The Simple Melodies | Nice Beat, Dude

Come on Virginia's (Ali's) review of the second coming

Optional names
  1. Something Came Up (really? Do tell)
  2. Album X (I actually liked that)
  3. Strings Attached (*snicker*)
  4. Screw Jeff, We Want Ric
  5. Hey, We Worked Really Hard On Love Song, Okay?!
  6. This Time Around (Noooo Mooooore Teeeeears)
  7. Damn, Ike’s Good Ain’t He?
  8. One More Album Where Zac Sings Track 8
Tracks:

  1. You Never Know
  2. If Only
  3. This Time Around
  4. Runaway Run
  5. Save Me
  6. Dying to be Alive
  7. Can't Stop
  8. Wish That I Was There
  9. Love Song
  10. Sure About It
  11. Hand in Hand
  12. In the City
  13. A Song to Sing

  1. You Never Know
    The hysterical laughter in the background. The cowbell. The confusion as to who the fudge sings lead. All adds up to.. semi-gaping. A personal favorite part is the one-octave difference between Isaac and Taylor. Whew. Makes you think about fishing a lot, doesn’t it? Zac has said he thinks this was one of the most fun songs to perform due to the drumming loops and whatnot. Well, Zac, it’s fun to watch you perform. Hehe.

  2. If Only
    Chirpy, isn’t it? At first listen, I have to say I was dullfully unimpressed. I downright thought it was too cherry/happy/poppy. As time progressed, I found myself listening to it more and more until it grew to the point of me joyfully running around my room yelling the lyrics into a brush. The opening harmonica is intoxicating, and you can’t not move when it starts. You have to listen. And when Taylor performs this live, he says he’s “winging it”. *snort* Hands? Face? Lonely night? Oh my god, I thought only the fans talked about hands. *squeals* Did you hear that?! Hanson thinks about hands!

  3. This Time Around
    I didn’t get this song at all the first time I heard it. Yes. I am blonde. But it was too deep for me. And then I finally got it. (*golf claps*). Ahem. “I heard they told her it was tell and live or die, I didn’t know her but I know why she lied, I didn’t know her but I know why she died.” Fairly The Green Mile. Nazis (or whatever) take a little girl and ask her about her family. She refuses to tell them because she wants her family to be safe. Oh my god. I was so depressed after I heard this I couldn’t talk. And it has Jonny on it. God bless these fine young men who have graced us with this beautiful music.

  4. Runaway Run
    “in run away run...shoes you wore with the long black satin lace, *amen...Taylor were you watching Victoria Secret ads again?????????”--Jenni

    The first taste of This Time Around we got was Runaway Run. (Thanks HansonHouse.) Apparently this sounds like a Car song (ironic; Ric Ocasek) but I’m too young to remember. (Not my fault) Anyway, this is a fairly incredibly piece of music. From the opening riffs to Zac’s drums breaks, to the reverb effect to the bridge. Musical perfection at it’s finest. (However, Taylor, black satin lace? *raises eyebrow*) Situation: Boy is friends with girl. Boy wants to be more than friends with girl. Boy writes girl letter and sends her flowers. Boy sets letter and flowers on park bench and girl sees them. Girl reads letter while boy watches from afar, boy sees other boy hug girl, boy (the first one) runsaway runs (broken heart and blistered feet). God. “Maybe someday I’ll runaway.” Me too, Taylor. Me too.

  5. Save Me
    Ahhh what a song. Okay, so yes, it does sound kinda… BSBish, but in a good way. And the third verse. Oh my goodness. Who didn’t have to sit down? Okay, I’ll admit it, it is a rather corny love song, but a good one? Ladies and gents, once again, give it up for JENNI!

    okay basically my thoughts on Save Me are that this young man is sooooooooooo in love with this woman, that his love for her is on a spiritual level( hey it can happen) and well she is about to leave him, but he can't bare that, or his life will literally be over, like in Jerry Maguire " *sniff sniff You complete me...*sobs.. they hug"..... sooooooooooo,....he is asking for spiritual guidance, he loves this woman so deeply and so spiritually that life isn't worth living without her, so it's like save me please from this pain, don't go I love you....

