[T170] ‘Always/Never’

Released on: Lifeblood (Album #7), Sony Records, 1 November 2004
Track: 9

With a title which recalls both [T82] ‘Enola/Alone’ and the more recent [B158] ‘Everyone Knows/Nobody Cares’, ‘Always/Never’ is conceptually more similar to the latter song. ‘Enola/Alone’ – also an album track, from Everything Must Go – employed backwards words in its lyrics, while ‘Always/Never’ focused on the tension of contradicting thoughts and feelings.

The idea lends itself to fairly simple lyrics, as suits the prevailing style of Lifeblood. As with other tracks on the LP, ‘Always/Never’ impresses more in its instrumentation, which has relatively “heavier”, more tense feel compared with most other recordings of the period. The verses have an unsettled feel created by some distortion on the main vocal line, a layered vocal, and the persistent synth drones in the background – by contrast, the chorus feels cleaner and more upbeat, suiting the “longing” referred to in the lyrics.

Choice Lyric (Full Lyrics)
“always wanting more”