Sunday, December 23, 2012

2012 ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS: NO. 23

WRECKING BALL

 So you use what you’ve got

And you learn to make do
You take the old, you make it new
If I had me a gun
I’d find the bastards and shoot ‘em on sigh

I’m a Jack of all trades
We’ll be all right.
I’m a Jack of all trades
We’ll be all right.

- 'Jack of all Trades', Bruce Springsteen

Music is able to lend the words being sung a depth and meaning the words alone might not convey, but those words right there don’t really need music to amplify the simple fury contained within. If you ever wanted an album that turned your fury at every single moronic, self-serving bureaucrat, politician and businessmen into an awesome rock album, this is the one. It’s a blistering attack on those that would destroy our world for their own gain, and an optimistic ode to those that would struggle on regardless.

Granted, I was a Bruce Springsteen fan long before Wrecking Ball ever came along, and it’s another one of those things that I’m pre-disposed to like. As I’ve established, the lyrics are fantastic and the music is more than at their level. Highlights include the rocking defiance of the title track, the great rhythm of ‘Shackled and Drawn and the anthemic optimism of ‘We are Alive’. You probably won’t find it on any year-end lists, because actually considering the quality of Springsteen’s output became distinctly un-cool sometime in the last decade, but it’s a belter. Buy it.

Honourable Mention: Leonard Cohen’s Old Ideas will do absolutely nothing to diffuse the feelings of people who do not like Leonard Cohen. For those that do like Leonard Cohen, this, as you probably already know, is awesome.

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