This review covers the alternative rock track Blur – Caramel.
This track was released in 1999 on the album 13.
The track starts off with an effect and a guitar with a sliding note. Other guitars fade in along with some brass. This continues on for a fair bit of time. Finally, the vocals come in quietly. Backup vocals then make an appearance. Non-lyrical vocals then take over.
From there, the main vocals continue. A High hat joins the track. A synth element makes a subtle appearance. Backup vocals rejoin the track.
At that point, the drum kit joins the track as the main vocals go into a non-lyrical section. Some guitar effects then make an appearance. The track then fades out again, leaving the effect and the non-lyrical vocals.
After that, the vocals come back along with the rest of the track. Another guitar effect is added. Some guitar feedback is also added with a delay effect. Vocals hitting lower notes also makes an appearance. The effects drop out and large portions of the track then gradually fade out.
Eventually, only a guitar and some subtle effects are left. The sliding note then returns and leads the track out into a false ending.
Some filtered music with LP crackle joins the track. A piano is about all that is really distinct. This then fades out, leading the track to a second false ending.
After that, some motorcycle engine sounds enter the track. A guitar and drum kit hit a loop for a few seconds. Some feedback then hits and the track suddenly ends.
For me, this track is a mess.
The first problem is the vocals. While they are decently articulate at the beginning, the mastering gradually washes them out to the point where not a single lyric can be understood. They just get lost in this weird sound that is supposed to be the track.
to make matters worse, some of the non-lyrical sections feature vocals hitting notes that sound like they are out of the range of the vocalists capabilities. As such, it just sounds awkward to me.
The second problem is false endings. While I can definitely see false endings being useful, it just doesn’t work here. This is because what happens to pop up after the false ending is just so random, it doesn’t even seem like anything beyond the first ending even belongs in the track.
As for flow, it is hard for me to even pick up much of a structure. So, the track winds up coming off as meandering aimlessly as well.
The only positive I can really see is that the final random section is actually good for waking up the listener when they fall asleep part way through the track out of pure boredom. That’s really the only positive I can hear in this track.
Overall, this is a track that probably could have been better served as scrapped completely. The flow makes it sound aimless and weird. The vocals wind up getting washed out part way through due to bad mastering. In addition, the vocals even hit some awkward notes that have a real nails on chalkboard effect. In addition, the false endings and random sections after are just bizarre. At least the ending will wake listeners when they get bored of the rest of the track, but that’s about it for positives. So, for me, a track to avoid.
Score
2.5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
