The Bicycles Pedal Their Way Into Your Heart
By: Cheryl Stornelli
Oh No, It's Love may follow The Bicycles' usual 1960s bubblegum pop sound, but the themes of the album take an unexpected turn toward unbearable heartbreak and fear. The album takes you on a rollercoaster ride; each song bravely admitting to fears of vulnerability. Amidst the wide variety of song styles are lyrics that ooze with hurt and pain, sung in perfect, yet opposite combination with cheerful melodies. Meshing the two contrasting song styles together creates a somewhat eerie feeling; you're left dancing to songs that echo hard and difficult times.
"It's still our traditional pop songs when you actually listen to them, but with more meaning," says singer and drummer Dana Snell. "The two different kinds of songs together are kind of creepy, but we couldn't write a fully sad song if we tried. It always comes out with our usual pop feel."
With the album's theme and sound being on opposite ends of the spectrum, it becomes difficult to gain an accurate idea of what The Bicycles are actually like as people. In comparison to their previous album, The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly, their latest release carries a darker feel and weightier subject matters. The Bicycles may be full of inner struggle or may see everything as sunshine and lollipops – then there's always the possibility that they're erratic control freaks who run from the slightest feeling of vulnerability.
"We're actually all kind of grumpy. We're not running around hugging everyone, but we're not sourpusses either. I guess you would just have to meet us and decide for yourself. People may get the impression we're just having fun, but we know how to be serious and still have fun," explains Snell.
What it comes down to is that The Bicycles are like each and every one of us. They're vulnerable in sensitive situations; they consistently put themselves on the chopping block with every new release, every new performance and every new contributor. In fact, The Art of Loving, a motivational book that teaches readers how to overcome their fears, inspired much of Oh No, It's Love.
"It's all about how to overcome your fears of loving and being vulnerable. It's about the fear of getting out of a serious relationship and licking your wounds. It's also all about how frightening it is to fall in love and how it's often something you want to run from," explains Snell.
Unlike The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly, which took about four years to complete due to each band member producing their own songs with complete creative control, Oh No, It's Love was recorded in just over a year, live off the floor at Head Wounds studio. (And yes, the band actually hit their heads on the studio's very low ceilings.)
But even with fears of vulnerability running high, The Bicycles' newest release is littered with contributing musicians. Each member gave their song files to other musicians to overdub at their leisure, emphasizing their multi-layer sound and resulting in two long rows of contributors listed in the album's liner notes.
"Even our demo was layered. I like the contributors on there. It doesn't bother me because we still had final say, and it's actually a nice bonus. It's an exciting atmosphere when everyone is thinking of ideas and putting them down," shares Snell.
Having lost their previous bass player with no sign of a good fill-in, everyone except Snell began to learn bass for the new songs, with various members taking over depending on whose style suited what song. "We just try and make the switching as smooth as possible. There's a lot of it, but it ends up really interesting because everyone has their own style. It's exactly like that on album with the number of contributors we had. But the live show is just us."
Oh No, It's Love is made up of a whopping 19, mostly hit-and-run style tracks, all with a perfect blend of sweet vocals and catchy melodies. Even with an extensive number of contributors, The Bicycles managed to maintain their identity and old fans without straying too far from their '60s pop feel while throwing in some country, easy rock and metal pop influences.
Though it may be difficult and scary to open up and let something so cherished be played with by other musicians, it doesn't seem to bother Snell or the rest of the band. To follow the out-of-the-ordinary interactive DVD board game that accompanied The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly, the band is considering handing over their songs from the new album to be turned into dance remixes.
"With the contributors on the album we still had creative control when we got the tracks back. For the remixes, we'll just be handing them over. I don't think we'll hate it and I don't think it will damage the songs. We're fans of the people who want to remix it so it's going to be awesome."
Ironically, the band sees the opportunity to have someone skew and change their songs as fun and exciting. "We've had a couple people interested in turning our songs into dance remixes. We can just let people put their own spin onto our songs. The album is already out, the songs aren't going away. I guess the only danger would be if they become more popular than the original songs, then we've created a monster!" Snell exclaims.
As Oh No, It's Love creatively explores the rollercoaster ride of love, it effortlessly inspires listeners to stare their fears in the face. Although The Bicycles' newest release is not likely intended to change or manipulate your outlook on life or love, you may just find yourself a step closer to overcoming your fears of vulnerability and saying oh yes, to love.
Video: "Oh No, It's Love" by The Bicycles
