Is there anybody listening to the lyrics anymore?
Many people I know never do. They consider the vocals just another instrument and the song lyrics neglectable.
For me, the message is important. I learned English by listening to songs and translating the lyrics from the inlay of the records word by word using a dictionary. Especially in a world where “everything you thought you knew is wrong”, words become treasures. Or weapons.
True words were hard to find before 1989, left behind the Iron Curtain. Words meant freedom and carried the flavour of hope.
To our bitterness and disappointment, in 2024, true words only seem like a lost memory from an imaginary world or parallel reality. Yet, the scariest thing is “We can deny reality – but not its consequences”.
As a friend noticed: Here we are, what now?
The unexpected return of Matt Johnson will not give you solutions but raise more questions. Collective salvation depends on individual awakening. Johnson sings, “Some things best experienced, not explained,” in “Life After Life,” and often life is simple like that, a bitter-sweet mixture of pleasant and painful experiences. The artist’s mission is not to offer a quick fix but to raise questions and eventually open new paths of thought to explore.
The last time Matt and The The delivered an album was an incredible twenty-four years ago. In between, they released four soundtracks and a live comeback album three years ago.
Listening to Ensoulment, NakedSelf seems and sounds like yesterday. I didn’t even realise how much I missed them.
Like it or not, the heart and soul of these songs are Matt’s voice and lyrics. Poetry, perhaps, would be too pretentious a word. Yet, it is much better than most modern poetry I recently read.
A solid band accompanies Matt consisting of Barrie Cadogan – on electric guitar, DC Collard – on keyboards, James Eller – on bass guitar, Earl Harvin – on drums, and Gillian Glover – on backing vocals. Together, they created a charming blending of reflective cinematic minimalism and tasty doses of blues, funk, and soft-rock infusions.
The album has a laid-back vibe, and most songs are at a comfortable mid-tempo, often slowing down and occasionally picking up the tempo lightly. The orchestrations are pretty airy and stripped down. Everything is built around Matt’s voice, designed to support his vocal monologues. Less is more here works nearly miraculously.
Sure, it’s not a perfect album. Some tracks blur into one another and may sound too similar or ambiental. Yet, overall, it is a highly listenable – enjoyable album.
Sometimes, albums are eclectic collections of unrelated songs. The The focused on the general vibe of the album producing a coherent backdrop for our day-to-day life and dealing with all our pains and tribulations, from satellite surveillance to heartbreaks.
Ensoulment track by track:
Cognitive Dissident
“Nothing to hide, nothing to fear
No one to censor, no one to smear
The revolution’s been authorised
The future privatised
The consensus created
Reality curated
Every place you thought you belonged
Everything you thought you knew is wrong
Left is right, black is white
Inside out, hope is doubt
Back to front, the witches hunt”
It is a perfect picture of a new reality we didn’t want to wake up to. It’s a great opening track with a nice drive and upper beat, carrying that post-punk feel while the words seem to fall as stones out of Matt’s mouth.
Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake
“Some days I drink my coffee by the grave of William Blake
Some days – when the hour’s past too late
Lost in my thoughts – where do I belong?
The London I knew is gone – long gone”
Unfortunately, it is not just London but the whole world as we know it, which is long gone and will never come back.
It is almost like a (murder) ballad in the vein of Nick Cave, but it is not. Perhaps it is Cohen-esque, lyrically bitter, but musically brighter. The soundscape is about creating the atmosphere for the words to reach out.
Zen & The Art Of Dating
“Hearts worn thin by restless feet
The faster they chase – the further it runs
The deeper it cuts – the quicker it numbs
Though it’s a cliché – maybe it’s true?
That only when you stop searching for love
Will love come searching for you
Swipe to the left – swipe to the right
We need somebody tonight
Oh yeah? Oh yeah!
The passionate cries of shared desires
We need somebody tonight
Oh yeah? Oh yeah!”
It’s a funny little song about overthinking and overcomplicating our relationships. With all these digital facilities and an app for virtually everything and anything, our life didn’t get any simpler or easier, isn’t it?
Kissing The Ring Of POTUS
“So, is this how the Empire dies?
Its constitution withered on the vine
Propped up by the dollar and the drone
Slumped upon a degenerating throne
Kissing the ring of POTUS
Under the spell of hypnosis
The proof of psychosis
The coup that nobody noticed”
It hurts. We had grown up believing in Rambos and Rockys, in the war of good against evil, and all those promises of a fair and prosperous life for everybody that turned out to be only greased lies.
