The Barenaked Ladies new collection is essentially titled Barenaked Ladies Are Me. Consumers will decide the running order, track selection and format. One can purchase the physical thirteen song CD on September 12th in stores, or download the thirteen songs plus two bonus-tracks, or opt to download the 27 song digital package Deluxe Edition, or access it by way of a USB flash memory stick with two extra tracks. Sound easy?
“The Barenaked Ladies are learning to let go,‿ proclaims guitarist / vocalist Steven Page. “Historically the album was only a construct of what the technology could hold and what labels and publishers were willing to pay for. Certainly we’re conscious of the fact that so many fans listen to music in shuffle mode. We’re not offended by that because we can still be an artist with integrity and allow our fans some level of control with regard to how they use our end result.‿
Though the Toronto based five-some of Page, Ed Robertson (guitar/vocals), Tyler Stewart (drums), Jim Creegan (bass) and Kevin Hearn (keyboards) have witnesses births, marriages, deaths, and near death in their fifteen year musical sojourn, Are Me, whichever way you choose to hear it, finds the band refreshed, melodic, and accessible.
Explains Page, “We performed all the songs live in the studio, but the guitars and vocals were often replaced. They were redone to get better sounds and, in my case, better performances! The foundations of the tracks have the feeling of a band that has played live together for nearly twenty years—which is the truth.‿
Self-produced with help from Susan Rogers, who was supposedly pulled out of retirement for the sessions, renowned engineer Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow) shares some of the credit for recording the Ladies in all their resonate glory. “We have always been a fan of his work, especially Crowded House’s Woodface album, which has been something of a touchstone for our band.‿
Are Me essentially began when Page and Robertson met up for a writing session in the Spring of ’05. With three songs composed, “Home,‿ “Rule The World With Love,‿ and “Wind It Up,‿ they split for summer vacation. Back to the grindstone in Fall at Robertson’s cottage, 15 or so songs jelled in a mere four or five days. Meanwhile Hearn was “writing a dozen songs per day‿ across town. (Stay tuned for an eventual solo album). When all the Ladies convened they pared the list down to 29 tracks. Eschewing Page and Robertson’s usual method of elaborate demos, all the band members put their personal stamp on the tunes, thereby making Are Me the most accurate representation of the group dynamic on record to date.
“We were sick of saving things for soundtracks, b-sides and whatever. By releasing it all, we could move forward as artists. A double CD can be very pricey at retail, so we chose to divide the physical content into two chunks, which is also easier to digest for the more traditional CD buyer, and the second of which, Barenaked Ladies Are Men, comes out in early 2007.‿
Tom Semioli
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Barenaked Ladies' album Barenaked Ladies Are Me and Barenaked Ladies Are Me: Deluxe Edition are out September 12, 2006 on Desperation Records.
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