It's easy to find references to Page throughout the album, since the band addresses his departure (not so subtly) right away with the first song on the album, "You Run Away." It's a somber pop ballad that tempers its melancholic melody with some almost acrimonious lyrics in the chorus ("I'll give you something you can cry about.") The words are the story of a close friendship deteriorating, and they cast shadows across the rest of the album. So, when Robertson sings, "Can you forgive me for what I had to do? I'd use a metaphor but I'm done with you," on the hard-rocking, "I Have Learned," it's hard not to think about Page, even if the song isn't overtly about him. The little lyrical flourishes of anger and betrayal abound, but so do notes of forgiveness and acceptance. The album gets its title from an upbeat iTunes bonus song, which goes "In time the pain heals at least, all in good time." It's sung by Kevin Hearn, whose fragile voice is usually accompanied by folksier instrumentation on the songs he sings, and it goes a long way towards indicating that All in Good Time might just hold the necessary lashing out in anger that the band needed to unload hand-in-hand with the notes of reconciliation and growth they need to move forward.
The emotions of its backstory also color the album's sonic palette, which in places is more aggressive than anything this traditionally pop band have ever done. "Summertime," which follows "You Run Away," sets this tone by wrapping an otherwise charming song about surviving the winter and hoping for summer inside positively Zeppelin-esque riffs played jarringly on chunky, fuzzy guitar. More straight-forward rock can be heard in the simmering "I Have Learned" and "How Long," which builds towards a ripping guitar solo in the classic rock tradition. True, this is rock music through the BNL prism, which is admittedly brighter than just about any rock band in history, but for BNL they recall little before them except "Wind It Up" from Are Me.
Most of the album, however, is good ol' BNL pop, continuing their ongoing maturing process that's been developing over the decades. For those who only know BNL as "One Week," "Another Postcard," and "If I Had $1,000,000," the level of maturity and (yes) artistry in their back catalog may be surprising. While All in Good Time doesn't have any stone-cold classics on first listen, it is a solid entry in their discography. It's a less "fun" album, more akin to Maroon in that sense, with a few other moments worth mentioning. "Four Seconds" has to be written about. It's a concoction that sounds like Beck sampled Django Reinhardt, and then Ed Robertson throws some of his "One Week" freestyling flow over it. It's endlessly listenable, somehow. "Watching the Northern Lights" deserves praise, too. Another Kevin Hearn song, it's a ballad winsomely sung over echoing guitar that slowly morph into looping synths. It's a subtle effect that elevates a lovely tune. It's also the kind of trick BNL should be known for, instead of their unfortunate reputation as a band singing sophomoric songs about monkeys and other novelty ephemera.
BNL isn't just a band in transition within themselves; they're a band that's lost their place in the culture. Novelty humor pop has moved on to the Lonely Island and Flight of the Conchords, but that's never the genre BNL was comfortable in. Their brand of genuine alternapop is perhaps usurped by fellow Canadians, Stars (also due to release an album this year.) None of the songs on All in Good Time will likely crack the top 40 and BNL is probably too old and with too much perceived baggage to be accepted by the indie pop community. They are, however, back with major label distribution, so there is hope. If there's one thing that can be learned, it's that the Barenaked Ladies aren't going to be calling it quits. It just remains to be seen if they have any more hits in them.
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