The Right Amount Is The Entire Pound

Titus Andronicus “Dimed Out”

I didn’t like the mix of this song at first because everything was blaring to the point of obscuring the lyrics, and I interpreted it as this very contrary indie/punk move to put the vocals lower in the mix. But having heard it in the context of The Most Lamentable Tragedy, it’s clear that this is intentional, and crucial to the theme of the song – you just don’t do a punk song about feeling like only the loudest things make you feel anything at all and not dramatize that sensation. “Dimed Out” is a fun and often funny song, but it’s also a very accurate expression of the manic stage of manic depression. All the thoughts are sharp and urgent, but warped by a sort of false intensity. You lose all sense of emotional dynamic, and only the extremes seem true. In this song, that feeling is exciting and empowering, because that’s often how it feels in the moment. The burnout comes later on, but for the duration of “Dimed Out,” it’s all adrenaline and catharsis.

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