Tongue Tied by Grouplove

I really love the introduction to this song. It starts out pretty classy with a light strum of soft guitar and, pretty quickly, other instruments get layered on top of it. I think the basic melody of the introduction and the contrast of certain chords, coupled with a fantastic crescendo in the first 20 seconds of the song really reeled me in like a fish caught on a hook. It builds up so much suspense, the first time I heard it, I had no idea where the song was going to go. It could have branched off into any genre of music, yet it decided to take a route that makes my stomach do a flip from sheer awesomeness.

Tongue Tied, while not having nearly the caliber of Too Close by Alex Clare, also possesses certain dubstep-esque qualities, that make it really interesting to listen to. A quick build up and drop mirrors dubstep while, after the drop, the instrumentals sound a bit more like synthesized guitar and bass sounds. I tend to like limited amounts of this and Grouplove’s song sprinkles it in like a pinch of salt: Not enough to overpower the song, yet enough to make it taste good to the ears. I also found it refreshing that they used vocals in the build-up instead of car-crash sounding screeches as in dubstep.

This song stops short of making me want to full-out dance, but it definitely has a series of good beats, melodic contrast, and strong lead vocals making me sway in my chair. I think the vocals are surprisingly strong in this song and it is incorporated really well into the general aura it brings. Because of a shift in lead vocals (from guy to girl) mixed in with a constant rhythm and melody, this song reminds me of a classic garage-band type of music. It sounds fresh and interesting in a time where music is highly processed. While achieving it merely from the fabric of the song, Grouplove arguably attains a personal vibe similar to the Beatles. They get away with changing vocalists because I feel it tells the song’s story better and offers a more care-free atmosphere to the listener.

I don’t particularly like the lyrics of this song. I also don't necessarily approve of the message in the lyrics or music video. While I don’t think the lyrics offer much to the song or the musical story, other aspects are able to make up for this and ultimately make it a wickedly good jam. Overall, this song sprouts a feeling of rebellion that matches rock’s original roots, yet incorporates a lot of cool instrumentals and sounds, to unify this pretty epic rock song.

While I don’t enjoy the music video itself very much (I feel like it takes away from, rather than add to, the musical skill utilized in the song) it has the best audio quality. Personally, you may enjoy the contents of the video and how the story is interpreted. As for me, I’ll stick with music analysis. The music doesn't actually start until 25 seconds into the video if you wanted to get straight to the music. Here is Tongue Tied by Grouplove: