That Song On TV: TOO CLOSE by Alex Clare

By Lauren White
 Call me strange, but I use my television more for background chatter rather than its intended purpose of watching it. Usually an hour or two will pass before I look up and see that some horrible reality cooking show has been playing. That being said, I will ignore most of the commercials that happen during that time period, even if it has some “flavor of the week” radio hit attached to it. A few weeks ago, that all changed.

A strain of sand papery vocals mixed with dubstep managed to jar me from my studying trance and draw my eyes to the television. A closer look at the product being advertised, Internet Explorer 9, led to an eye roll and an immediate return to my work. After a minute or so, I found myself humming the song and racking my brain for any snippet of information about it. A quick Google search for “Internet Explorer 9 song” led to the information I was seeking. The music was the work of London-based singer/song writer Alex Clare. Specifically sought out for the ad by the director, Clare’s work supposedly exemplifies the brand personality of Internet Explorer 9, which is fast and fluid. While you are laughing at the thought of Internet Explorer being any of those things, it is time to find out more about this multi-genre artist, let's listen...

The instrumental starts out with a dramatic synthesizer chord progression into a simple guitar and piano accompaniment and an electronic drum beat. Clare’s raw vocals adds an interesting layer of texture to the song, shying away from the predictable smooth and sweeping vocals that are often associated with acoustic guitar. The chorus is where the surprise comes in. Appearing to follow the trend of a few British pop artists (The Wanted, I’m looking at you), a dubstep sample is sprinkled in to give it an extra kick. At first, it was the seemingly random dubstep sample that was heard in the commercial that drew me in. However, I did begin to wonder why would someone put it within a song that would sound good with basic instrumentation and if it was an effort to be trendy. After much deliberation, I settled on the idea that it added other interesting layer to the texture of the song. “Too Close” is made up of many contrasting elements, from Alex Clare’s aggressive, but melodic vocals to the wobble bass and syncopation of the dubstep chorus, which fit in with the mood of the lyrics.

The lyrics are an illustration of the inner struggle of a person in a smothering relationship. The person loves their significant other, but has lost a sense of their self-identity during the relationship. The text is explanation of why the person has to end the relationship, even though the love is still there. There is not a use of any literary elements that most pop songs employ, such as metaphors and similes. The language is simple, as if it could easily be a note to the lover and not sound incredibly cheesy. It is like what some painters believe: it may not be super ornate, but it is honest and real.

The music video for “Too Close” was a little disappointing. It begins with the dramatic introduction as Alex sits in a dilapidated warehouse while shots of some kind fighters suit up. When he starts singing, it is revealed that the fighters are kendo artists and weld their shinai, or wooden swords, prepared to spar. This is pretty much the entire video, with the fighters only going all out during the chorus. At the end, one of the fighters is threaten with the tip of the sword at his throat and is forced to submit. While this is going on, Alex is still singing in that cold warehouse, all by himself. It feels like the video would have been more interesting if they still had the shots with the kendo fighters, but to show Clare and his significant other paralleling the action outside, complete with pleading and over the top arguing gestures. The concept was presented in its skeleton form, but could have really been fleshed out a bit more to make is appealing to a broader audience.

Would I recommend the song to anyone? Of course, you can appreciate it on a complex level or as simply music that makes you move. While the music video was not on par with the song, do not let it detract you from checking out more of Alex Clare’s music.

He will surely be a part of the “British Invasion” that the U.S. is experiencing currently and gain many new fans.

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