Yet, it is also about deceit and, especially, self-deceit. It’s our stubbornness to be biased, deny reality, and filter out anything that doesn’t fit our views and beliefs.
Is the United States of America on the brink of collapse? If that is going to happen, they are committing suicide by their own ignorance.
It is another simple song with a specific charm. It’s more about the vibe and not about being spectacular, no matter what. On the other hand, it is easy to get carried away and sing along with the chorus. Once that melody sneaks into your ear, it won’t be easy to get rid of it anytime soon.
Life After Life
“No one lives forever, no one dies for long
In this hallucination, upside down is the right side of wrong
This space-less space – timeless time – amnesia of human-kind
But there is a voice – whispering in your soul
All you have forgotten – determined to be known
All the things you should have said but didn’t say
Life after life
All the things you could have done but didn’t do
Life after life
Remembering
Life after lifе
Where you werе before you were you”
Sounding a bit mysterious and withdrawn, with an upbeat bridge and an almost cheerful chorus echoing the 70s light pop songs, Life After Life creates a powerful contrast between sound and subject. Oddly beautiful.
I Want To Wake Up With You
“I got what I wanted but I lost what I had
Nostalgia’s got this habit of blowing back
You’ve got to bring whatever you hope to find
In life – as well as in kind
I want to wake up
I want to wake up
I want to wake up
I want to wake up…”
The quiet and stripped-back instrumentation aims to highlight the chorus. Matt whispers at first, then raises his voice when the message needs to be delivered. Once again, a subtle guitar solo is hidden between the lines.
Down By The Frozen River
“Othеrs studied hard – stayed behind aftеr class
Convinced a better life might lie within grasp
The relentless broadcasts in received pronunciation
Consolidating this indoctrination
But, over-educated to the point of stupidity
Many lost their spirit as well as their liberty
Faced with a future – to which my kind is consigned
I escaped with an empty head – but an open mind”
This one brings back the perfume of my all-time favourite, “Mind Bomb”. Blending perfectly into the previous one, the piano delivers the foundation for Matt’s spoken words approach. It grows into a blues rock jam, only to be cut down to a cinematic outro. I love its structureless and unpredictable nature.
Risin’ Above The Need
“We can live our lives under false pretences
We can deny reality – but not its consequences
That thin line between satisfaction and greed
When what we want ain’t really what we need
Doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons
Every last trick to cast out the demons
But all good things will come through the door
To those who do not even want them – anymore
I’m risin’ above the need
I’m risin’ above the need
I’m risin’ above the need
I’m risin’ above the need”
I caught myself singing the chorus in the bathroom on my own. Writing sticky melodies nowadays has become a rare quality. Most albums are instantly forgettable. Matt and The The produced an album of rare good taste where discrete passages and outstanding moments are organically combined. Here, the joyful, pretty, singable, upbeat chorus contrasts the blues-flavoured, withdrawn verses. It has a lovely 80s feel.
Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot
“Linoleum smooth to the stockinged foot
Corridors dark, seeing what I could
High priests in white lab coats
Evangelise the disease as the antidote
Science by day, prayers by night
Belief now stretched sausage-tight
Boiled in the bag, drip-dried
Then sewn up with the poison still inside”
It blends The Fall (Senior Twilight Stock Replacer) with the abrasive charm of Tom Waits into a minimalist post-punk narrative. Built upon a pumping bass line and coloured with dissonant strings in the background, it’s all about the groove and cadence.
Where Do We Go When We Die?
“There – in that room – no one was talking
About the things really on their minds
Films, football and the weather – whatever
Kept the wolves from the door
Kept the truth from hitting home
Everything but time was going slow
Where do we go when we die?
Seeking proof – searching for signs
Where do we go when we die?
The sun may fall but the moon will rise”
This song features simplicity and tranquillity in a smooth blending of country and folk tones with a remarkable chorus.
I Hope You Remember (the things I can’t forget)
“The world is sleeping – a world on the brink
The future is closer than we think
The machines are here to correct our faults
Assist our living – think our thoughts
No more hiding in the privacy of our minds
Now, even dreams are monitored – and monetised”
It brings a little bit of Tom Waits vibe again, yet everything is softer and tone-down – mattitised.
A Rainy Day In May
“A rainy day in May
Washed my blues away”
A final simple song sees the album out. Well orchestrated and nicely embedding the lyrics, it’s a clever and appropriate ending to the album. It’s nice enough to make you want to listen to the entire album again.
The The Official website
#thethe #mattjohnson #ensoulment #2024
