Big Science
Big Science by Laurie Anderson is an illogical album filled with odd sounding melodies and even weirder lyrics. Fans of anomalous messages in songs will be intrigued by this experiment by Anderson.
"From the Air" has rhythmic drum work along with unintelligible sounds as Anderson talks as if she is a stewardess on an airplane. In a strangely calm voice she instructs the passengers on the usual procedures involved during an aerial collision. "Good evening. This is your Captain. We are about to attempt a crash landing. Please extinguish all cigarettes. Place your tray tables in their upright, locked position. Your Captain says: Put your head on your knees. Your Captain says: Put your head on your hands. Captain says: Put your hands on your head."
The title track has tribal noises accompanied by what sounds like deep organ play. Anderson's vocals are very low, like a whisper, and they echo as she speaks them. In the intro, she also seems to imitate an animal with lines like, "Coo coo it's cold outside. Coo coo it's cold outside. Coo coo coo. Don't forget your mittens. Hey Pal! How do I get to town from here?" Anderson's lyrics convey a search for a particular chilly place.
On "Sweaters" listeners will hear Anderson's wailing vocals. They are sung in a low-key tone and they linger. This might annoy listeners, making them turn off the song and the album altogether. But then drums and bagpipes present themselves, which makes for an interesting rhythm to the song. Anderson sings such lines as, "I no longer love your mouth. I no longer love your eyes. I no longer love your eyes. I no longer love the color of your sweaters. I no longer love it." It seems Anderson is stating in this song how she has ceased to adore any part of a certain man in her life, including his physical features and even his clothing.
On "Born, Never Asked" the intro again begins with Anderson tranquilly speaking, and in the background there is slight percussion giving the song a beatnik feel. The introduction starts off with lines such as, "It was a large room, full of people. All kinds, and they had all arrived at the same building at more or less the same time. And they were all free, and they were all asking themselves the same question. What is behind that curtain?" It seems Anderson is giving a synopsis of a woman giving birth, having all of her relatives and friends come to the hospital to await the coming of the new arrival to the family. Yet, Anderson's voice sounds quite somber as she describes a normally joyous scene.
"Big Science" by Laurie Anderson is one record that admirers of abnormal undercurrents will eat up. Anderson seems to treat the entire album as a project to see if her messages will be received in the way she intended. It's up to the listeners to decide if her goal has been reached.