Enter Shikari - 'Thumper'
Well, this is one song which is NEVER going to appear in Glee, isn't it? Not least because it's a blimming racket - in the best sense of the phrase - and because Rou has taken to punctuating the rowdiest sections with a howled cockney warcry "oi-OI!".
Even the cruel jock with the mini-mohican is gonna struggle to get that across in a performance situation, unless it's part of a montage sequence depicting a punishing method acting exercise, so that he can get into character to play the chimney sweep in a production of Mary Poppins. And even then, the producers would probably go for 'Parklife' first.
(Here's the video. Taaake Oooon Meeee (take ON me).)
What I love about Enter Shikari, apart from the brutality with which they play their ADHD rave-rock confections, is a familiar sensation that comes with a song like this. It starts like a vague memory, the music lurches from bleepy verses to anthemic chorus to half-speed rock hop breakdown and all the while I'm thinking "what does this remind me of? What have I experienced which felt exactly like this?"
And then I remember. I was at a friend's house, and they had a cat. While chatting on the sofa, the cat had snuck onto my lap and had fallen asleep. My friend had gone to put the kettle on, and came back into the room sneezing. The sneeze made the cat jump, and in trying to get away from peril, it ran up over my head, clawing at my face in its desperation to be somewhere else.
Somehow, the comfy sofa, the conversation, the sneeze, the sharp pain in my face and the warm blood trickling down have all clumped together into one uneasy feeling. A feeling that four people I have never met have managed to recapture in music form. Hell, we were even talking about "axiomatic subject matter" with "absolute lucidity" just before the cat did its Spider-Man trick. If they just wrote songs about smashing up stuff and having a wild party - hi Hadouken! - I don't think it would work as well.
And even though this story is specific to me, I am sure that this kind of thing is the key to Shikari's appeal. Everyone has had something happen in their life which is unexpected and shocking. Something that leaves them feeling slightly winded, adrenaline racing, eyes wide and, y'know...ALIVE.
And now we have something to act as a soundtrack for those memories. Dead leg? Broken nose? You know what to do...
Download: Out now
CD Released: February 15th
www.entershikari.com
BBC Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 19:35 8th Feb 2010, Oliviaaa987 wrote:I have endless amounts of love for Enter Shikari lyrics, particularly from their second album. Nothing wrong with showing off a bit of intellect I always think; enriches the listening experience for me.
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Comment number 2.
At 21:16 8th Feb 2010, OddOne wrote:Yeah, even if they don't quite know what the words mean, it's nice to see a group showing a degree of intellect in their lyrics...
*cough cough* -glares at JLS.
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Comment number 3.
At 21:27 8th Feb 2010, Jose Watch wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 21:40 8th Feb 2010, jonesybcfc wrote:its good. good lyrics. the video is just a jazzed up version of the viseo for Oasis' Whatever. Looks like exactly the same room in the background. just the sort of irrelevant observation i enjoy making.
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Comment number 5.
At 16:59 9th Feb 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:I think I'd like Enter Shikari more if they didn't shout so much. Seriously does the song really need it, there have been loads of artists who couldn't sing and they've got round it somehow. The Clash didn't shout, David Bowie didn't shout and they're two of the greatest artists of all time!
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Comment number 6.
At 17:00 9th Feb 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:Then again both those artists have much more musical ability than Enter Shikari.
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Comment number 7.
At 00:27 11th Feb 2010, spirit wrote:Enter Shikari mean an awful lot to me , so I gonna list my 10 favourite Shikari songs .
In no particular order..
Sorry you're not a winner
Johnny Sniper
Wall
Gap in the fence
Anything can happen in the next half hour
Juggernauts
No Sleep tonight
No SSSweat.
Adieu
Labyrinth
A fantastic band .
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Comment number 8.
At 22:01 12th Feb 2010, thranjax wrote:Enter Shakira, they are not a huge band in my landscape, but "We can breathe in space" I always liked a lot.
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Comment number 9.
At 12:08 13th Feb 2010, Oliviaaa987 wrote:If you don't like the shouting you're listening to the wrong genre.
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Comment number 10.
At 09:36 14th Feb 2010, mangsy wrote:Wrong genre? As in the "shouting" genre? That would make reviewing quite pointless, wouldn´t it?
No more slagging off the "autotune" genre, then. Or "crap lyrics" genre. etc etc...
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Comment number 11.
At 11:58 14th Feb 2010, spirit wrote:At 5
" I would prefer Enter Shikari a lot more if they didn't shout so much . "
I totally agree with this comment . I am a huge Shikari fan , but to me especially on Common Dreads , there is so much incoherent , tuneless shouting that for me it makes certain tracks unlistenable.
Yes , I know the lyrics are brilliant , and it adds passion and meaning to proceedings , but it also turns off a lot of listeners , and can be commercial suicide.
If people like it , all the time , good for them , this is just my view .
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