Song of the Day - I Want To Ride My Bicycle Club

Today's song of the day comes from the English indie band Bombay Bicycle Club. A lot of people may have heard of them, though a lot of people couldn't name one of their songs. Their most popular single, Shuffle, reached a lofty 64 in the UK charts, so it's not surprising that many people don't know exactly who they are. However, So Long, See You Tomorrow, their 4th studio album, reached number one in the UK album charts, so maybe they aren't quite so alternative after all.

Without further ado, here is Always Like This, my personal favourite Bombay Bicycle Club song.

So What's So Good?

The first thing that hits you about this song is lead singer Jack Steadman's distinctive voice. Whether or not you like his voice, it's certainly unique. I personally like his voice, despite it's slightly unnerving sound. Steadman's voice has a charming childishness to it, which makes the song seem more upbeat than the lyrics would suggest. 

The lyrics give off an aura of helplessness, but the subject is not entirely clear. The line 'I'm not whole' which is repeated at the end, make me think the song could be about coming out and not feeling accepted, but it could quite easily be about a relationship that is going nowhere. I think the latter is more likely, due to the line 'Oh she can wait for what I can give her', for example. 

Always Like This has a really awesome bass line and drum beat which turn the song from angsty poetry into an indie-pop song. Bombay Bicycle Club are not averse to genre switching and have some strong folk influences, though they are not particularly clear here. It really kicks in after the first chorus, with a catchy rhythm and offbeat drumbeat.

Always Like This is not to everyone's tastes, but I hope that some people will enjoy it.