Oxford's Glass Animals Take a Big Swing At Life Itself

Load the cannons up with pure electric bombast, throw in a brilliant change-up quiet keyboard ending that nobody saw coming and what are you left holding onto my friends? Why the pulse pounding craftsmanship of indie Oxford band Glass Animals whose opening salvo from the soon to be released "How To Be a Human Being", "Life Itself", packs in a wealth of British guts spread out over close to five minutes. Also present we find no small kitsch factor, something torn straight out of a Bollywood extravaganza. Look to the video if you doubt what I'm saying bears some ring of truth to it. Lead vocalist Dave Bayley relates a story many a teen has likely straddled through to young adulthood bearing the scars of. "I can't get a job so I live with my mom. The boomerang generation writ large for all to see. The chorus speaks to getting your mind free, to discovering a way to lean back and breathe. Easy to covet as opportunities go but highly difficult to obtain in the ever wandering craniums we carry around above our necks. Much to praise regarding "Life Itself". You could experience worse than a highway drive toting this on the iPod shuffle. Co-keyboard players Drew McFarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer make this effort high on the chuckle factor. Sure the lyric material does present plenty to ponder. For example...how about those grown-up superstar dreams Dave was courting? Doesn't sound like they really came to fruition. That was one pipe dream that never found its way out of the pipe lamentably. From the song's tempo you'd never think Dave sounded too terribly disappointed. Just a road hump among many along his primrose path. Joe Seaward does commendable work behind the drums. You don't make him out to be a glory hog in any way whatsoever. He presents himself as a timekeeper in the classic Charlie Watts tradition, always dependable, never one to commandeer too much of the lion's share of attention. Maybe he's not in Charlie's league yet but give him some room to grow and somewhere down the line we could be returning to this same vein of conversation. Anyway, back to the lyrical heft, or lack therein. Dave covets freedom, and all the open air perks that it conveys. It's what young adulthood hangs its hat on. No parents giving you restraints holding you back from a high old time. Getting in to see R-rated movies whenever the mood strikes. Moving on to the next phase of boy-girl interaction. Stacking "Life Itself" high on humor presents an enormous bonus. It gives Glass Animals a high likeability factor. So much of today's world appears doom and gloom coated. Why not toss in some "lighter side of" yucks while we're at it. The video is infused with much youthful spirit. You want to make the connections where you can locate them. You could establish a pretty swift friendship based on the chorus alone. It begs you to go along as a travel companion, to share the unknown road together. Adventures are what life on planet Earth is made of. Glass Animals have the right animated vim to take us on a hugely enviable trek to destination unknown. "Life Itself" amounts to much more pep than any of us bargained for. It's a life worth pursuing...I can promise you that much.