review: walking wounded - everything but the girl (1996)
a review from the archives
For years, I’ve heard great things about Everything but the Girl, and listened to a bit of their most recent album that came out in 2023. That album (Fuse) was their first release since they took the band on an indefinite hiatus in 2000. Everything but the Girl is comprised of Tracey Thorn (vocals, composition, guitar) and Ben Watt (guitar, keyboard, composition, backing vocals, production). Both contribute to the songwriting process and have been making music together since 1982. Originally, Everything but the Girl’s sound leaned more towards sophisti-pop with jazzy undertones, but Walking Wounded saw them embracing a more electronic sound and taking bigger risks in production and composition.
For context, other albums that came out in 1996 include Pinkerton by Weezer, All Eyez on Me by 2Pac, Tidal by Fiona Apple, Spice by the Spice Girls, Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z, Odelay by Beck, and Sublime’s self titled.
In all honesty, I was never fully gripped by “Fuse” when I listened, so I went into Walking Wounded with a little bit of apprehension. I can decisively say that apprehension disappeared by the end of the first song. Immediately, I loved what I was hearing. This album is so dang cohesive and flows effortlessly from song to song. During my first listen, I found myself almost excited when a song would end so I could start the next one. Knowing that this album came out in 1996 made it even more impressive because it sounds like something that could have been made today (Everything but the Girl renaissance please please please). The production and overall sound reminded me a bit of Caroline Polachek, so I’m curious if she’s ever discussed their influence on her music. I’m sure there will be albums that I’ll have to force myself to listen to for a week straight, but I feel like I could listen to this one forever.
None of the songs on this album felt like duds to me. When I say this is SUCH a cohesive piece of music, I mean it. Each song tells a different part of the story (this is hugely a breakup album, exploring the themes of regret, memories, yearning for someone you’ve lost, and questioning something that has ended) and the sonic landscape meshes and blends together beautifully. The lulls don’t feel like lulls but like intentional breaks and reflections. It’s hard to choose only a couple of songs to highlight because I think I could write a novel on each one. But alas, here are my thoughts on three of them:
“Before Today”: Now THIS is how you open an album. Throughout the whole album, the pacing is perrrfeeeccttt and this is the beginning of that. Sometimes, when an album starts so strongly, I worry that everything that follows will be a letdown, but that is not the case here. This song simultaneously introduces listeners to the album in a fast-paced, enticing way, but doesn’t lessen the impact of the following songs. I really liked the tempo switch-ups of this song, and found myself wanting to listen to it over and over again. Heck, I’m listening to it right now!
“Walking Wounded”: This may be one of the best choices for a mid-album track I’ve heard. As the album progresses, its pace slows a little bit, but this song keeps the sound and energy alive. Following “The Heart Remains a Child,” which slows down the album and sounds a bit more like its cheesy mid-90’s contemporary hits, “Walking Wounded” draws you right back into the dreamy, electro-pop sound that this album does so well. I also think this song has some of the strongest lyrics on the album and evokes the complex, mournful, semi-bitter feelings that follow a breakup.
“Big Deal”: The seventh song on the album is strong lyrically, sonically, and conceptually. The music in the beginning is evocative of modern trap beats, and the song, once again, uses pacing to perfect the story trying to be told. Starting slow and reflective, “Big Deal” quickly picks up the speed and keeps it going until the end. Personally, I love a song that’s stuffed with questions, so I am partial to the lyrics here. It’s angry without being messy, fast without being rushed, and smart without being condescending (Okay maybe it’s a little condescending).
Now that I’ve talked about the high points, let’s get into the low points of Walking Wounded. As I said, there really were no duds on this album. Each song served a purpose and added something new and needed to the themes explored. That being said, there are a few parts that could have been worked out a bit more. My main critique of this album is that, in certain places, the lyrics sound a bit clunky. While doing my Wikipedia research, I read that they created the tracks first and then added lyrics over the music, which, frankly, wasn’t surprising to read. I don’t think that there are right or wrong ways to write songs, but I do think that at the end of the day, the music should sound like one concrete unit (or like intentionally mismatched elements contrasting in all the right ways). It’s not that the lyrics are bad, I actually quite liked a majority of the songwriting, it’s just that there are places where it feels like wordiness takes over in order to fit into the production. I think “Mirrorball” is the lowest point on the album, with the lyrics and music feeling stale in some areas. In every way though, this is me being nit picky. Even with my feelings about the lyrics, I wouldn’t change a thing about this album, as I think that even the wordiness lends itself to the story and feelings being expressed.
Overall, if you couldn’t tell already, I adored this album. It will most definitely be added in to my rotation, and many of the songs have already been added to my playlists. Besides the songs I wrote about above, I also found myself with “Wrong” stuck in my head throughout the week and thoroughly enjoyed the album’s closer, “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” It’s rare to find an album that successfully tells a full story and has poetic lyricism (despite the occasional clunkiness), all while creating a unique and enthralling musical soundscape. In the best way, Walking Wounded is Garage Band chic, employing and combining repetitive, simple beats and sounds to create something extraordinary. As the week went on, I also found myself picking up on so many little details in the production. Each song contains multitudes, and you can hear how much effort, time, and care went into the creation of this album. I have always been a sucker for musical duos, and Everything but the Girl has solidified that affinity for me. I don’t know what it is, but something about two distinct, creative minds meeting in the middle seems to result in something really special.
I hereby give Walking Wounded by Everything but the Girl a rating of…
9.25
From the sharpness of the production to the cohesiveness of the songs, this album wowed me. I’ve said it a few times in this review already, but I really feel like I could listen to it forever. Tracey Thorn’s vocals pack a punch the whole way through, with Ben Watt adding his own complementary backing vocals at the perfect times. There’s an exceptional togetherness in this album, with the music and lyrics dancing with each other in perfect time. I also give this album points for doing something genuinely different and inventive. While some songs echo the sounds coming out of this time period (which is NOT a bad thing), this album is full of songs unlike anything else coming out at the time. You can feel when an album is created as a labor of work vs. a labor of love, and the intentionality shines throughout the body of work. I also feel compelled to give a shoutout to the album cover. The posing of the man (Watt) looking straight into the camera, while the woman (Thorn) focuses her attention on her hand mirror echoes the themes explored in the album. There are threads sewn all the way through the track list that explore introspection post break up, wondering how an ex-lover can seem so okay if you’re feeling so terrible, and the distance felt between people once so close. The cover reflects these themes with the two subjects attending to different gazes, even while sitting right next to each other. Maybe, though, it is simply just a photo that Thorn and Watt thought looked cool, but I’m going to give them credit for the meaning I’ve dug out of it.
As I say goodbye to this album for now, I am a bit sad but know I’ll be listening to it again shortly. I also feel inspired to give “Fuse” a second listen now that I am officially identifying as an Everything but the Girl fan. Maybe I’ll review that album sometime in the future. In the meantime, I’m going to finish off my week by listening to Walking Wounded and enjoying one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Until next time, stay cool!
♡ Alex
Listen to Walking Wounded by Everything but the Girl here:
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