Re: 251. Insignificance vs Corduroy
Posted: Sat April 10, 2021 10:17 pm
I've soured a bit on Corduroy over the years, but even before that this would always have been an easy win for Insignificance for me. I think the song manages to combine the best attributes of the band's more atmospheric material with the intensity of its most raucous stuff, while Ed manages to deliver one of his greatest (or maybe his greatest) lyrics. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but the second verse may be my favorite few lines Eddie's ever penned. It's hyperbole to say he captures an entire short story in those few lines, but it's succinct and poetic work as good as any songwriter out there.
A lot of people cite the song's ending as the highlight, and for good reason; it is so easy to sound corny when describing these things, but the song manages to earn the feeling that you get when listening to that last minute; everything sounds at stake, because for the song and its characters, it is. That's not really something I get out of Corduroy (or, to be fair, many of the band's songs). It's partially why it's tracked so well on Binaural; it's almost strange to hear anything else come after this song, cause what is there to say? You need something like Of the Girl, a longer, gradual re-entry into the second half of the record after Insignificance blew through it.
A lot of people cite the song's ending as the highlight, and for good reason; it is so easy to sound corny when describing these things, but the song manages to earn the feeling that you get when listening to that last minute; everything sounds at stake, because for the song and its characters, it is. That's not really something I get out of Corduroy (or, to be fair, many of the band's songs). It's partially why it's tracked so well on Binaural; it's almost strange to hear anything else come after this song, cause what is there to say? You need something like Of the Girl, a longer, gradual re-entry into the second half of the record after Insignificance blew through it.
