ReadabilityBlood Red Shoes - Fire Like This
Blood Red Shoes
Fire Like This
V2; 2010
Guest Contributor: Jen Broadwell
Two years after Box of Secrets, the Brighton, UK rock band Blood Red Shoes is back with the same dispersed drum patterns and negative tone. What seems fairly engaging at first begins to feel monotonous and cyclic towards the end of their sophomore album Fire Like This. Sometimes I welcome repetition — I like “Count Me Out” for its lyrical re-occurrences and the simplicity of its hook — but more often it causes me to disengage. Downbeat lyrics, on the other hand, often elicit my full attention — and this album is chock-full of them.
Dissatisfaction runs as a common theme, appearing first in “Colours Fade,” which presents a concurrence of too much, yet not enough. For the romantic, the spark is bright enough to keep the wheels turning. At the same time, it’s dim enough to confuse the definition of the union. Can he call what they have a relationship? In her inability to reciprocate his feelings, she says he is “hungry for something that I can’t say.” She cannot tell him that she loves him. The story plays out with distortion as a representation of anger. It’s as if the “romantic” is telling the story after knowing the outcome.
In “Count Me Out,” Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell grumble about a lack of satisfaction in what they hear, see, and read. The song is similar to “Colours Fade” in that it reiterates the idea of too much, yet not enough. In this case, they have more information at their disposal than they know what to do with. Still they are dissatisfied with the material they are being fed. They “[count] on the words that just repeat, hoping soon that it will feel complete.” “Heartsink” again follows suit, and this time, Carter and Ansell are being let down by routine and “happy town lies.” They feel their hearts sink when they stick their necks out for a cause and nobody comes by to toot their horns or to join in.
“When We Wake” is a refreshing deviation away from anger or rage. It offers more of a sadness that maybe comes after the anger dissipates. It also showcases Carter’s raw vocals and Ansell’s un-embellished drums.
The music of Blood Red Shoes is noisy and, therefore, different than others I typically review. Some songs manage to be catchy, despite their “noise” attributes. If I had to pick a favorite track, I would go with “Don’t Ask,” simply because it may be the catchiest of them all. I also like it because the duo’s English accents are clearly audible. Other songs do nothing for me, including “Light it Up,” which was the second single released in the UK back in February. To me, Fire Like This is just a loud crowd-pleaser that I find boring.
Blood Red Shoes
Fire Like This
V2; 2010
Guest Contributor: Jen Broadwell
Two years after Box of Secrets, the Brighton, UK rock band Blood Red Shoes is back with the same dispersed drum patterns and negative tone. What seems fairly engaging at first begins to feel monotonous and cyclic towards the end of their sophomore album Fire Like This. Sometimes I welcome repetition — I like “Count Me Out” for its lyrical re-occurrences and the simplicity of its hook — but more often it causes me to disengage. Downbeat lyrics, on the other hand, often elicit my full attention—and this album is chock-full of them.
Dissatisfaction runs as a common theme, appearing first in “Colours Fade,” which presents a concurrence of too much, yet not enough. For the romantic, the spark is bright enough to keep the wheels turning. At the same time, it’s dim enough to confuse the definition of the union. Can he call what they have a relationship? In her inability to reciprocate his feelings, she says he is “hungry for something that I can’t say.” She cannot tell him that she loves him. The story plays out with distortion as a representation of anger. It’s as if the “romantic” is telling the story after knowing the outcome.
In “Count Me Out,” Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell grumble about a lack of satisfaction in what they hear, see, and read. The song is similar to “Colours Fade” in that it reiterates the idea of too much, yet not enough. In this case, they have more information at their disposal than they know what to do with. Still they are dissatisfied with the material they are being fed. They “[count] on the words that just repeat, hoping soon that it will feel complete.” “Heartsink” again follows suit, and this time, Carter and Ansell are being let down by routine and “happy town lies.” They feel their hearts sink when they stick their necks out for a cause and nobody comes by to toot their horns or to join in.
“When We Wake” is a refreshing deviation away from anger or rage. It offers more of a sadness that maybe comes after the anger dissipates. It also showcases Carter’s raw vocals and Ansell’s un-embellished drums.
The music of Blood Red Shoes is noisy and, therefore, different than others I typically review. Some songs manage to be catchy, despite their “noise” attributes. If I had to pick a favorite track, I would go with “Don’t Ask,” simply because it may be the catchiest of them all. I also like it because the duo’s English accents are clearly audible. Other songs do nothing for me, including “Light it Up,” which was the second single released in the UK back in February. To me, Fire Like This is just a loud crowd-pleaser that I find boring.
