Advertisement

Album reviews Music

BARENAKED LADIES

BARENAKED LADIES Everything To Everyone (Warner) Rating: NNN

Rating: NNN


Humour, like noise, can be a useful thing to hide behind. Rightly accused of making some of the most annoying songs imaginable, Barenaked Ladies have nonetheless always had a pure pop heart. Rarely have they had the confidence to present their songs straight up without cloaking them in juvenile humour. The “BNL Grows Up” headline is too easy, but on Everything To Everyone they reveal themselves as a very polished, XTC-inspired pop band with thankfully little rapping and no talk of Chinese chickens. The band’s much-hyped opening up of the songwriting process beyond Steve Page and Ed Robertson gives the left-field pop smarts of Kevin Hearn a decent shot, and the songs are riddled with banjos, xylophones, slide guitars and wheezing accordions. Even the mindless, 80s-inspired pop material has a sophisticated undertone, with strings swooning in out of nowhere. Playing it straight may not sell them millions more records, but judging by the weird meditations on fame that pop up throughout the record, maybe that’s not what they’re gunning for.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted