Before I get on to the job at hand of reviewing the music, let me just say that the idea of “Bliss Without a Cause” is a great proposition. Too many of us wander through life, gaining happiness only in response to outside stimuli, perhaps relating to money, relationships, or luck. And whilst such scenarios are all perfectly fine, surely obtaining a state of bliss without needing a cause is the ultimate goal. That is to say, can’t we just be happy with who we are?
And, given such a sentiment, it would be easy to expect Aaron Koenig to offer us something ambient or understated, chilled and meditative. No so. Aaron Koenig is a rock and roller, well, he certainly is here. So much so that occasionally, in the chord pattern and the song dynamic, and certainly in a particular guitar motif that raises its head from time to time, there is more than a whiff of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” running through the song. (Which is a neat piece of duality – Nirvana being both a Buddhist state of bliss and, obviously, one of the most iconic bands of the 90’s.)
But nothing is new under the sun, and these elements arise more as a tribute than anything approaching plagiarism. And anyway, there is more that makes “Bliss Without a Cause” its sonic beast than ties it to the past, not least a fantastic, bluesy solo that lifts the song into more rarefied sonic air.
It’s rock and roll doing what rock and roll does best whilst reminding us to be happy in our own skin.
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