Headache’s second album, Thank You for Almost Everything, was released on October 17th with relatively little marketing or fanfare. This project is the brainchild of English electronic producer Vegyn and the mysterious poet Francis Hornsby Clark. It also uses AI to perform the lyrics written by Clark. Headache’s music has an unquantifiable quality. The combination of Vegyn’s smooth, ambient, and groovy brand of electronic music making the stage for spoken word, stream-of-thought poetry recited by AI creates an odd listening experience. The album’s sound ushering in a new era of Trip-Hop.
Thank You opens with uplifting synth chords, a powerful drum loop, and talking about the grandeur of Earth and emotions. The AI voice proclaims that there are “34,000 unique emotions”, yet we only experience one at a time. Abstract, philosophical lyricism, and entrancing electronic production are the forms the album typically takes on. The sonic production serves more as a stage for the lyrics to shine rather than the focus of the experience.
This structure then leaves me asking one question: are the lyrics good? I can’t tell. Some of the lines are quite witty, like, “Two anchovies could never hurt me, they’re too delicious,” though also nonsensical. Some of the lyrical content can also veer into faux-deep slop. The witty metaphors can turn annoying at times, vague attempts at philosophical epiphanies. A line like, “Life is just a place of brief incarceration” feels like an ‘I’m 14 and this is deep’ quote. I do like the track “His Story,” as it successfully introduces a character and the moments in his life that shaped him: being lost as a teen, smoking his first cigarette, and realizing his age in the current moment. The scintillating drums and lush strings pair well with this hasty, claustrophobic storytelling.
I ultimately struggled to rate this album. I loved Vegyn’s production across the project. It truly sets up the ethereal and uplifting vibe of the album. Yet the use of AI to perform the lyrics, and the lyrics themselves perplex me. I can’t say I understand the full story of the album, nor the artistic decision to have AI deliver the poetic lyrics. The album feels bizarre, not in a trippy way, but in an uncanny way. It stuck in my head, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Rating:
What in Tarnation/10
