Be Advised had started this week with the realization we had to write an article. Should we review a show? We see comedy shows all the time. Should we go to a concert? Everyone loves music! But when it was brought to their attention that they could do an album review, one member was absolutely infatuated with the idea of doing an album review for one beautiful man’s newest album…
His name? Andrew Hozier-Byrne. His game? Beautiful, sad, heart wrenching songs that make you wonder why you even bother speaking because you will never be as eloquent as him.
Unreal Unearth is filled with 16 beautiful songs, no skips. I have split these songs into five categories based on how much they destroy me every time I listen.
In the “just fun to listen to” category is “Deselby pt 2,” “Eat Your Young,” “Damage Gets Done” and “Anything But.” These are the songs to listen to when you need a pick me up. Now don’t forget, this is still Hozier, so it’s going to be a sad pick me up, like decaf espresso.
Now our next category is “Ouch that hurt” with the songs “Deselby pt 1,” “First time,”“Son of Nyx,” and “First Light.” These songs will give a sting. Like medium salsa: you can taste it, but it’s not going to ruin your meal.
“I am sobbing into my cereal” includes “Who we are,” “All Things End,” “Butchered Tongue,” and “Unknown/Nth.” Now at this point you may be listening and wondering, does it get more painful than this? Yes. “The pain has transcended” category includes “To Someone From A Warmer Climate” and “Abstract (Psychopomp).” These songs are for sobbing in your shower or locking yourself in your room for multiple hours.
Our final category is “WHY GOD?? WHY!!” with the songs “I, Carrion” and “Francesca.” Now, if you think you have loved or have been loved, think again. These songs will make you question why you even downloaded Tinder in the first place. Find yourself a man like Hozier.
Fun To Listen To
“DeSelby Pt 2” dives deep into the story of “The Third Policeman” and the philosophical theories of DeSelby within that story. The point of view describes that he would “Run against the world that’s turning…move so fast that [he’d] outpace the sun.” Honestly? Iconic. “Eat Your Young” acts as commentary on capitalism and the wealthy. It talks about “Skinnin’ the children for a war drum. Puttin’ food on the table, sellin’ bombs and guns. It’s quicker and easier to eat your young”. While you listen, you may feel angry, or maybe a little bit like dancing. I will be honest, “Damage Gets Done” may be my only skip. Am I jealous that he’s singing a love song with someone who’s not me? Maybe. However, it also feels like this song talks a lot about love being more than riches and material things. While I believe this to be a true statement, I also believe it is a point of view that has been sung about many times. Being honest once again, I forgot that “Anything But” was on this album. I don’t have a ton to say about it. It has many biblical allusions and is a good song to listen to on a nice day.
Ouch, That Hurt
“De Selby (Part 1)” also deals with “The Third Policeman” and his philosophical theories, making it a great introduction to the album. It begins softly with an instrumental to die for, and as most Hozier songs, it has beautiful lyrics that require an immense amount of analysis to completely understand. The song ends in Irish and bleeds into “De Selby Part 2” perfectly. “First Time” is one of my personal favorite songs on the album, as it goes through the process of falling in and out of love. Now, I will be honest, when I first heard this song I was confused about how country-like the beginning of the song sounds. But it turns into a usual Hozier love/rock song. I’ll leave you with this lyric; “To share the space with simple living things. Infinitely suffering, but fighting off. Like all creation/the absence of itself.” And what is the lyric after this? “Well anyway”. Not only is Hozier a lyrical genius, but super chill about it. He’s a really cool guy. (Have I mentioned he’s cool? That I love him?) “Son of Nyx” is all instrumental and beautiful, making it perfect to fall asleep and wake up to. I love it. “First Light” is the final song on the album and finally shows that Hozier is getting out and growing from his past relationships. This song is a strong and fun end to the absolute destruction of your soul. 10/10.
