Sunday 20 February 2022

The State We're In

 


Trust Me #31 - The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

The Chemical Brothers have worked with Beth Orton on a number of occasions over the years. I was reminded of how well they gel when I started watching the excellent BBC adaption of Adam Kay's This Is Going To Hurt the other night. You'll find it on the iPlayer. It's emotional, gripping, real, funny and it has an excellent soundtrack.

In one episode a shattered and fragile Kay stumbles from his work into the dying embers of his friends stag do. The State We're In by The Chems kicks in, a psychedelic folk ballad spliced with electronic goodness. What a choice of song to portray this moment, it works beautifully.

I must have listened to it a dozen times this week. 6 minutes 27 seconds of genius. Lysergic, dreamy, trippy, gentle yet euphoric ... Orton's voice rises and falls at all the right moments, in all the right ways, the Chems bring the beats in just when you need them and create all kinds of glorious noises as they go.

Orton earned the tag of comedown queen in the 90's, The State We're In is the perfect example of why, yet the closing 85 seconds see The Chemical Brothers lift the song to the stars - sublime.

Never said it was sunshine but you took it all of the time

All of the time, all of the time, all of the time

You took it all of the time

Beth Orton's beautiful Trailer Park and Central Reservation albums are being reissued on Record Store Day on 23rd April.

You'll find a list (and links to) of all the previous songs featured in the Trust Me series below.

And you can check them all out via my Spotify playlist by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me or by CLICKING HERE


Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke
28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze
29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor


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