BNL and the end thereof

Well, crap.

If I were the kind of person to swear a blue streak until your ears bled from the sheer amount of profanity... This would be the time to do it.

You see, the Barenaked Ladies are were a corner stone of my taste in music. They were one of the bands first bands I discovered and latched onto not because they were necessarily popular or they catered to my current mindset or I was used to my parents listening to them. I downloaded a handful of their songs out of curiosity, then downloaded a few more, bought some albums, and eventually tickets. I just listened and thought "Whoa, I like this!" and kept on devouring more of their material.

There are so many parts of the band that make up one big lovable whole. They're fabulous writers - not only for the melodies themselves, but especially the lyrics. I've always found them to be quirky and unique and (for some songs more than others) rather insightful. As musicians, their ensemble was unique. The standard guitars and drums, plus keys and a stand-up base. And the fact that they were all so flexible and could switch between rock to bluegrass or just acoustic. Even though their voices probably aren't particularly noteworthy, as a group they can perform great harmonies. Even for solo vocals they had that certain charm of being normal guys, you know? It's such a relief from your average drudge of Alternative/Pop singers that are a dime a dozen.

Outside of performing music they were just an incredible presence on their own. Sure the charity work and such were great, but I loved their stance on file-sharing and how the industry should work. Case in point, see the 3:00 mark:



They're different, they're quirky, they're talented musicians and songwriters... And they're just so good at all of that. I enjoy their music and respect them for what they are.

Mind you, this is no doubt nothing new. I'm sure a million bands have called it quits and crushed even millions more fans. I can't imagine what the world went through when the Beatles broke apart or Buddy Holly died. I just find it to be a bit of a rough blow - these guys really shaped what my taste in music. Hell, even the title for this blog is a BNL lyric.


A few years back I went to see them in concert. The experience blew my mind, and I really enjoyed the evening. I would have gone to see them again in a heartbeat. But now? That's a bit of a tougher call.
-Cril

The moon is full but there is an incompleteness
The days are beautiful but I feel a bitter sweetness
If I had a wish, or even a choice
I'd wake up to the sound of your voice
How I miss waking up to the sound of your voice

I let you down and fell right off of your good list
I hope each day you'll find peace and forgiveness
The alarm clock rings, What a lonely noise
And I long for the sound of your voice
Oh, how I miss waking up to the sound of your voice

Barenaked Ladies - Sound of Your Voice