Imagination & the Misfit Kid

The Discovery

I remember having a few songs from Labrinth on my IPod shuffle when I was 12 years old or so, but then he slipped my mind for 10 years.

That was, until my sister introduced to me HBO's teen drama television series, Euphoria. The show is dark and gritty, yet bright and joyful. It had me hooked from the very first episode, the storytelling is bold and engaging and an integral part of that storytelling is the score - almost entirely composed by Labrinth.

It is rare that a score from a television series or movie grabs me enough to download it in it's entirety - Amelie, Chocolat, Only Lovers Left Alive, and now Euphoria. Shortly after becoming newly obsessed with Labrinth I also came across his counterpart album (a few songs of which are also in Euphoria) - Imagination and the Misfit Kid.

I was instantly in love.

Every song was vastly different from the next yet still fit together snugly and connected smoothly with it's predecessor . The instruments and vocal distortions used are diverse and unusual, the sounds are deep and layered. You can't pin down the genre - it combineds elements of Gospel, Blues and Twangy Garage Rock, there are even a few orchestral and choral moments. Truly a sumptuous feast for the ears.

It wasn't until I played it on repeat a few hundred times (much to the annoyance of my co-workers) that I noticed something deeper than just an exotic auditory experience - the entire album tells the chronological tale of a musician (presumably Labrinth himself) traversing the highs, lows and pitfalls of the music industry.

The Story

Dotted Line/ Juju Man tells us of the musician being enticed by the supposed glamour of the music industry, having grandiose dreams pumped into his head but some unknown, sinister entity.

In All For Us, the musician has made the decision to sacrifice everything for his craft, under the veiled belief that this endeavor is to support his family, but knowing deep down that his reasons are selfish. This was the final song in the last episode of Euphoria and was the reason I started looking more deeply into Labrinth and this album. This song is intense and haunting, it gives me chills every time.

The Producer drags us along with its slow, trudging beat as it outlines the frustration of the musician toiling away, waiting for "God to give [him his] piece of the pie" but never prevailing.

Somethings Got To Give continues this sentiment but finishes jubilant, proclaiming "We made it (woo hoo) gotta love it when a plan comes together".

Like A Movie revels in the lavish luxuries afforded to the musician after finally becoming a part of the upper echelon he so desperately dreamed about at the beginning of the album.

Finally, Mount Everest is an ambiguous way to end this narrative, the lyrics seemingly solidifying his triumph in fame and independence, but the somber atmosphere suggesting that there may be something more behind this, that maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be.

The Take-Away

It could be so easy for an album that follows such a tight narrative arch to come off as rigid or perhaps even preachy or cheesy, but this album is just as enjoyable to listen to without a deeper analysis. It is fun and bouncy and at time soft and mournful.

You might also expect in an album like this that each song would sound lacking once separated from the whole, but each song is complete and contained in an of itself, thoroughly gratifying listened to when removed from the story-line.

Labrinth is one of those artist that has always been silently trucking away in the background, continually creating and collaborating, as he says in his song The Producer "You can find me in the darkness , layin' tracks just like a railroad", and even though he might not frequently be in the top charts, he is consistently producing bodies of work that follow a theme and tells a story. I look forward to what he gives us next.