Thoughts on Opheliac

I'm writing this down in case Luna asks me what I think, so I can have a good talk about it with her. (Even though I consider us to be friends now, we still have awkward silences sometimes. The longer I can keep a conversation going, the better.)

So here's what I think of the album, song-by-song:

1. "Opheliac": I thought this was one of the most lyrically interesting tracks. It paints an interesting picture of a character — though the title refers to Ophelia, the line "it's the Opheliac in me" seems to suggest that Emilie Autumn is also singing from personal experience. I think the song may quote Hamlet directly at one point, but I'm not sure; it's been a while since I read Hamlet. I'll have to look it up, or ask Dad. He'd know. (I wonder if Luna has read Hamlet?)
2. "Swallow": I suppose this is a song about depression. I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics the first time, but upon looking them up it seems clear that it's about being clinically depressed. (Or perhaps bipolar?) At one point she says that her "torment" isn't romantic, which I liked.
3. "Liar": This is probably my favorite. It sounds angrier than the other tracks to me; a little more raw, perhaps. It's also a song about being emotionally manipulated, which I can relate to.
4. "The Art of Suicide": Pretty, though melancholy. I don't have any strong feelings about it.
5. "I Want My Innocence Back": I like this one a lot, though more for musical reasons than because of the lyrics.
6. "Misery Loves Company": I like this one too; again, more for musical reasons. I'm not sure what it's about. I'll ask Luna if she has any ideas.
7. "God Help Me": This one sounds like it's about abuse or rape.
8. "Shalott": This is a very pretty song; very poetic and the melody is lovely. I don't know what the title is in reference to. I'll look it up later.
9. "Gothic Lolita": I haven't read Lolita, though, again, I wonder if the literary reference is central, because it seems to also stem from personal experience. Her singing on this track is quite... hammy, I suppose is the word. It'd be funny if not for the subject matter. This one is genuinely creepy and disturbing.
10. "Dead Is The New Alive": I didn't like this one the first time I heard it. Now I think it may be my other favorite, besides "Liar". The lyrics are clever and it's also quite catchy.
11. "I Know Where You Sleep": Creepy, but funny, too.
12. "Let the Record Show": Also creepy, but decidedly less funny.
13. This track is a bunch of recording outtakes. It's pretty entertaining.
14. "Thank God I'm Pretty": Normally I would find this song annoying, because it's a pretty woman bemoaning her prettiness, but she does make a case for it, and it's a funny song too.
15. "Dominant": This is an instrumental track. It's pretty but I'm not much for instrumentals.
16. "306": I skipped this track the first time because I thought it was another instrumental, but it isn't. The lyrics are quite strange. I'm not quite sure what it's about. Somebody drowning, I guess?
17. "Gloomy Sunday": The violin part to this is beautiful. I didn't pay too much attention to the lyrics.
18. "Asleep": I've listened to this song twice now and I still haven't formed much of an impression of it.
19. "Mad Girl (Acoustic Version)": Probably another one about Ophelia. I should really see if Luna's read Hamlet.
20. "The Art of Suicide (Acoustic Version)": Well, I already said what I think of the non-acoustic version, so...
21. "Thank God I'm Pretty (Shoegaze Version)": I'm not sure what shoegaze is and even less sure that I like it.
22. "Largo For Violin": Another instrumental track. I must say that it's a beautiful one, though.
23. "Marry Me": I like this song a lot; it's funny, and the lyrics are clever.
24. This track is an excerpt from her book.
25. This track's an interview. Emilie Autumn seems more than slightly crazy in it. I expect that's on purpose.
26. This track is a poem. It's hard to listen to because of the way it's edited.
27. "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches": This is a variation on that jumprope rhyme, "Miss Lucy Had A Tugboat" or whatever it was called. It's very dark and humorous. I enjoyed it.
28. Some sort of hidden track. It startled me the first time. In the track, a male narrator explains that all women run the risk of becoming mad, and none are immune.