Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second
It’s been one of those days. Your job sucks…your wife left you…the girls at school ignore you…or maybe you just feel old and tired, with more than a few concerns and regrets. Now’s the time to reach for Jonathan Coulton’s Artificial Heart, an album filled with songs about the good days, the bad days, and those totally mundane days in between.
Coulton’s songs are memorable because they so often scream out in the voice of the everyman—those who hate their soulless jobs, who struggle with their relationships, who feel worn out and beaten down. They’re songs about frustration, disappointment, and even sheer hatred—yet they’re generally set to deceptively upbeat, catchy tunes.
Produced by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, this 18-track album sometimes has a distinctly TMBG feel to it, from its jangly, poppy melodies to its often cheeky sense of humor. At other times, though, it’s stripped down and relaxed, accompanied by piano or acoustic guitar. In the end, it feels like a mix between They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds, complete with cleverly observant lyrics that will often have you paying close attention, listening for the stories they tell and the messages they convey.
While the simple, acoustic tracks are often cute, though, the album’s best, most memorable, songs have a slightly more polished sound, with talented musicians backing up Coulton’s smart songwriting.
Perhaps the catchiest song on the album is “Good Morning Tucson,” sung from the point-of-view of a worn-out TV news anchor. But it’s got some heavy competition from tracks like “Sucker Punch,” a super-short song about taking out your frustrations by choosing to “bust a couple things up with the bad kids”—or “Alone at Home,” about humoring your wife and quietly doing what she wants (even if it means hanging out at the candle store).
Of course, Artificial Heart isn’t without a few less memorable tracks—the kind that, after the first listen or two, you’ll find yourself skipping over to get to the good stuff. And, at times, some of the calmer, more sincere tracks seem to slow the album down a bit.
Still, with so many clever, catchy, relatable songs on the album, it’s hard to pick just one favorite. From upbeat opening track “Sticking It to Myself” to the closing tribute to teen facial hair, “The Stache,” Artificial Heart is a satisfying soundtrack for every one of those days.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Happy
0
0 %
Sad
0
0 %
Excited
0
0 %
Sleepy
0
0 %
Angry
0
0 %
Surprise
0
0 %
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.