The word of the day for Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 is:

Derail – Thanks ChristinaVG for the suggestion!

1. To cause to run off the rails
2. To obstruct the progress of
3. To upset the stability or composure of

Song: Derail and Crash

Artist: The Wombats

Album: The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation (Bonus Track)

Year: 2011

This song sums itself up in its second line: My oh my what a happy, clappy fun day.  As is obvious I am quite a few days behind on this whole, post once a day thing and I actually didn’t look this song up until Wednesday of this week when it really felt like the word of the day matched my life.  Not a big deal but I definitely got off to a bad start when MC & I both woke up at 7:58am (two minutes before we usually leave for work/school) and I had to drive into work and pay the $12 to park.  So, in a way, my morning was derailed and I definitely felt off until I was back on track in the afternoon (I’m so funny . . . )  What helped get me back on track and feel less grumbly about my crap morning?  Part of it was finding this song.

The Wombats hail from Liverpool and have recently released a second full album titled The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch.  I think they should be proud – here again are some dudes who just like to play music, met at school (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) and put together a band.  The trio toes the line between indie and pop (as so many do these days) with upbeat numbers that back up guitar/drum/vocals with a bit of techno.  I think my favorite part of their style are the choruses sung “in chorus” (all three guys together) and the doo-wah-doo backup vocals, both of which can make any song feel happy.  The band then puts lyrics that at times are ridiculous, ironic, witty, simple, and eloquent – basically, you feel like you’ve stumbled on a group of self-deprecating geeks.

Derail and Crash is a story of a couple’s relationship that has gone “off track.”  What makes this song enjoyable is that the obvious metaphor is paired with those ridiculous, off-beat lyrics.  The couple being together for only 4 months makes it seem like they’re taking a stab at an over dramatized high school breakup: Had no idea of the pain this cheap pay could bring in reference to meeting while working as catering staff and Like Blackpool’s Pepsi Max in reference to the derailment of the relationship.  Not that it’s un-relatable: I know after rereading poems I’ve written during and after a relationship are about as cheesy.  I just keep imagining some poor sap with balled up paper piling around his desk as he scratches out line after line, sobbing like a little girl: he takes a swig of Pepsi, then chucking it at the wall in disgust, the can explodes, much like his heart

So, that was derail: I have no idea how to end this post – you could even say my train of thought has “derailed.”  Oh jeez.