Barenaked Ladies are YABS?

[PatrickG]

I bought the new Barenaked Ladies CD in stores. And at 13 tracks, most of it was just a bit too mellow for me even if I appreciate the aesthetic they're going for.

However, they have another 14 tracks (plus a couple of bonus tracks) on iTunes and the deluxe 2-disc set (which is hard to find in my area).

Sad thing is, the remaining 14 tracks are superior.

The release system they have going here is just insane.

13 tracks on a standard CD, Barenaked Ladies are Me.

29 on a deluxe CD.

And then, next year, the second CD of the deluxe edition gets released as Barenaked Ladies are Men. (Most of it's already out now at Canadian Starbucks locations and online for download.)

It's a bit weird to pay for a physical CD and then find there are 14 more tracks you can buy on iTunes.

My favorites are:
- Sound of Your Voice
- Rule the World With Love
- Running Out of Ink (I love the novelty of mixing western motif with operatic number)
- I Can I Will I Do

And... uhm... Fun & Games is the ballsiest track I've ever heard on a CD.

Take these sample lyrics:

We kept it all long-range/And made a regime change/You'd have thought it would have been a gas/And when it got ugly/We sat around smugly/Because you bought our little joke en masse

Don't look at me that way

It was a gag/It was all for a laugh/We knew your sons and daughters would be blown in half/Fun and games/We were just pulling legs/We knew this barrel of fun would be a powder keg


It's played as a a straight-laced song set to drums from the perspective of the Bush Administration and devolves into a disturbingly slapstick vaudeville act which laughs at death and dismemberment.

[Shades0077]

There was a second CD to BLAM? I was not aware of this.

When I pre-ordered it from their site, I got a live version of the CD in addition to the studio one.

Since I don't have iTunes, I'll have to look into acquiring this other one somehow.

In related BNL news, I saw them in concert about a week and a half ago, and they were amazing. They really know how to put together a set list, with all of their albums being represented, and a good number of their hits being played. Onstage banter, as always, was priceless.

[TCJohnson]

Saw them in concert once. My favorite part is where they did the Sesame Street/Grover song: Near! Far! Complete with running up and down the stage

[TomStillwell]

They are my favorite concert band.

[Ian Boothby]

They are a great band but their latest CD is a snooze.

Where's the fun lads?

[Brian Cronin]

This is cool news.

A whole other album!

And Ian, while I can't say for sure, it sure seems like SOMEone in the band is going through a break-up or something, because that seems to influence a number of the tunes.

-Brian

[PatrickG]

They are a great band but their latest CD is a snooze.

Where's the fun lads?

See... I agreed.

But the second CD in the deluxe set is considerably more fun.

Right now, there's:

Barenaked Ladies are Me - 13 rather somber tracks.

Barenaked Ladies are Me: Deluxe Edition - 29 tracks. The 13. 14 more. And two bonus tracks. The 14 more are up on iTunes.

Barenaked Ladies are USB - See above, only on a USB device.

Barenaked Ladies are Men - The second 14 tracks from the deluxe edition. Currently only availible via iTunes (as tracks 14-27 from the Deluxe edition) or as a Canadian Starbucks exclusive. This is considerably more fun and these tracks are also patterned after the White Album, trading everybody out on everything. This will be out on a physical CD in the states next year sometime.

All in all, I'd suggest skipping BLAM unless you're really all about hearing the band "mature" towards a more folk sound. Maybe buy a track or two online. Whereas BLAMen keeps the sense of humor alive more while still being more mature and a bit darker.

BLAM feels incomplete without BLAMen so if you see the Deluxe Edition, it's not bad for a total experience but among other things, BLAM doesn't have a single track that really has the kind of quality you'd expect on a radio single (Rule the World With Love and Sound of Your Voice come close) whereas BLAMen has multiple tracks that could work as singles, about on par with their last major album (Everything to Everyone) at least.

[Merey]

Yes, thanks for the info., Patrick. I was planning on DLing the album sometime soon. Can you DL just the bonus songs or do you need to order it as one whole deluxe album?

[Michael P]

See, I didn't mind the mellow in BLAM. I figured they were going for more of the feel of "Born on A Pirate Ship." I'll pick up part 2 when it's released in the States, but I like what I have now.

[PatrickG]

BTW, anyone who felt burned by the more somber turn for the main release...

I'd suggest looking for:

Something You'll Never Find
("Wearing their red bandanas/Indians eat bananas/thinking they're full of Vitamin C")

Down to Earth
("Some people are just all show/I don’t mind that if the show is worth watching/But it’s all bark, and not tree/What’s more ironic than a hippie in Versace?")

Running Out of Ink
Almost a cross between "Alcohol" and "Testing 123". An upbeat song that touches on the downbeat idea of a songwriter who runs out of events in life to crib for his art after his relationship ends. It has an almost Spaghetti Western sound in places and goes into a melodramatic opera schtick at one point.

I Can I Will I Do
Probably my favorite of their recent pop ballad efforts. If they release this as a single, it will introduce them to a new fanbase. Almost a late 60s sound. Didn't realize Steve could sing this high.

Fun & Games
Again, the ballsiest track I think they've ever done. Accuses the Bush administration of going to war as a prank and suggests that Bush finds killing U.S. soldiers (particularly the poor and black) to be funny. There's a stab at intelligent design in there. This one is complete with a slapstick trombone section straight out of Vaudeville. Agree or disagree, the shock value of this song acheives a kind of art.

Another Spin
Think a mellower "Alternative Girlfriend" post-9/11. About a guy looking for his secret agent girlfriend.

[PatrickG]

Yes, thanks for the info., Patrick. I was planning on DLing the album sometime soon. Can you DL just the bonus songs or do you need to order it as one whole deluxe album?

You can get tracks 14-27.

However the bonus tracks aren't out in the U.S. except on the USB and Deluxe 2-disc set.

[PatrickG]

Oh.
Y'Know... I'm underestimating "Sound of Your Voice".

It IS single-worthy.