Mother Mother’s latest album, Very Good Bad Thing, showcases the juxtaposition of dark songs and upbeat tempos that fans of the local-bred band have come to expect. Much like their 2012 album The Sticks, VGBT shows off Mother Mother’s ability to produce both high-energy aggressive songs, and slow, slow songs that are like lullabies.
Lead vocalist Ryan Guldemond can take much of the credit for this. As Guldemond’s aim in creating Mother Mother was to create a band based on vocally- driven pop songs, his vocals are a key in every song, be it upbeat or slower moving.
The opening track on the album, “Get Out The Way,” is a jolting start: it opens with a blunt synth beat that continues through the song. The melody is bold and aggressive, just as the title suggests. While “Get Out The Way” is in no way Mother Mother’s most lyrically inspired song, Guldemond and back-up vocalists Molly Guldemond (his sister) and Jasmin Parkin still help to make the song high energy. The band does this type of song well, as shown throughout the album, including on the title track.
“Very Good Bad Thing” has a great dance beat (if you are into that sort of thing), and like the previous song, is very up-tempo. However, it differs from “Get Out The Way” in that its lyrics do not match the upbeat melody. It is really about control and an addiction to power that the narrator cannot give up, thus giving it a contrary nature as the lyrics clash with the melody.
The song “Reaper Man” takes the point of view of the Grim Reaper. As noted by Ryan Guldemond and drummer Ali Siadat, it is a “victorious song about being the misfit, the underdog.” The song’s narrator states at one point, “Oh, yeah, I’m an ugly mess/ Not in the face but in the head.” At face value, it is a self-deprecating song, and so it is interesting that the band perceives it as a victorious song. The combination of a slower melody and bleaker lyrics makes for a very dark pop song.
Mother Mother pulls the style off just as well as they do with the more upbeat songs. Their style is vocally-driven pop, and this latest album does not break from that. If you like high-energy, check out “Monkey Tree” or “Shout If You Know;” if slow is more your speed, I recommend “Alone and Sublime” or “Have It Out.”
They master both the bleak and the (seemingly) cheery songs. They have a different sound than their contemporaries in the pop music world, and it continues to be endearing. If you have not had the privilege to check them out, Very Good Bad Thing is your chance to do so — it shows the band at their very best.
