) political call-to-arms, disguised with sunglasses and a natty white suit.Buy Scale here.
ALSO: My old indie buddy Merz had an idea for a shoegaze group grope over at Mars Needs Guitars. I contributed Cocteau Twins’ “Lorelei.”
AND: Given today’s date, this seems weirdly appropriate.
Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written,’You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
and ye shall not fuck with lions. nor chimps. especially not chimps.
This Herbert track is so perfectly awesome, I can barely believe I’ve been given ears with which to hear it.
That track’s so great. Excellent summation.