- 'Custard Pie' riff reminds me of both older Led Zeppelin (e.g. Four Sticks) and Black Sabbath's Paranoid. Not my favourite or much to stay but still a good opening that feels classic. - Really love 'The Rover'!! - opening rift and the beautiful guitar melody of the chorus. Instrumental breakdown is cool. Desperate and longing lyrics that are also politically critical - 'I would dearly like to know / How all this squander of earthly plunder (great lyric) / Will leave us anything to show / And our time is flying / See the candle burning low / Is the new world rising / From the shambles of the old? ... If we could just join hands.' I find it interesting how a lot of hard rock songs have an opening/main instrumental and riff that seems incongruous to some of the more rueful lyrics (they appear too groovy and upbeat) until you realise the anger in them and how that is deeply intwined with sadness. - Opening (and entire first three minutes tbh) of 'IMTOD' goes WINCINGLY hard. Drum breakdowns are so addictive. Impossible not to head bang! Plant's vocals often feel like they fade into background obscurity - until the music completely dies eight mins in and the song pulls you back, forces you to pay attention - "Oh, my Jesus!". Almost like it is finally that point in which the narrator realises death is imminent and the noise of the world is extinguished - the religious focus of the song becomes more prominent. The 'byes' in the last two minutes are almost humorously blunt - and the moans and 'take it's towards the ends feel sexually charged. This is a great blending of emotion and primal instinct in the time of dying - the desperation and acceptance at the culmination of a human life. Then the last few seconds of silly band noise brings you back to reality. 'Can I take you to the movies?' - The opening of 'Houses of the Holy' feels undeniably different and a little jarring compared to the last song - but that seems intentional. Isn't life a big mess, after all? And it is a mess filled with joy. The lyrics are mostly as optimistic as the instrumental groove. Maybe the most holy places are the ones where we find that ordinary joy. 'Trampled Under Foot' - Ahh finally, the sexual anthem. Hot! Lyrics are fun and heavily euphemistic which still makes them so clever. The themes are at the same time celebratory, reverent and violent. Typical of the male rockstar and the male sex drive, honestly. 'Kashmir' is of course I classic I have listened to many times before. It is easy to get lost in, yet still in the context of the album feels like a very natural stage that progresses the record. It brings a sense of both triumph and doom, combined with tones of foreignness and adventure which bring music influences not yet heard on the album. It feels like both a climax and a diversion from the rest of the project. The opening of 'In the Light' does indeed feel like stepping into the light, but that of another world entirely. It's ethereal and haunting, sort of Celtic, and stops you in your tracks. As the song progresses, things become more familiar. The instrumental at four minutes is unusually mellow and sentimental, lovely. Focused more on piano, bass and organ than drum. Then we are brought back to the beginning, suddenly and yet naturally. The reality of your weakness, your flaws, it comes back into the light. Yet, simultaneously you feel in the softness of dark. Beautiful. - By 'Bron-Yr-Aur' and 'Down by the Seaside' (already heard many times, courtesy of Dad), I am feeling positively relaxed and mellowed out. Still, though, a little melancholy - nostalgic, maybe. I feel like I'm at the end of the journey. I've experienced many failures, maybe I am even dead. But I am at a stage of somewhat acceptance. Still - life bleeds through and rips you up at the instrumental break of DBTS and the tonal shift that follows. It is not over yet. Still, like in most songs on the album's first half, the original feeling eventually returns and brings that sense of duality. There never exists one state, one emotion, on its own - peace and anxiety always run parallel to each other. Where there is life, there is death. Which one is really the more painless? 'Ten Years Gone' - Once again there is a beginning of reflection, drifting, sadness. Life goes on - and it goes quickly. Yet, you only realise that once you finally slow down. Another really beautiful one - an homage to the long haul, in life and relationships. 'Night Flight' - A tonal shift and call to action. Probably the weakest for me so far on first listen, though. 'The Wanton Song' - Has a great central riff and rhythm that drives the song and makes it easily likeable. The chaotic sound reflects the title well. However, I didn't find it as interesting or memorable as some of the earlier tracks. 'Boogie With Stu' - Probably my least favourite. The opening percussion was a promising start and carried through to the end. I understand the sort of silliness and fun happening as well as the hints of ragtime influence, but the music generally isn't my kind of style at least for this moment. Thematically, the casual aspects of the song reflect to me the 'wanton(ness)' of the whole record, symbolising the duality of emotion and human experience - the bustle and comedy of a city, just the tip of a dark underbelly. 'Black Country Woman' - Like the last song, opening with a sense of casualness (accented by intentionally-included audio disruption), tinged by a country and bluesy twang. When the drums pick up and harmonicas sing, I found it easy to get invested in the song. Once again exploring strong feelings of betrayal and loss, the song maintains a fun central spirit. 'Sick Again' - The metallic guitar invoked once again, for me, the soul of Black Sabbath - bringing the record full circle somehow. However, it had the mess and chaos of Led Zeppelin, something that felt like a culmination of the album's story. Loud and clanging, purifying - driven by dirty low guitar but cleansed by high, piercing percussion. Unified and yet also distinct from each other. Just like those many aspects of life the album captures - noise, quiet, tragedy, comedy, seriousness, carelessness, anxiety, peace, life, death. Perhaps not as final a closer as, say, 'When the Levee Breaks', but still packing a punch.
6
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