Tag Archives: billy talent album

#745: Billy Talent – Line & Sinker

2 Replies

After finally finding out who Billy Talent was after months and months of wondering – I had seen the video for ‘River Below’ and promptly forgotten who the band and song name was – I took it upon myself to visit the band’s official website. In that time, you had to go to some weird sites to find your favourite videos. And dodgy sites had to be accessed to get your pirated music. It wasn’t as easy as today.

Back in 2005, ‘Line & Sinker’ was one of three tracks that were available to listen to for free on Billy Talent’s homepage. That along with ‘Try Honesty’ and ‘Standing in the Rain’, I want to say. And as a ten year old, as I was then, there’s nothing that gets you pumped up and hyperactive like a man screaming in your ears alongside some fast guitars and thrashing drums. ‘Line & Sinker’ delivers these two things for a predominant part of its length, and is probably the edgiest song on the first Billy Talent album. The track looks at a narrator who’s a bit of an outcast, despises the popular kids who consider themselves great, gets picked on and feels downtrodden but still knows that they still have potential even if no one else sees it.

I’ve read some reviews or pieces that deride singer Ben Kowalewicz’s vocals for being a bit grating. I could see it. But I’ve also been listening to this track for about fifteen years now, so clearly I have no problem with it. think it perfectly fits the mood and tone in this one. And alternating with guitarist Ian D’Sa’s vocals in the chorus, it makes for some good listening. I wouldn’t call it my favourite from the album, but it’s a great cut that really keeps the energy going. Some people may also recognise this song from a scene in 2003 film Grind. Though I did have my interest in skating phase for a while, I don’t think I’ll be watching that any time soon.

#735: Billy Talent – Lies

1 Reply

From the age of ten to about seventeen, Billy Talent was my favourite band. It’s a long story that I could go into. I may have already done so in a previous post of a song by them. I’ll probably save it when I get to ‘River Below’ because that’s the first song I ever heard by them. I’ll gush all about them then. To put it short though, every time Billy Talent put out a new album I thought they could do no wrong. Dead Silence was the last new album of theirs I’ve listened to in full, I’ve never had the urge to listen to Afraid of Heights. I think my interest has obviously dwindled a bit. It’s their first two albums, though, that I can still play in full today and still feel the same way I did when I was younger when listening to them.

‘Lies’ is the fifth track on Billy Talent’s first album and is probably the hookiest one on there, with a very memorable and repetitive chorus that is also mimicked by Ian D’Sa’s guitar playing. The one aspect of Billy Talent that impressed even when I was ten was how D’Sa was able to use his guitar in a way that sounded like there were two guitarists playing at the same time and that is on show here, as he plays the song’s main riff while also keeping rhythm on the lower pitched strings.

Since I was ten years old when I heard this song for the first time, I’ve been singing along to it for all these years without really taking into consideration what it’s about. The melody of the chorus is so earwormy, it’s like one of those teasing ‘you can’t catch me’ taunts that schoolchildren sing. Not as annoying though. A quick look through the lyrics will more or less show that the track is about how lies can be disguised and come in all shapes and sizes, how they are essentially a part of life, and how they can come back to bite when someone finds that liar out. I don’t know what other Billy Talent fans think of this song. I’m not sure if the group have ever had the will to perform it in recent years. I think it’s a great album cut though. I feel like it could have been a clear single for a lot of other bands, but that would have been the easy route for this lot.

My iPod #344: Billy Talent – The Ex

Leave a reply

In the middle of Billy Talent’s first album (at least their first under that name) from 2003 comes “The Ex”, a very angry song – possibly written from personal experience by lead singer Ben Kowalewicz – about suddenly being dumped by a girlfriend and being left alone again after putting so much effort into keep that relationship going. Ben is not happy, and makes it very clear in this track.

If you’ve listened to “Billy Talent” fully, you will know how much a heel turn this track is after listening to “Lies” which is much lighter in comparison. D’Sa’s busy guitar introduction begins the song, the rhythm section kicks in a few seconds later and Ben sings about the sky turning grey and other melancholy things, before shouting the chorus wondering why he has to suffer through the shit.

This song rocks, yeah! Think I heard it when its video was available on Billy Talent’s official website, years ago when it had the yellow and red design. Those were good times. That’s where I heard “Try Honesty” and other songs from the first album for the first time too. But that’s for another time.

My iPod #227: Billy Talent – Cut the Curtains

1 Reply

I just completely messed up my dinner by leaving it on the cooker for too long. I am a bit depressed now. I had to throw it in the bin; there was no way it could be salvaged. I had the same thing to eat yesterday and it was so good…… 😦 ffs. I think that cooker is too OP, I didn’t even have it on a high flame…. I’ll just cook it tomorrow.

It almost the end of the C section on my iPod, and it is getting to the year anniversary of when I actually first started this thing. Expect the ‘D’ (hehe) next month sometime. Late Feb.

“Cut the Curtains” is a track from Billy Talent’s self-titled debut album. The ninth track on it to be exact. I first listened to the track many years ago, when I wanted to hear all the songs the band made after I’d seen them on the television when I was eight or so.

Even then it was only thirty second samples of it because I didn’t know any downloading sites where you didn’t have to pay. I did eventually get it as a present for my tenth/eleventh birthday, I am not too sure.

After all these years, I still enjoy this album just as much as when I first got it. “Cut the Curtains” isn’t the sole reason why, it is one out of twelve songs that never diminishes on energy, volume, and overall awesomeness.

This track is quite different to the others. It uses a riff, one which I think Ian D’Sa referred to as a chicken, that is practically repeated throughout the song (intro, verses, choruses and all). It probably contains the only part on the album when a track goes quiet for a few seconds. It’s not as quick and pacy as the others, but has a menacing tone and smoothness about it that you still have to move about to it. It’s cool.

The subject matter…. Artifice in a relationship? Maybe? Just a guess.