By Karen O is quite the mixed bag.
From her best-known act as the shouting headwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to her work with Spike Jonze for the soundtrack of the film adaptation of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, O has reached a diverse audience.
O has been working on the ensemble of lo-fi tunes since 2006, and it was just released this month via Cult Records.
In her new album, “Crush Songs,” we see a continuance of the same versatility, but a big drop in the excitement. In layman’s terms, this album is melodically really boring.
The album is musically unexciting and lyrically depressing. Many of the songs sound as if they come from a woman howling softly as she looks longingly out of a window on a rainy day.
The majority of the songs on the album are less than two minutes long, and they get straight to the point, most of them lacking traditional musical elements such as a chorus. Many of the songs have simple meter, or none at all, and the messages are far from cryptic.
Most lyrics are plain and simple like, “Left my boyfriend in New York City / Oh what a pity he’s in New York City,” in “NYC Baby.”
Karen O seems to speak from every romantic woman’s diary. Her feelings are on her sleeve as she describes moments and feelings with men. The most redeeming aspect of the album is the truth that comes out in her songs. O speaks to feelings that many girls realize they have when they’ve fallen hopelessly head over heels.
The manner in which O sings, and the lyrics that she chooses to combine with certain melodies, are surprisingly effective in communicating specific feelings associated with crushes; confusion, devastation and longing. Interestingly, enough all of O’s “crushes” do seem to be despairing rather than hopeful.
In her song “Day Go By,” she sings somewhat happily, “Can’t sleep I’m wasted wasted / Can’t stand still I’m shaking over you.”
There is definitely a group of people who enjoy the genre of music with deliberate lo-fi and minimalist instrumentation like that from the Moldy Peaches and CocoRosie. Although the music sounds like it was recorded on an iPhone, and much of the harmony comes from vocals rather than instrumentation, it has a charm of its own.
O’s crafty assemblage of crush songs may not be melodically stimulating, but after a few listens, the lyrics can reach a part in the heart that every hopeless romantic is familiar with.
