Age of Consent - Albion

When I started this blog, I really should have accounted for my laziness. I didn't. Once a day was too ambitious.

"Age of Consent"
New Order/Neverending White Lights. From 1983's "Power, Corruption & Lies."
I have both the New Order original and the Neverending White Lights cover on my iPod and I love them both. So I am going to talk about them both at once. Similar to "Against All Odds", I heard the cover version first, then heard the New Order version. And similarly, I prefer the original.
New Order were born out of the ashes of Joy Division, formed by JD's remaining members following lead singer Ian Curtis' suicide. Adopting a new name, the band slowly began to harness a different sound than that of Joy Division. "Age of Consent" was the first song on their second album, and seems to combine all of the elements which makes New Order great, and also sets them apart from Joy Division. The sound of the song was/is completely unique, and is an example of why New Order was so hard to classify by "genre". The band retained some of the post-punk tendencies from Joy Division, while also employing synthesizers and melody to great effect. New Order has been variably labeled New Wave, post-Punk, alternative dance, New Wave and Alternative Rock. And that is on wikipedia alone. And over the course of their career, they have covered all these genres, while never fully fitting into any of them. "Age of Consent" is a great example of this, as it maintains a melodic bass line, while the drums sound fit for a dance song. The introspective lyrics are a carryover from the band's post-punk roots. There are long periods of instrumentation within the song, all of which help add to its very unique sound. Of particular brilliance is the one minute plus right in the middle of the song, which is simply beautiful, complex and unique music. "Age of Consent" help New Order define their own unique sound and showed off their talent for creating something new. This would carry over to their albums and songs for years to come, in particular favourites such as "Bizarre Love Triangle", "Blue Monday" and "True Faith".
Just a small word about the Neverending White Lights cover. The NWL project is an interesting one. It is essentially a one-man band, except always featuring guest singers. The one man is Canadian Daniel Victor. The most famous example of this concept was his collaboration with Dallas Green, "The Grace". For "Age of Consent", Victor features Nick Hexum on vocals. Hexum is known as the vocalist for the band 311. Hexum's melodic voice fits perfectly on this song, and offers a different twist than the boyish/plaintive vocals of the original. The cover is interesting as it maintains the overall synthesized feel of the original, but without as much nuance. This pared-down version forces focus on the lyrics, which seem to tell a story of missed connections.

Credit for first listen: John Barr had me listen to the Neverending White Lights version, and I really liked it. Then I had a New Order phase and found the song was originally one of theirs.
What this song is probably not about: Waiting for someone to reach the age of consent.
What this song is probably about: When I first heard the song, I thought it was about getting over the person you shared your first sexual experience with. Now I sort of think it is about the little differences which can derail relationships.
Essential lyric: "Do you find this happens all the time/ Crucial point one day becomes a crime"
Arbitrary rating: 74 out of 100

"Ahead by a Century"
The Tragically Hip. From 1996's Trouble at the Henhouse.
Never is Gord Downie as enigmatic or as poetic as "Ahead by a Century". The Hip have famously, and effectively, alternated between rollickin rock songs and mellower tracks their entire career. Many of their more famous songs are in the former category (hits such as "Blow at High Dough", "Vaccination Scar" and "New Orleans is Sinking"); yet I've always preferred the quieter poignancy of songs such as "Bobcaygeon", "Fiddler's Green" and "Ahead by a Century". What this song is about is truly up for interpretation, like many of The Hip's songs. When I was 9 or 10 and first heard it, I always thought of my brother when I heard it. He was 5 years older than me, and that seemed like a vast difference at the time, and it was. That was based more on the "feel" of the song, and the sound. As I've grown older I realize I know no better what Downie is talking about, but now the song reminds me of my deceased grandfathers, and just the inability to ever really get to know them. I guess what these two anecdotes illustrate is that the song has the ability to be intensely, without being overtly, personal. Which is part of Downie's genius.
The video for the song is one of the first I truly remember watching, and liking. Having just rewatched it, I still love the way it amplifies the style and substance of the song. The story seems to be about childhood love grown up. The images and direction in the video are really nice, and seems to tie the themes of love and nostalgia together.
Credit for first listen: I believe I saw the video on MuchMusic, which was probably my introduction to The Hip themselves.
What this song is probably not about: Whatever this guy thought it was about.
What this song is probably about: I seriously have no real answer. You'll know what its about based on what you feel when you hear it.
Essential lyric: "No dress rehearsal, this is our life"
Arbitrary rating: 71 out of 100

"Albion"
Babyshambles. From 2005's "Down in Albion"
This is the first song ever written by Pete Doherty, who is one of the most famous artists in Great Britain, but completely obscure on this side of the pond. Doherty's life and career are constant tabloid fodder, and his two bands "The Libertines" and "Babyshambles" are both incredibly popular. Doherty was ousted from The Libertines due to excessive drug use and run ins with the law, and thus formed Babyshambles. The inclusion of "Albion" on Babyshambles' first album was controversial, since it had long been a staple of Libertines' shows, though never included on an official album.
The song is essentially Doherty's vision of what "England" would be like if it were a song. Albion is the former name of England, and all the images conjured up in the lyrics are quintessentially English. The images cover everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, the beautiful to the depressing. The slang used is British (perhaps a reason as to why Doherty's bands have not crossed over), and the theme is emphasized by the naming of places in England.
Credit for first listen: If I ever describe something as "quintessentially English", I guarantee I first heard it because of John. He was always born on the wrong side of the Atlantic.
What this song is probably not about: The poorly-named, yet highly successful, invasion of Estonia by Germany 1917. Surprisingly, overcoming the strong Estonians was not the tide-turner the Germans probably sought.
What this song is probably about: Great Britain/England.
Essential lyric: "More gin in teacups/And leaves on the lawn/Violence in dole queues/And the pale thin girl/Behind the checkout"
Arbitrary rating: 69 out of 100.

Sorry for the brevity. Just a quick one, while he's away.