Like A Thief at The Borderline

Like A Thief at The Borderline

21 July, 2008
by: Evolmike

Sometimes there is more truth to the figurative than to the literal. And sometimes there isn't. This dualistic celebration of the art of flabbergastery is the cool blue tint in the otherwise rosy world of Like a Thief. This is the sound of the Mona Lisa's smile - a visible enigma caused by an invisible one. Like those moments in life when you laugh and scratch your head at the same time. You see, the trickiest part of great songwriting is the marriage of music and lyrics, each having the ability to shape the emotional impact of the other. Like a Thief make it look easy.

Musically, they range from power pop to something resembling lounge (one of its more sensual cousins) and all of it is fun. People often forget about fun, and the way it can take insightful yet obtuse lyrics and make them that much more accessible. "I fell in love with a lyrical genius and now I don't know what to say / because everything I say sounds so dumb." - This, when sung brightly in a major key becomes a delightful epigram, especially given the irony of it being used as a lyric in the first place.

I'm focussing on lyrics here because they seem to be a lyrically driven band, very much carried by the sickeningly talented Holly Jazz Lowe. She holds long, breathy notes and she can spit lyrics at rap speed, and all of it is crystal clear, not a single indecipherable word in sight (the skill needed to pull that off is a lot more significant than you might think). She has a confident and comforting inter-song dialogue with the audience, giving off-the-cuff, nutshell descriptions of what each song is about. Gems like "In order to make things work, you have to tidy your room first" and "Hey, we should get together because... you know... the universe is dying."

I've never understood why so many bands choose not to share these details with their audiences. I guess the debate will rage on forever about which is more important, lyrics or music. Personally, I like to think that they're part of the same thing, a force far greater than the sum of its parts, and that their separation is just an illusion. Lyrics in particular are in danger of being taken for granted. That's why we need more bands in the mould of Like a Thief. If you have something to say, say it, whether you're trying to change the world or you just want to make someone smile.


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Evolmike