The Black Box Revelation: 'Love, Love Is On My Mind'
In a time when most listeners seem to prefer to listen to a solo act, with an acoustic guitar, an inoffensive vocal performance and perhaps some enlightening truth about the world around us, it is nice for a band to go gung ho and take us back to the visceral sound of brash, punky, guitar rock. Such is the latest single from The Black Box Revelation. From the opening maniacal laugh evoking memories of Heath Ledger’s sociopathic Joker, you know that you’re in for some serious guitar shredding. It is ironic then that this single is about something as tender as ‘love’.
This is where the cleverness of the song lies. By subverting the conventions of love songs (ballad like melodies, heartfelt and touching metaphor, and that mellow sound) with the thrash of a snare, high hat and cymbals, BBR have created an enjoyable three minute excursion into satire. The image of a lover pouring their heart out on an answering machine message, whilst the other listens in pained silence is sent up with the bluntness of the actual message – “Love, love is on my mind”. Essentially: let’s hop on the good foot and do the bad thing!
Although the imagery is often basic, there is a sense that this is conscious mundaneness, an assault on whimsy couples. The describing of love as ‘gasoline’ – an incendiary, volatile substance – rather than some sort of life giving elixir confirms their poking fun at the notion of amour.
For its lyrical paucity, it is a touch too long to be entirely a punk song, but with similarities to the freneticism of fellow continentals The Hives, BBR have made an amusing little ditty into quite a good song. Here’s hoping that they’re not being sincere.
Words: John Elmes
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