While the hit “Alive and Kicking” is triumphant, much of Simple Minds' catalogue explores darker corners of the psyche. “Life in a Day”, from their 1979 debut, unites paranoid lyrics with a jagged New Wave backing, and 1981's “Sons and Fascination” hints at “screaming beauty days” over slinky, minor-key synths. The dirge-like “Pleasantly Disturbed” is darker still, though Celtic strings lend a silver lining.