From what i understand Kleenex Girl Wonder is mostly an "Italian Musician" named Graham Smith. Graham Smith is apparently not only The Strongest Man Alive, but also The Coolest Person Alive. I'd like to bestow a third title on him as probably one of the greatest lyricists i've heard. This album in particular is very strong lyrically, and i'm a sucker for songs with pretty words. A lot of these songs are relationship songs, or i guess love songs... maybe more heartbreak songs. I feel like heartbreak songs are kind of hard to do in this day and age, it's really easy for it to sound corny or whiny and a lot of times i just get angry when i'm listening and just switch off, i think i've mentioned this before. Smith gets away with it though and writes about really intricate and specific parts of relationships, and writes from both the victim's point of view as well as the aggressor. The album ends up being equal parts "i've figured you out" and "why are you doing this to me?"
I guess I made a lousy lover
I like things a little too precise
But that night I buried you alive
Our eyes met underneath the covers
Once or twice
And I saw a light
In your iridescent iris
That I longed to snuff out
So, since I'm ultimately spineless
And hard to shut down
I acted like a virus
Until you unwound
This bit from "I Will Own U" gets me kind of choked up. My new rule: if a song gets me choked up, it's a good song. I think what i like about a lot of these songs is they make me feel real emotions while at the same time they maintain an ego to them. It's the same kind of ego that shows up in rap lyrics. Smith songs are written like rap lyrics, and he doesn't go for the chorus verse chorus thing all that much. Each line just leads right to the next, this album is (again) especially relentless, you'll hear a man venting himself completely.
Maybe i remembered it's a business and an art form
So when you tell me it was wrong to lie
I retort that it was wrong to boil my blood to keep your heart warm
On an unseasonably cool august night
You cussed and kicked and screamed
And slammed my fingers in the car door
And told me you'd be fine if i crawled off and died
I feel like i could just do this whole review with quotes of the lyrics followed by me going "wow, right? like this is so good man". I've been listening to this album a lot lately and thought it'd be nice to share it. It's kind of a double album, but don't be scurred cause it's actually only 18 songs, the second album is like alternate versions of the songs on the first half. So you can pick and choose which version of which you like best, also this way you get to hear both pronunciations of the word "gyre".
And i'll do it a little different this time kiddos. I'm going to link you to his website where you can listen to the whole album as well as every other album he's done. Doing it this way cause i think i'd feel guilty the other way. Sorry.
Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar
Truly incredible album
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