On First Listen…
Album Reviews from the Inferno Staff
Issue date: 11/5/02 Section: Music
A New Day At Midnight
By David Gray
(RCA)
2 out of 5
David Gray found most of his early success in America by touring along side Radiohead on their tour supporting their album, The Bends. Back then, Gray built his songs from simple three-piece arrangements, relying on cleaver songwriting and heartfelt lyrics.
David Gray's successful White Ladder came as a surprise to most Gray fans that didn't expect the contemporary sound and slick production. White Ladder brought modern drum programming and a larger palate of sound to Gray, which made him perfect for radio play on adult contemporary radio.
After releasing a demo collection called Lost Songs, Gray gave new fans a taste of what he had been doing his entire career; he came to an interesting place. Either he could keep going down the more synthetic path of White Ladder, or perhaps use his new fame to make more ambitious recordings.
Much to the detriment of his new album, A New Day At Midnight, David Gray took the commercial-driven path.
A New Day At Midnight, although easy on the ears, is ignorable at best. The album is so watered down with soulless, synthetic beats and wishy-washy keyboards that it is hard to find the song inside of its glitzy packaging.
Perhaps the only salvageable songs from A New Day At Midnight are the opening and closing tracks, "Dead In the Water" and "The Other Side," respectively.
David Gray is at his worst on the third to last song, "Be Mine," where it sounds as if Gray is trying to re-create "Drops of Jupiter."
So for those who like David Gray, but wish he were more like Train, A New Day At Midnight is a solid buy. Everyone else would probably be better off buying his older material.
—Cary Weisgram
Divine Discontent
By Sixpence None the Richer
(Reprise)
3 out of 5
Anyone who has stepped foot in any American mall after 1998 has definitely heard Sixpence None the Richer's last big hit song, "Kiss Me." Dwelling in the relative obscurity of Christian popular music, "Kiss Me," launched Sixpence into the mainstream and episodes of Dawson's Creek.
Despite all that, Sixpence None the Richer have crafted quite an album with their newest one, Divine Discontent.
Although too soft rock for most musical tastes, Sixpence creates modestly beautiful melodies, accessible to light rockers worldwide. Probably by Reprise's suggestion, Sixpence takes a less heavy-handed approach to religion in their music. Where most Christian music often ends up sounding like a cheesy commercial for faith, Sixpence keeps references to their God vague enough to not shut out listeners. Of course, upon learning of Sixpence None the Richer's roots in Christian pop, it is very easy to pick out the references.
—Cary Weisgram
Scarlet's Walk
By Tori Amos
(Epic)
4 out of 5
Once upon a time, there was a woman named Scarlet who walked coast to coast, across America. This is the story Tori Amos tells her latest musical offering, Scarlet's Walk.
The limited edition of the album comes with stickers, snapshots, a tiny charm and a supplementary DVD. Essentially, it is evident that Tori's vision here was to tell an American story through the eyes of one woman who has a chance to see it all. Each musical piece is an attempt to engender a feeling in listeners and allow them to live Scarlet's experiences with her—and it works.
The first song released, "A Sorta Fairytale" is a lively, breathless song that feels as if it should be accompanying the rolling credits of some inspiring film.
"Carbon" has a lonely piano opening reminiscent of her landmark album, "Little Earthquakes." On contrary, the song writing is sparse, like the songs on "To Venus and Back."
"Crazy", a warm, cozy and somewhat twangy song, is like Kate Bush meets '70's R & B love songs. Go figure, but it includes one of the coolest lines on the album — "first let's unzip your religion down".
Actually, that's one thing that older fans may find displeasing about Scarlet's Walk, that her song writing is becoming more accessible to the masses. However, it would be hard for many of them to say that she has failed to evolve as an artist.
Amos' last album, Strange Little Girls, though acclaimed, seemed like more of a potboiler and an attempt to pacify fans. Scarlet's Walk, in contrast, is an unforgettable journey that brings the best of Tori's contributions to the musical world full circle.
