Just picked up Lily Allen’s new album It’s Not Me, It’s You. It’s kind of fucking brilliant. On one level it’s the sounds of a reformed party girl settling down, making ammends and working her way painfully through the 12 step program and yet, the more you listen to the “serious tracks” like “Everyone’s At It” and “Back to the Start” the more you start to hear the cheeky wit and sarcasm of a 22 year old girl who truly believes “It’s not Her, It’s You.”
Today is a good day. New Mr. Children song releases through digital download (not my favorite of their songs but it’s nice) and the announcement of their next studio album which drops in December called, ready for this? Supermarket Fantasy.
Now, my first reaction was WTF FTW? but after the initial surprise abated the album title started to make sense. Sakurai has talked about how the next album will be a continuation of the theme HOME and when do we feel that “nicjiyjou” that “everydayness” more than when we go to the supermarket?
It’s ritual. It’s routine. It cements us to a place and concept of who we are. Buying food in such quantities is a promise that said foodstuffs will be prepared and served at some point thus preserving the HOME. So the question is then what does the word fantasy have to do with it? Does he mean ”kuusou” as in daydream or “gensou” as in illusion/delusion? I would tend to think he means “kuusou” as in daydream. And I’ll tell you why.
We are so in the moment when we shop for food, we become cognizant of the expectations upon us (i.e. someone has to prepare the food, or the food is being prepared for someone presumably) In such a moment it’s easy to see what’s important in your life but also what is missing.
I like to think of those times when you’re standing in the checkout aisle, and you’re confronted by celebrity scandal or glamour and you start to daydream about the fabulous lives of others and in a way what could have been or may yet be in your own life.
Perhaps the Supermarket Fantasy of the album title is about having a moment to reflect upon who you are, and what matters to you.
Or maybe Sakurai has visions of sugar plums dancing in his head. =P
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