“The Quiz” was one of the best songs of 2006. It hit you the first time with its quirky style. After that, you really started to appreciate how perfectly she sets up the moment when you reach “and if I fall…would you pick me up?” It’s the sort of song that you could never imagine in a million years, and yet once you heard it, you knew that the world was absolutely incomplete until it existed.
I bring this up for two reasons. First, because it gives me an excuse to link to a ‘blessay’ from Stephen Fry, who is an absolutely wonderful writer BTW, on the subject of language. It references this same phenomenon, where we fill our world with things that are singular and would be impossible to imagine if they didn’t already exist. It includes the line “Cheese is real, and so it seems, is the pleasure of the text.” And in context that not only makes sense, but is a really beautiful sentiment.
Second, because Hello Saferide has a new album, suitably titled More Modern Stories from Hello Saferide (eMusic). It doesn’t quite touch the heights of that short EP of 2006 (which not only had “The Quiz” but also featured the absolutely stunning “2006”), but it does provide another strong batch of songs to make you reconsider things you had always taken for granted. It’s quirky, it’s clever, and (in a bit of a change) it has a bit bigger sound. Which is not to say that this has a stadium rock closer or anything, but it definitely expands upon the girl-and-her-guitar attitude. But really, the production is clearly secondary. The real star here is simply Norlin’s storytelling ability.
“Lund” is a classic example. It’s a whole short story wrapped up into a three minute pop song. It’s touching, it’s complete, it feels genuine in a way that you can hardly believe. And that is the magic of this record: to listen is to peek inside the heads of all the people you normally just walk past. It is a recognition that we’re all a bit peculiar and awkward when we reveal our true selves.
And while you could never call this is happy record, there’s a small sense of optimism that shines through in a way we haven’t quite seen before. It’s most noticeable on “2008” which presumably references the the sentiment of “2006.” While the older track listed resolutions including “I will learn a new word each day, Today’s word is dejected” this one features a chorus declaring “all I know is: there’s something new this year.”
Still, that’s not to say it’s all sunshine and bubblegum here. As usual, the cheery tunes are often hiding something more sinister. “Overall,” for example, sounds like a nice story of parenthood until you realize exactly what they’re talking about.
On a record with plenty of great songs, the clear standout is “Anna.” An ode to her theoretical daughter, it hearkens back to that same feeling that made me fall in love with “The Quiz” – the attention to the tiniest, seemingly irrelevant details. And the pitch-perfect way that this reveals more than 1000 pages of description ever could. Plus, one of the musical highlights of the whole year is the moment at 1:25 when she says “and she’d never have to know what it’s like when your heart breaks” and the story starts to unravel.
To be sure, there are also some weak moments. Sometimes the kitsch factor is a touch too strong, as on the enjoyable but just a little too goofy “25 Days.” “Sancho Panza” falls a bit flat, and “Traveling with HS” is pleasant enough but almost entirely lacking in the charm that characterizes the rest of the record. And the sound effects on the otherwise gorgeous “Arjeplog” get in the way of what would have been a perfect closer.
Still, these are minor bumps. On the whole, this is a beautiful, engaging album. Often corny, occasionally hilarious, and never failing to demonstrate a keen awareness of how preposterous human beings truly are…it’s the sort of record that you wish would fall in love with you, but you can tell deep down inside that you’re both just a little too awkward for it to work out.