By Robin Ervolina
It's been One Week since I received the advance copy of Barenaked Ladies new CD Fake Nudes. There is something so homey about the first few strums of one of their well-crafted tunes, something so satisfying about the first lines, or any line, of any one of their songs. Whether you're a long-time fan, or you're Falling for the First Time, If I Had 1,000,000 dollars I'd wager to bet the new Barenaked Ladies CD Fake Nudes will surprise and delight you. All the BNL character and talent is intact, but this is not entirely the BNL you'd expect; Fake Nudes illustrates that it has, in fact NOT, All Been Done yet.
Opening track "Canada Dry" is everything I love about Barenaked Ladies. The lyrics are strokes on the canvas of song, placed carefully and effortlessly by a master of his craft. If you've ever returned to the scene of a great love affair and found yourself stranded by the memories, this is your tune. Following is "Bringing It Home." The message is inspiring; bust out a life worth living. However in retrospect, what makes it really special is the little bit of island flare in the intro providing the first glimpse that BNL is here to play. Another great anthem of dealing with life like a champ is "Lookin' Up." It's unbelievably peppy, and upholds a message of positivity. It's textbook BNL and it's going to be a communal singalong live. I'm serious. Bring your lighter app for your phone. This will end a set and bring down a house.
Here's where things start to get interesting. For Fake Nudes, Barenaked Ladies 15th studio album, the guys seem to have thrown a ton of caution into a headstrong wind. There are influences that are obvious: Simon and Garfunkle in "Dusty Rooms" and "Flying Dreams," some 90s smooth groove in "We Took The Night," and even some Beach Boys Meets Zappa in "Bag of Bones." The eclectic nature of Fake Nudes is intoxicating. There are comfort zones and surprises along the way, but one thing is certain; the storytellers are alive and well.
There are a fair amount of turned down tunes in Fake Nudes. "Sunshine" drops the mood with a steady rim shot and a gorgeous melody that guides you into Ed Robertson's prose. An intro like this begs the listener to pay attention to lyrics like these:
Sunshine burns your skin / sometimes the things we love so much just eat us up from the outside in / oceans' blue will drown / I could find a way to live with your ghost but I won't be happy until I leave this town"Navigate" is a gentle ballad with a melody that floats in space and lyrics that ground you to your dreams. It's one of my favorite respite tunes on this CD. "You And Me" is a soulmate love song that pays homage to one of my favorite movies with the line "I'll be your Wesley and you'll be my Buttercup." This is why I love Barenaked Ladies. They get me. They just get me. "The Township of King" wraps Fake Nudes up like the snow white bow on a Tiffany blue box. It's a beautiful fairy tale style story at the outset that quickly turns gloomy as a yellow bird warns our protagonist that paradise is paveable.
There's some bizarre stuff going on in Fake Nudes no doubt, but I posture they can get away with it. Their content is engaging, introspective, and the delivery is both everything you expect and nothing you were prepared for. Barenaked Ladies will be touring with Better Than Ezra and KT Tunstall as celebrated guests on their “Last Summer on Earth 2018” tour kicking off on June 1st and wrapping up on July 15th. With each ticket purchased, fans receive a download of BNL’s new album Fake Nudes. Tour dates are listed below, but if you can't wait, Fake Nudes can be pre-ordered now and releases for purchase at all major music retailers on November 17th, 2017.
Last Summer on Earth 2018 Tour Dates
| Friday, June 1st | Prior Lake, MN | Mystic Lake Casino Hotel |
| Saturday, June 2nd | Kansas City, MO | Starlight Theatre |
| Sunday, June 3rd | Council Bluffs, IA | Stir Cove at Harrah's Casino |
| Wednesday, June 6th | Missoula, MT | Big Sky Brewing Company |
| Thursday, June 7th | Boise, ID | Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden |
| Friday, June 8th | Troutdale, OR | Edgefield |
| Saturday, June 9th | Redmond, WA | Marymoor Park |
| Tuesday, June 12th | Saratoga, CA | The Mountain Winery* - On sale TBD |
| Friday, June 15th | Los Angeles, CA | Greek Theatre |
| Saturday, June 16th | Las Vegas, NV | Red Rock Resort Spa & Casino - Sandbar |
| Tuesday, June 19th | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| Thursday, June 21st | Indianapolis, IN | Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park |
| Friday, June 22nd | Milwaukee, WI | Riverside Theater |
| Saturday, June 23rd | Cincinnati, OH | PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center |
| Sunday, June 24th | Toledo, OH | Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre |
| Tuesday, June 26th | Philadelphia, PA | Mann Center for the Performing Arts |
| Wednesday, June 27th | Brooklyn, NY | Ford Amphitheatre at Coney Island |
| Friday, June 29th | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun |
| Saturday, June 30th | Gilford, NH | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion |
| Sunday, July 1st | Boston, MA | Blue Hills Bank Pavilion |
| Monday, July 2nd | Vienna, VA | The Filene Center – Wolf Trap |
| Wednesday, July 4th | Raleigh, NC | The Red Hat Amphitheater |
| Thursday, July 5th | Charlotte, NC | Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre |
| Friday, July 6th | St. Augustine, FL | Saint Augustine Amphitheatre |
| Monday, July 9th | Baltimore, MD | Pier Six Pavilion** - On sale December 8th |
| Tuesday, July 10th | Lewiston, NY | Artpark |
| Wednesday, July 11th | Columbus, OH | Express Live! |
| Friday, July 13th | Chicago, IL | Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island |
| Saturday, July 14th | Clarkston, MI | DTE Energy Music Theatre |
| Sunday, July 15th | Cleveland, OH | Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica |
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