I Am Sobbing Into My Cereal
Now we are getting into the songs that do, in fact, make me sob. “Who We Are” is another painful and beautiful love song; when talking about his love, he asks her “To hold me like water, Or Christ, hold me like a knife” meaning if she held too loose, he would fall through her fingers. And if she held on too tight, she would cut her hand. I know. I know. ARE YOU NOT LOSING YOUR MIND?? And this is only level 3. But these destructive elements are just who we are (you get it? You get the pun?). Now if you thought that was depressing, try “All Things End.” It is exactly how it sounds — everything dies, everything ends. Hozier sings, “And all things end/ All that we intend is scrawled in sand/And slips right through our hands”, giving us a little bit of hope with the lines “And just knowin’ that everything will end/ Should not change our plans when wе begin again.” Now at the time of when I had heard this song for the first time, it destroyed me, however as I now listen, Ithink it is one of his cheerier songs with a tough message. “Butchered Tongue” is a song about the Wexford Rebellion, inflicted upon Irish Rebels. It is a beautiful song and both the lyrics and the message is one to remember. “Unknown/Nth” has one of the most incredible and heartbreaking bridges to ever be written, “Do you know I could break beneath the weight/Of the goodness, love, I still carry for you? That I’d walk so far just to take/The injury of finally knowin’ you?” Must I even speak on this? Have you ever heard someone be so grateful for just having the privilege of knowing someone? Well, now you have.
The Pain Has Transcended
Now, at this point we are hitting a new level of amazement. These songs are incredible. Magical even, making them some of the best music I have ever listened to. “To Someone From A Warmer Climate (Uiscefhuaraithe)” describes the differences between someone in a warmer versus a colder climate and the struggle for warmth. Uiscefhuaraithe means water-cooled, describing how only someone in a warmer climate would find water cooling to be a pleasant experience. The lyrics of this song itself are beautiful, “And darlin’, all my dreamin’ is only put to shame. And darlin’, all my dreamin’ has only been given a name,” but I think what really sets this song apart is the way Hozier sounds while singing it as his emotion is so prevalent. “Abstract (Psychopomp)” is another one of my favorite songs on the album. This song partially describes Hozier’s experience seeing an animal get hit by a car and the way someone ran out to save its life, putting themselves in danger for the life of another. He then compares this moment in his life to what it is like to fall in love, “I remember the view, streetlights in the dark blue/The moment I knew I’d no choice but to love you.” Both instances were something life changing and left him vulnerable in ways he didn’t know before as they were both experiences that were parts of his life he had no control over (I know. I know. Incredible.)
WHY GOD?? WHY??
There may be some yelling in this section, so be prepared. I have mentioned before that hearing a love song by Hozier will destroy your perception of love forever. Well these two songs do that exactly.
We start with “I, Carrion,” a song that compares the story of Icharus and his journey to the sun, to his own of being in love. Meaning that the same euphoria Icharus felt is the same euphoria that comes with loving. Although flying too close to the sun killed Icharus, he wouldn’t take back his actions. The same way that loving someone hurt, he would not take away the experience of being loved by them. EVEN WHEN HOZIER IS FALLING TO HIS DEATH HE SINGS, “If I should fall on that day/ I only pray, don’t fall away from me.” Yes folks, You heard that right. He is not praying to live, nor is he praying to change his ways; in his final moments, HE IS PRAYING NOT TO LOSE YOU!!!! (I sob.) Onto our last and final song,“Francesca.” This is my absolute favorite song on this album and I try to listen to it at least once a day to keep my skin clear. “Francesca” tells the story of two lovers on their journey to hell, unable to experience each other on the way down. They are being accused of being lustful, while in reality they have been in love with one another. This is the chorus: “I’d tell them, ‘Put me back in it’/ I would do it again/ If I could hold you for a minute/I’d go through it again.” YES!! YES!! He is saying that he would GO THROUGH HELL AGAIN FOR JUST A MINUTE TO HOLD HER!! Do you know the LEVEL of LOVE that this song just described? THE PAIN AND TORTURE YOU’D GO THROUGH JUST TO SEE YOUR LOVER ONE LAST TIME? And if that didn’t already send you spiraling, the last line of this song is “Heaven is not made for a love like you and I.” Can you believe the audacity of this man to claim that eternal paradise can’t even fathom the love you have for one another? An all knowing and omnipotent being can’t even begin to understand your feelings for one another? That at the end of all worlds and time, the one thing never to be known or explained is the love you have for one another?
I know.
Side effects of these songs may include screaming, crying, sobbing, wondering why he doesn’t treat you the same why, deleting dating apps, knowing your own worth, growing from the experience of this album, falling down a Hozier rabbit hole, bringing him up constantly and writing a 2,000 word article on him…
For me, this album is 11/10. There is not one song I don’t love.
Although this article was an opinion piece, I highly recommend going online and looking at the way that this album connects to Dante’s Inferno and the circles of Hell. Hozier, you beautiful lyrical genius.