Y'all remember "Hemlock Grove," right? No? That's because "Hemlock Grove" was a shitty TV series and there's a reason why Netflix only let it film three seasons. Which was two seasons too long, by the way. I watched the first season, because it was an intriguing concept. A vampire and a werewolf are best friends? I'm there! But only because I have no self control when it comes to paranormal dramas. I even kept watching "Supernatural" after season 5, even though that was where the original writers intended to end the series....you know, before the producers realized that they could really rake it in by keeping it going forever. I'm serious...For. Fucking. Ever. "Supernatural" is on like season 14, which is way longer than most TV shows normally last. Anyway, even though most paranormal TV shows can be pretty lame, they usually have one thing in common....a killer soundtrack. I was constantly grabbing Shazam when I was watching "Hemlock Grove." KONGOS was one of the bands I was instantly drawn to when I found them.
Story from today - I got caught up in a conversation with some coworkers and we ended up talking about some bizarre things. Like ghosts and the world ending and other stuff, because that's where the discussion ended up going for whatever reason. It was natural, I swear. Then, someone from the peanut gallery shouted "Really fucking cheerful conversation going on over there!" (I added the f-word for color....) And the conversation died and we all wandered off, because we were all embarrassed for some reason. That's basically what "I'm Only Joking" is about. Wanting to talk about weird and creepy shit with people but then feeling like you have to cover it up as not being very serious (when it is sometimes). My filter is really careful about who I bring up certain topics with, because you never know who will show up with pitchforks at your front door. That reminds me of "The Cut-Wife" episode of "Penny Dreadful," which was super sad and I do not care to go into it right now. I don't think I've ever felt so despondent after watching an episode of something like I did when I watched the ending of "The Cut-Wife." Man, that's such an unbelievably good show, which surprised me because Josh Hartnett is a main character. But it works. You just have to trust me.
Anyway, I love "I'm Only Joking" because it sounds spooky and the lyrics are all mystical and dark....until the chorus, where it gets all chipper and the singer is trying to convince you that he just read all that crazy stuff somewhere. Perhaps in a book? Stranger things have happened...He's just fucking with you! Why so serious?! But is he really just messing with you? Probably not, but you'll accept that explanation because you want to. My favorite lyrics are in the second verse: "The Earth is alive/And Man is a parasite/And heavenly bodies make us fight." I love KONGOS' use of percussion and the incorporation of the accordion, which makes the song sound vaguely Cajun. In fact, you might even think the band hails from Louisiana just listening to their musical profile (I would consider it kind of like a darker Cowboy Mouth) but they're from South Africa. They have quite a few good songs and I highly recommend checking out their "Lunatic" album, if you have a chance. The video for "I'm Only Joking" depicts a boring guy walking into the kind of party I could see myself at.....you'll see what I mean.
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