Long ass title, I know, but trust me on this…

I remember where I was when I first started digging into Everything But The Girl’s discography. I was getting a screw drilled into my gums and I was on enough drugs to knock over a small elephant, and it was all soundtracked to the group, comprised of Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn’s, first album Eden. “Crabwalk” was the song that stuck with me because I think while the song was playing, the drill was getting particularly active and I had to focus on the groove the band was laying down to avoid the reality of the situation. I say all this to say, I really enjoyed that album. So, when I got to their second “album,” I immediately noticed that a lot of the songs on Eden were also on the self-titled. I thought it was like a Bad Brains/Rock for Light situation where they recorded the first version, got some financial backing, then re-rocked it, but no. I literally found out today (June 20, 2024) that this is a compilation album. I don’t care, though. I’m treating it as if it’s a major release because that’s what it says on Spotify.

The album starts off with a horn section announcing the beginning. Now, while that sounds triumphant, it’s very mellow and calming. A great precursor to how the rest of this album is going to sound. This track by the way, is “Each and Every One,” what keeps me coming back to it is how groovy this song is without trying to hard. The players are so in the pocket, nothing sounds out of place, and you’re not getting bombarded by tons of noise. Remember in my Sade article (read that btw) when I said their music sounds like they’re in a smoke-filled cafe at the dead of night? Well EBTG sounds like they’re in that cafe, too, but the sun is shining and the windows are open. I’m a sucker for the small elements of any track that make sure it wouldn’t sound the same if they weren’t there. For this track its the (?) that gets hit right before the chorus comes in. Then, of course the trumpet solos after the choruses and at the end, too. “Tender Blue” tells the story of a marriage gone sour. What’s funny is you could think the cause is about a million things, but then right at the end before another trumpet solo the truth gets revealed, infidelity, but in this case it’s the woman that’s been messing around. Total subversion of expectations. Something I talk about a lot is songs that sound very happy, but have super depressing lyrics. “Another Bridge” is on that list, somewhere close to the top. This song is about trying to move on from a past relationship, but something reminds you about them, but you can’t remember the times you shared. This part especially,

“A word from out of the blue
Reminds me how much I once needed you
Oh but that’s all in the past now
So much so that I can scarcely remember how
I once needed just a hand to hold
‘Cause now the few times we meet
All I sense is love grown cold“

That’s the whole second verse, sad right? Once you listen to it, you’ll say, “There’s no way this is the same song.” That guitar chord progressions and that organ are so deceitful. I love the conflicting sensation this song produces. So you can listen to it at any point in any mood and it’ll fit because while it is happy, it’s not too happy. It walks the line very very well. “Fascination” is a great song. Reading the lyrics this song talks about the burden of being curious. Thorn asks her love interest about their romantic history, but the information pains her to know and hear. She tries to laugh it off with them, but at the end of the day she can’t bear to think of it when she’s alone. She feigns apathy, but they are constantly reminded of the lover’s past in conversations and at random locations, so it’s very hard to ignore. Thorn laments over very minimal instrumentation. There’s a choir of guitars for almost the entire song, then at 2:07 they are joined by a saxophone. The cool thing is, it’s only mixed to the left ear channel. So, there were a couple times where I was listening to this at my job with only one earphone and I totally missed it.

The instrumentation on “Never Could Have Been Worse” is such a highlight. There are a couple songs on this album that hit the same way certain songs on The Love Below do. It that really specific, kind of light and floaty guitar. This track starts off kind of dark and emotional, but when Tracey’s voice lightens up, so does the instrumentation. The players are all so in the groove, that they get to play around, but they always return back to home base. My favorite part is at the end of the refrains when the drums signal we’re heading into another part of the song with a quick, little drum fill. It’s very small, but very effective. This carries right into “Laugh You out the House.” The groove on this song is so infectious. My favorite element is the hi-hat going insane in the background. It’s not a continuous loop either, sometimes it’s just regular for the 4 bars, then sometimes it’s double time. It’s fun to try and pick out when they switch it up. The hi-hat is mixed to the right, but if you only listen to the right you hear a shaker going equally as hard. All of this is held together by the bass, the bass guitar, in any song worth shaking a stick at, is the glue. “Mine” is a song that I didn’t know I liked as much as I do. It came on randomly while I was shuffling through my liked songs and I listened all the way through it, then proceeded to play it maybe 75 more times after that. Tracey sounds really apathetically vulnerable on this one. Once you hear it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. She tells a story about a woman raising a child on her own, with no help from anyone. The baby’s father is a deadbeat, and she’s struggling to get by and provide for two people. While she’s trying to do that, people are bugging her about giving the child the Father’s name. And, rightfully so, her energy is, “Why on Earth would I do that?” That’s tight, but what makes me come back to this one time and time again is the dreamy instrumentation. I’d say this song is held together this time by the tambourine that hits every other third beat. Least I think it’s every third, I just write about music. The tambourine is so echoey, so you really feel every time it’s hit. The bass, guitars and piano are in such a deep pocket that you kinda forget that they’re there. In that, you start to zero in on the other elements like the tambourine or the bongos. It’s like the other instruments are randomly stopping by to say hello, but they don’t wear out their welcome.

Check this album (or compilation) out. A lot of the stuff I like about their early stuff is on full display on this one, and you’ll see why I have such a deep love for their early period after one listen. Seriously, if you get to “Riverbed Dry” and you’re not convinced by then, I don’t know if you can call yourself a human being. You just might be an alien from outer space.

Listen to Everything But The Girl

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