This review was paid for by Acting As Functional. If you too want me to review your music, or any other release of your choosing, please place a commission here.
Final verdict: 4/10 ★★☆☆☆
You know, I’ve listened to a whole bunch of music in my life, yet these two songs by United Kingdom-based singer-songwriter Acting As Functional really took me aback in new and unexpected ways. Whenever I receive a request to review a certain music release, rarely am I fully prepared to dive into it all, and this, of course, was no exception – nothing could possibly brace me for the majestic world that I was about to face. But well, I had to put my big girl hat on and confront the beast. Thus I gave these two tracks a listen – nay, several listens – in the process realizing that this is a project that is as surrealistic as it is disarmingly ordinary.
For you see, what we got here is two bare bones compositions that are about as singer-songwriter as they come. With very minimalistic instrumentation backing Acting As Functional up, his songwriting shines through in a quite menacing fashion. And that is neither a good or a bad thing, at least not objectively so – it should all come down to personal preference. Do you enjoy this kind of songwriting? Do you not? Since the songs are both so simply arranged, it all boils down to taste with regards to songwriting.
Me, personally? I’d say I dig it! While I do reckon that Acting As Functional has a long way to go with regards to honing his craft (for reasons I will further detail below), this is a pretty promising effort to start off with. You see, the lyrics are nothing overly showy, but they are certainly unique, and quite disorienting – case in point, “Parachute” appears to touch upon themes of mortality, ephemerality, perseverance, the spiritual realm, and more, all in a matter of 1 minute and 37 seconds. It’s a rather dizzying ride.
“We Dance We Party We Are In the Window As We Hide Behind the Curtain” is even more surreal in its mannerisms, as its title might suggest. It’s about *checks notes* dancing, partying, disco-ing, hiding behind the curtain, jumping up and down from top to bottom, all neverendingly. Perplexing stuff, I’m tellin’ you. I quite enjoyed the turn of phrase at “He needs to hit the high notes / Read that demand note / That’s addressed to you and me”, although the rest of the song appears to be lacking in substance and aimlessly wandering back and forth between different settings that are quite elusive and tough to comprehend.
And you see, all that sounds bad, and it could very well be, but I think I like it precisely because I am a sucker for whacky (and perhaps experimental?) lyricism. I think that more important than wit in art is lack thereof – sometimes a song just needs to be asinine, and that is alright. If anything, the lyricism here feels like pure stream of consciousness, not for every one person to understand, but rather for each person to find their own meaning in it. I think that’s a beautiful thing, and certainly a welcome element threading these two songs together.
The actual melodies are nothing to write home about, but I do appreciate their presence. As for the recording, it is quite lo-fi with the vocals upfront (maybe too upfront), but that adds to the endearing, intimate atmosphere, so I’ll let it pass. I love myself a good DIY situation – it really doesn’t get more punk than that.
I do genuinely have faith in Acting As Functional’s future potential. Though his current work may be indicative of some creative confusion, I do believe that if he keeps at it, he’ll have something major in his hands. It’s this way with everybody – write a handful of songs, they’ll be less than stellar, but carry on brightly, and over time, you’ll make it. May Acting As Functional have the same destiny. Inshallah.
For now, though, I will have to give these songs a combined rating of 4/10. “Parachute” gets a modest 3/10, while “We Dance We Party We Are In the Window As We Hide Behind the Curtain” (my favorite song of the couple) gets a whopping 5/10 for its absurd yet entertaining lyricism and its confusing nature. Dear Acting As Functional, please keep writing songs, you’re getting there!
Silia 
Leave a comment