This random dude made a rude comment at me on my way back from work, ยซย you look like you know how to fuckย ยป and well oh boy oh boy donโt you have something else coming.
Not only do I know how, I have also done it enough time to know I am 100% asexual.
You know what else I know how to do tho? Write about dead gay wizards from the 70s eating ass poetically now get off my dick.
monsters โ Tom Odell
Release Date: July 9th, 2021
Track Listing:
1. numb
2. over you yet
3. noise
4. money
5. tears that never dry
6. monster v.2
7. lockdown
8. lose you again
9. fighting fire with fire
10. problems
11. me and my friends
12. country star
13. by this time tomorrow
14. streets of heaven
15. donโt be afraid of the dark
16. monster v.1
Tom Odell has always been a gifted artistโan unabashed honesty in his words, somber in temperament, but a subsequent livewire not long after. Itโs earned him a Brit and an Ivor Novello Award, a career that is nearly ten years old, chart-topper โAnother Loveโ having made its debut in 2012. Odellโs monsters is a strong return โ a stark contrast of vulnerability, anger, autonomy, and the ability to rise beyond the worst of times.
Affer forging his way through โa dark period of mental healthโ over the past couple of years, his emotion is potent, a heavy heart and mind splashed onto his latest work. Odell explores and experiments on this record. I canโt fault an artist for new inspiration, even if Iโm, at times, caught missing his โsignatureโ piano-laden singer-songwriter. โnumbโ is the first introduction to the disconnect and pain, experimental in sound and a fraught intensity that rivals that of the Joker (with less theatrics).
Heโs taken inspiration from the likes of hip hop, electronic and bedroom pop, citing a fondness for the stylings and lack of boundaries for the genres heโs shied from in the past. I love the approach to โnoise,โ which is more of an interlude, very much giving the impression of a quick demo done right. Choppy and intermittent, it draws an eerie connection between news and politics, influence and society โ โThey sell me dreams / they sell me doubts / they sell me that thing we just talked about.โย ย
โmoneyโ is casually narcissistic, while โlockdownโ is life in isolation, dreams (and fears) always in question. Itโs got this layered, textured air that is progressively harder to comprehend. I suppose itโs the nature of the unknown and time meshing together. Touchรฉ. There is power behind โmonster v.2,โ the title track written about attempting to overcome panic attacks. An inner strength that displays love and a brave face, itโs accompanied by the best of synths and electronic beats, spacious and sophisticated. โlose you againโ draws parallel to an older era Odell, a heartbreaker, upbeat piano ballad over a fractured relationship. Lyrically, it shines; a painstaking cry while maintaining a stoic persona, a call to toxic masculinity and the idea that outwardly expressing emotion is weak.
In a shift of mood, the poppy โme and my friendsโ is a form of carefree escapism. Its group vocal chant is quite fun โ a welcoming addition to the collection so far. โby this time tomorrowโ has a fairy-tale charm. I can just picture a protagonist wrongfully separated from their star-crossed lover, yearning for a way to find their way back to one another. Simple but prominent piano accents this beautiful track.
Oh my oh my, โstreets of heavenโ is going to be a show stopper, thereโs no question. Drawing narrative from the mass shootings and unjustified hate in our world, it remembers those lost, and how hard it is to move on. Itโs this poignant, gospel-influenced anthem. Odellโs delivery over โweโre just a bunch of kids / we didnโt have to dieโ is soul merged with tragedy.
He comes full circle with โdonโt be afraid of the dark,โ gentle guitar and instrumentation to bring a lighter, airy feel to a positive end. You can quite literally hear birds chirp in agreement. A rugged piano solo takes the reins at songโs end, a gesture that wonโt go unnoticed to balance its absence earlier on.
Odell muses about himself and the world as much as he listens, states that brood, cherish, show erraticism and discontent. Feelings and values are not black and white, stagnant or lucid, and he shows listeners the magic in a journey that is as bold as his newfound sound.
