“Everything Is Falling Apart,” and its celebration of love in a world that seems on its last legs, is not only a great song but also the perfect introduction to an album that explores where we are heading as a society. And if that opening salvo sets the points of discussion found throughout Ivory Tower, “Social Security Number,” and its musing on the Big Brother state that technology has ushered in, shows us just how musically eclectic this album is.
So if the opener is a creative indie-americana song, the next, a beguiling alt-pop piece, then the title track is a blistering alt-rock anthem, built on excellent dynamics that range from understated interludes to crashing crescendos of searing guitars.
And then you have songs such as “Once Again the World Let You Down,” which somehow falls between all of those things, a sure-footed walk through everything that makes music both cultish and commercial at the same time. Discussing the burnout and betrayal of the man in the street by the powers that be, how promises are always broken and other people’s pockets are always lined, it also showcases Meghan Kreidler’s powerhouse vocals, which are featured on many of the songs found here.
The album is rounded off with the stark warning that “Everything Repeats,” a wonderful blend of stomping grooves and cascading pianos, raw vocals dancing with banks of harmony voices, the whole smoothed by lush string washes and a title that could be a t-shirt slogan for where we are today.
These are more than songs; they are a timely yet timeless set of warnings; they beg poignant questions: Do we ever really learn from the past? How do we speak truth to power? Do governments ever really serve those who vote for them? These are conversations being had all over the Western world at the moment, as 80 years after fascism was defeated, its ghost seems to be rising again.
Not only great songs, but an important album.
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