an unreasonable gush post for fictional band, infant sorrow.
infant sorrow is without a doubt one of the greatest musical moments in all of history, fictional or not. if 'coming up' doesn't legitimately inspire you, you're lying. if 'inside you' isn't your wedding song, you're lame.
so let's get into what makes this amazing musical experience what it is. let's talk russel brand/aldous snow. the man is a BRILLIANT creator of literally all things. he's an intellectual mind with a spiritual soul and a comedic outlook on life. his comedy is always quick witted and deliberate. this plays a role in the music of Infant Sorrow. now, let's get into the actual music. we'll start with the ONLY song i DON'T like, just to get it out of the way:
'furry walls.' i feel like this song was thrown together quickly as a lubricant for a scene in the film. this song is not canon part of the discography for me. period.
moving on. let's get into my FAVORITES:
'yeah yeah oi oi' --this is really a britpop masterpiece. it's fun, it's catchy, it's witty, and it just makes you fucking smile. the lyrics are so sharp but sweet and hilarious. case in point: "yeah yeah, oi oi, put your hand up for sex, for me and me helmet and wherever it winds up next" sweet and cute, but then "put your hands up for our queen, for shagging five birds in the back of limosine" dirty and delightful. and the bridge? beautiful. i could go on and on about this song, but we've got more to get to, so.. YEAH YEAH, OI OI, put your dominant hand....on the mouse to scroll to the next paragraph.
'i am jesus' --this song is CRIMINALLY underrated (within the 'infant sorrow' universe and within the real life universe). let's take a little look at the lyrics. "i am jesus, welcome to the church of me" a fantastic start. polarizing to some, DELIGHTFUL to intellectuals. "i've come to feed the fish, heal the world, but first a dirty little kiss" FLAWLESS. "i wear a thorny crown, i live in Honeytown" ;;it's always bordering on sacreligious but in a way that is instantly forgivable because it's so stinking CAMP. "i am mahatma, taking it to the streets, give me your daughter, let me rub your dirty feet." hilarious because in the bible, men literally would give away or sell their daughters. fun little dig at the ridiculousness of biblical religion. and as for rubbing dirty feet, i'm a foot lover myself. so i always appreciate a reference to the love of feet, especially dirty ones. there's actually the most romantic story in the bible where mary magdalane is so in love with jesus, but she doesn't know how to show it the right way 'cause he's literally fucking JESUS, so she shows her love by washing his feet with her HAIR. anyway. that turned into a weird tangent, but it seemed necessary. well, MOVING ON then...
let's get into one of the absolute BANGERSest bangers: 'bangers, beans, & mash' --this song .... is golden. "a suicide in SoHo grand, my wrists so tired from working with my hands..." now this is a BAR and a half. period. this song is honestly filled with so much real emotion and honest feeling. and the musicality is beautiful. "why has the world gone so still? the world is so still, i feel that my next meal might be my last...so will you come for my bangers....my beans and mash?" i mean you can FEEL emotion from this. it's an honest diary put into music form with a catchy brit-centric title and chorus. brilliant. the only word that describes this is BRILLIANT. i feel like i don't even need to go more in depth into this song, as it's the most well known from the film, and everyone loves it and knows it. if you know you know.
let's get into an underground hit, 'just say yes' --a double entendre beauty of a song. if the beatles had a better sense of humor, they would have written this song. "mother mary, marijuana, uncle charlie, top banana" alone is beatles-esque in nature. but this whole song is a convoluted love letter, and everything brit-punk, brit-pop is about honestly. his love is an addiction. and he's a drug dealer in love. when he says "snort me chase me swallow me whole, or take me up your arse if that's the way you wanna go" i felt that. lovely for love and still witty and hilarious.
let's get into the least favorite (canonically from the film's inhabitants) 'african child' --i fucking love this song. deadass. it is SO FUCKING HILARIOUS. disrespectful, condescending, ignorant, and incredibly self-aware. russel brand is such a master at this kind of humor. he truly captures the "#activism" of celebrity culture. it's fucking CHOICE. period. "i have crossed the mystic desert to snap pictures of the poor; i've invited them to bruch, let em crash out on my flooooor" i mean FUCKING HELL that's great. so out of touch and ridiculous. it's just...and i use the damn word again...BRILLIANT. but i think one of the best touches is that he's actually doing a Swahili chant. he took the time and effort (in the film's universe) to gather the language and memorize and learn, but not to actually learn anything about the culture or educate himself. fucking amazing. let's move on, GOD THIS POST IS LONG.
'coming up' --the magnum fucking opus. this song is probably such an honest piece from Russel himself (as well as aldous in the film). the parallels between russel and aldous are almost innumerable (which is why his films are so funny ;;because he's not playing a character, he's just exaggerating himself if even exaggerating. the lyrics are inspirational, it captures the vibe of a true power ballad. it's just MINT. in every possible way. when you've run out of drugs and you're going through it, it's called "coming down." this song, 'coming up' is the absolute opposite. done with the drugs, done with the misfortune, done with self-denial and pain and struggle and sadness. he's coming up instead of coming down. it's a beautiful word choice honestly. plus, "and for twenty bucks in the alley i'm going down, down, down" is a hilarious line. xD and the honesty and pain in "for the ma who always honored me i'm going down, down, down ;;for my pa who never wanted me can you hear what's going on? i'm coming UPPPPPPPPPP" honestly enough to make my chemically imbalanced ass actually cry.
and obviously, 'the clap' --an absolute banger. brit-pop royalty. it's catchy, it's fun, it's just subversive enough. it's a great addition to the film's universe. and it symbolized a special moment for aldous in the movie where he started to remember who he used to be and really kicked off his journey to self-realization.
oh shit! and 'searching for a father' --this one slaps and HURTS. for all of us with daddy issues....well, this song just works.
now onto some honorable mentions featuring the brilliant jackie q. because if 'ring round' isn't on your playlist, you're not getting my aux cord.
'You got to me
Warm and you're tight
I'm going to fuck you so deep
I'll give you a lobotomy
I'm a zombie
You dug me from my grave
You took me from Africa
And made me your slave"
if these lyrics don't jostle your jimmy you're a dummy. this shit is hilarious, and so smartly worded for a song so debaucherous. "i'm gonna get precarious, i'm a motherfucking stratavarious" i mean...that's literally incredible. this song is a 10/10 would recommend.
'ring round' --needs no explanation. song about a tight butt hole. it's fucking perfect. pop perfection.
OH MY GOD AND I FORGOT 'LITTLE BIRD' i'm already done with this post but i'll be damned if i don't mention this one. it's literally beautiful with moments of comedy and silliness.
also 'riding daphne' is a fucking SMASH HIT.
and i can't believe i didn't do a paragraph on 'inside you' argh. but i love it ;;it's beautiful and remember "there's so much more than just a screw inside of you"
so anyway, this post is long as actual shit. i could do a whole 'nother freakout just about the movies 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' and 'Get Him to the Greek' but for now i'll leave it at the music. as far as i'm concerned, Infant Sorrow, is a REAL band, Aldous Snow is a real musician, and this is a perfectly legitimate fangirl moment.
