The Cribs - 'I'm A Realist'
It may shock regular Chartblog readers to find out that I actually quite like The Cribs. 'Men's Needs' is undeniably a tune and there's something about their particular brand of jaunty indie comes out more art-rocky and less Chas 'n' Dave. And y'know, who doesn't like a bit of art rock now and again?
The problem with art-rock of course is the art students. OK, Les Savy Fav have managed to generate a back catalogue of consistently ace music despite starting off from the bad foot of actually being art students themselves but you know what I mean. The people who just cannot leave well alone and succeed in generally making highly enjoyable music utterly awful. Like, say, the person who directed this video.
For the record, I really liked the song before I saw the video. I thought it was fun, I thought it was kind of dorky with the clunky lyrics to express a state of confusion and maybe exuberance. I thought the guitars were really quite wonderful and they tripped a little switch in me that guitars sometimes do. Then, dear readers, I thought 'well, probably ought to watch the video if I'm writing a review.'
Now, I know technically the video has nothing to do with how the song actually sounds. I know that. Sometimes, though, there is a terrible moment when, upon watching a really annoying video, you start realising aspects of the song are really, really annoying. Maybe that won't happen to you if you watch the video, maybe you'll think it's brilliant but to me, that looks like a load of pseudo-Skins larking about with NO POINT AT ALL.
The slightest concession to a decent ending might have pacified me, if you saw him being stood up at the start and then the surreal twist occurred, explaining the situation, rather than just leaving me feeling rather like they ran out of ideas or thought the song was a minute longer than it really is.
I can't even work out if it's meant to be funny or whether I'm missing some reference to French existential writing or what but the whole thing seems strangely lacking in either making or getting to any point at all, which I rather feel something featuring a girl being knocked out by a stray plant pot in the bath possibly ought to.
And now the song is annoying, too. Specifically, the lyrics are intensely annoying - are they meant to be clever or are they just like some terrible 2008 update of 'Bitch' by Meredith Brooks, only without the mild shock factor of the original? The guitars are too low in the mix, suddenly and out of synch with the drumming and the chorus is bland and weak and all the fun is suddenly completely gone.
In memoriam of the fact I did originally quite like it, it gets three stars. But the moral of this story is: never watch a video just because you're reviewing something.
Download: Out now
CD Released: February 25th
(Hazel Robinson)
PS: If you think THAT was tough love, check out the . All the words are negative, and yet they love 'em!
Comments
I really like the cribs, mans needs is fab and the leader is v funny and sweet (he was brill on never mind the buzzcocks). However this video bugged the heck out of me, for all the wrong reasons, e.g. who puts their makeup on before they shower? What happens to the girl is she concust/dead, forever left to lie on the floor with a plant pot broken on her head, wearing evil clown makeup? The song and video are now forever one and the same in my head, which is a shame. So hopefully I can tear them apart and enjoy it, but it may take a long time.
x
P.s totally agree with the Pseudo Skins v weird, saying that tho I always think skins is a bit weird, as nick holt (?)looks exactly the same as he did in about the boy (which was v good) but taller skinner and poutier with a lot less clothes on-which is frankly just weird.
i now love this song AFTER having watched the video and found the idea of bing killed by a pot plant and thus being found covered in dirt in the bath funny and a little ironic
so i now love the song where before it was enjoyable, in a sing alongish way
strange...