This is unusual.
Those letters don’t stand for what you think. OBE is an abbreviation for Offended By Everything. This is a song about the phenomenon of people taking offence on other people’s or group’s behalf – ostensibly because they think it’s cool to appear to be caring.
It’s unusual subject matter for a gritty, hip-hoppy beat that slinks along in a funky, snaky way. Then a Robert Fripp style guitar (recalling David Bowie’s Fashion) snarks its way – in the most deliberately offensive manner (!) – into the end section. It’s an intelligent decision, underlining the lyrical prowess with aplomb. A deft, tight rhythm section underpins the song’s effortless drive.
Now let’s talk about the vocals. Luna LePage is clearly a one-off; an incredible blend of the ghosts of Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse and something far more snarly and scary, too. Equal parts volcanic rip and bruised, soulful delicacy, it’s a voice that comes screaming out of the traps from the clipped verses to the final shriek.
Perhaps most remarkable of all is the bridge section, where the music takes a serious left turn to become a show-stopping, grandiose moment: ‘People in glass houses / Shouldn’t throw parties’ sings LePage, channeling a latent, pompous Shirley Bassey vibe, followed by the most absurdly confident, swaggering scatty ad-libbing over the aforementioned Fripp guitar.
An artist armed with authority and vulnerability, an intoxicating control of her instrument and its vibrato, LePage stomps all over this tune with the confidence normally reserved for a superstar. Remarkable song, remarkable artist.
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