    *grabs Kleenex box* Can we move onto Dying? Please? Thanks. *blows nose*

  6. Dying to be Alive
    Gospel much? Hanson collects the weirdest array of people. Ric Ocasek (of whom I still wouldn’t know if he came up and bit me in the bud), Jonny Lang, John Popper, and now a member of Sly and the Family Stone. (Aren’t they some old rock group that your mom never liked?) Yes, they certainly do add a gospel taste to the album. And yes, Ike, it is “killer with a choir”. And it reflects the meaning of the song. Yes, I do believe in reincarnation, so you’d think the “you only live once” part would get to me, but it doesn’t. Because I think you should live each life as if it was your last one. You were put here to do something. Don’t just go through your life trying to make ends meet until you die. Be alive. *bows*

  7. Can’t Stop
    Okay, so lyrically it’s a pretty easy song. But the scratching is in the right place (kudos Swamp) and admit it, those “tick tocks” made you get up and run around. “I’m bursting at the seams.” *raises eyebrow* That’s all I’m saying.

  8. Wish That I Was There
    *sighs* Can’t you just picture Zac with this little smile on his face sitting in a corner writing this song? I know Taylor started writing it but leave me to my dreams. His smooth crisp vocals over the yearning of a want he knows he can’t have because he feels such a strong love for something so vital to his very being… whoa, calm down, Ali. (Gee, let’s all wonder which one is my favorite…) Again, fine, the lyrics aren’t… exactly… profound or anything but they’re still awfully damn pretty. “I just wanna see you a little more, I just wanna dream of you some more, I just wanna be with you some more” are delivered with Zac Hanson’s little-boy innocence and are merely quiet and undemanding requests. You forget that he was once a hyper child obsessed with jell-o, marshmallows and the like, and for 3 minutes and 39 seconds he’s a sweet teenage boy who misses the girl he adores.

  9. Love Song
    Oh my. This song is as close to perfection as I think I’ve ever heard. The way it flows. Yes, that’s it. It’s a very flowy song. The second verse? Ahhhh much?

    Mary was a young girl
    With a young girl’s heart
    Well all I can remember
    Is I loved her from the start
    I was hers forever
    She was mine too
    But something was wrong
    Cause now she’s gone
    Tell me, what did I do?

    I get all teary. Isaac Hanson succeeds yet AGAIN in turning me into that perpetual puddle of teenage romanticism. Just the mere thought of someone writing something like that while they’re thinking of you is jaw-dropping wide-eyed amazement in and of itself. Also, who are these stupid girls who keep leaving Hanson? Huh? Huh???

  10. Sure About It
    I’ll admit it. This song scared me. I had to idea what Taylor was saying (shock and surprise) so I winged it. Cocaine? Did a Hanson just say ‘cocaine’? Running faucets? Towed cars? What? Huh? Rain between her toes? Alright, they’ve lost me.

  11. Hand in Hand
    Got Ricky? This is a very Latin-seasoned song. I was almost expecting to flip through the album cover and see “Carlos Santana appears courtesy of Arista Records…” but alas, ‘tis not Mr. Santana, but it is young blues man Sir Jonny Lang that lends his hands to this… interesting collection of notes. It’s a confusing song, too. First Ike is sweet (“I know just how much I love you…”) and then he turns bitter. (“I’m not gonna sit around waiting for you to get over him…”) Could it be? Did our beloved Isaac finally find his voice and discover he doesn’t NEED the loser who actually left him or someone else? Yes? YES! And he realized this in the span of under 5 minutes. Good show, old boy.

  12. In the City
    Whooeeeeee. If this song doesn’t get your heart rate up, you’re inhuman. Merely listening to it gives you the feeling you’re doing something naughty. If wearing headphones, listen exclusively to the right side during Taylor’s “I’m gonna ask you once again” speech. You’ll thank me.

  13. A Song to Sing
    Oh my. Dear me. This song cut me personally very deeply. Someone once looked at me and asked, “Why does everyone think this is a sad song?” I looked at her blankly, cupped my chin in my palm, and said, “Well, I don’t know about sad, but I know it speaks to me very deeply, because it reminds me of characteristics in myself I’m not proud of, and it helps when someone writes a song saying they feel that, too.” She nodded and returned to her conversation.
The Simple Melodies
-Domicile-