10. Like A Movie

 Like A Movie

The intensity of this track grabs you by the collar and thrusts you into the song. A man warns us the cliche, “be careful what you wish for...” with no backing vocals or instruments, an oddly calm intro, yet just as we accept this warning Labrinth starts yelling at us in a way only he can without turning you off. When a song yells at me I have to feel yelled at but not attacked if I’m going to like it, and I sure do like this song. The volume is full of strength and power. Labrinth sings, “So many bottles of champagne” and I think, yeah! So many bottles! The power and intensity makes me believe everything Labrinth says. The vocals on this track are so insistent, forcing us to go along with whatever is said, willingly. His excitement is clearly expressed in the lyrics, even though “excited” is not the tone I would use to describe the song. The last two lines in that first intense verse sums up this excitement pretty well: “Yeah, I’ve made some money before/ But we gon’ need some suitcases.” He starts off with so much champagne and ends up with so much money suitcases are needed to hold it all. That is indeed, “like a movie”!

Although the main line is “like a movie,” there is a sort of clockwork tick-tock sound effect going on in the background towards the beginning. At times this sounds like footsteps, but as we move through the first verse it begins to sound increasingly like a clock. I’m not quite sure how those effects play into a movie theme, besides walking down a hallway in a production building. Still, it could be any hallway or floor of any given building. I don’t think the steps and clock have an explicit relevance to the “plot” of this song, but it still adds a very nice touch. Labrinth uses physical instruments in his production of this song, but implements a good amount of effects through mixing and digital software as well. He creates a sort of classic video game type sound, reminiscent of Dig Dug and Mario’s level-up. Around this time, there is a brief piano solo of fast chords which can be heard lightly in the background at the very end of the track as well. He effortlessly ties the song together in this way by repeating noticeable sounds from the beginning.

I wouldn’t expect anything less than a movie reference in a song titled “Like A Movie.” The first one being quite obvious, “Oh, I feel like Scorcese,” the famous American director, some of his most famous works being Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman. Using a big name-drop like this adds recognition to a wider audience, as Labrinth has done flawlessly in more than one other track on this album. The other movie reference is less of a cultural slap in the face, and more of a classic image. At the very end of the track, Labrinth adds the line “Roll out the red carpet for me.” The red carpet is a classic image related to movie premieres and awards. His use of cultural references pushes him into every corner of the music-listening community. This goes perfectly in line with his desire to steer clear of being tied down to any one specific genre.

If you thought the bass couldn’t get any better, you are mistaken. At the second verse, the bass drops so low I can not only feel it in my feet, but in my ears. After the second chorus however, the bass drops off a little for a bluesy, maybe slightly jazz-infused tune. A recording comes in, sounding like it was taken from a radio broadcast decades ago saying, “And he takes off to the stars.” Yet another audio effect Labrinth so seamlessly integrates into his masterpiece.

The song concludes with Labrinth freestyling vocalizations. He accompanies a guitar playing isolated power chords. Whereas we typically would say an instrument is accompanying an artist, in this case at this point in the song, Labrinth really seems to be accompanying his instrument. This is a great effect as it gives this part of the song more of a concert feel to it. Many artists will vocalize with the instrumental section or outro of their song at a concert where they somewhat freestyle and riff off of what the band is playing. The sound tapers off instead of cutting out. This gives the song a comfortable end after hyping us up so much through the rest of the song.