—Louise Tripp
( )
by Sigur Ros
(MCA)
4 out of 5
Fresh off the cult success of their 2001 album, Agaetis Byrjun, Sigur Ros have created yet another masterpiece. To those unfamiliar with Sigur Ros, their music can best be described as Radiohead on really good acid—and that's an understatement.
Some may think that it's impossible to even surpass the kaleidoscope of sounds that Sigur Ros displayed in Agaeits Bryjun—but damnit they have.
Sigur Ros's strangely titled new release, ( ), is crafted with jumbled Icelandic lyrics (coined as Hookelandish) behind a solid force of infinite strings and melodic keyboard melodies.
And unlike Agaeitis Bryjun, which had song names that Alex Trebec would have trouble pronouncing, the songs on ( ) are plainly titled "Track 1," "Track 2" etc. Dumbed-down song titles may be beneficial to the listener, but come off as nothing short than pretentious to a band whose latest release is titled ( ).
"Track 1," "Track 3" and "Track 4" are supernatural in their own right with soaring keyboards, a wave of strings and gliding guitars drowning out mystical voices.
For "Track 2" and "Track 5" the Icelanders may have traveled to Mars to retrieve the unexplainable sounds that ooze out in infinite quantities. In fact, the best way to explain "Track 2" and "Track 5" is traveling on a space ship at warp speed while making several stops to enjoy the scenery of the universe.
But nothing short of enjoyment is the reaction after listening to "Track 7." Picture Brian Wilson recording Pet Sounds in 1965, and then multiply that by a 100.
The epic "Track 7" is truly the highlight of the album with the orchestration along the lines of uncanny wizardry.
To say that the experimentations of sound on ( ) is similar to those of Agaetis Byrjun is untrue—alleged only by those who listen to the album once.
( ) is not an album that can be totally grasped in one sitting. Sigur Ros is truly way ahead of their time—so much so that it will come as no surprise if in twenty years ( ) will concur mainstream music.
—Jim Famera
By David Gray
(RCA)
2 out of 5
David Gray found most of his early success in America by touring along side Radiohead on their tour supporting their album, The Bends. Back then, Gray built his songs from simple three-piece arrangements, relying on cleaver songwriting and heartfelt lyrics.
David Gray's successful White Ladder came as a surprise to most Gray fans that didn't expect the contemporary sound and slick production. White Ladder brought modern drum programming and a larger palate of sound to Gray, which made him perfect for radio play on adult contemporary radio.
After releasing a demo collection called Lost Songs, Gray gave new fans a taste of what he had been doing his entire career; he came to an interesting place. Either he could keep going down the more synthetic path of White Ladder, or perhaps use his new fame to make more ambitious recordings.
Much to the detriment of his new album, A New Day At Midnight, David Gray took the commercial-driven path.
A New Day At Midnight, although easy on the ears, is ignorable at best. The album is so watered down with soulless, synthetic beats and wishy-washy keyboards that it is hard to find the song inside of its glitzy packaging.
Perhaps the only salvageable songs from A New Day At Midnight are the opening and closing tracks, "Dead In the Water" and "The Other Side," respectively.
David Gray is at his worst on the third to last song, "Be Mine," where it sounds as if Gray is trying to re-create "Drops of Jupiter."
So for those who like David Gray, but wish he were more like Train, A New Day At Midnight is a solid buy. Everyone else would probably be better off buying his older material.
—Cary Weisgram
Divine Discontent
By Sixpence None the Richer
(Reprise)
3 out of 5
Anyone who has stepped foot in any American mall after 1998 has definitely heard Sixpence None the Richer's last big hit song, "Kiss Me." Dwelling in the relative obscurity of Christian popular music, "Kiss Me," launched Sixpence into the mainstream and episodes of Dawson's Creek.
Despite all that, Sixpence None the Richer have crafted quite an album with their newest one, Divine Discontent.
Although too soft rock for most musical tastes, Sixpence creates modestly beautiful melodies, accessible to light rockers worldwide. Probably by Reprise's suggestion, Sixpence takes a less heavy-handed approach to religion in their music. Where most Christian music often ends up sounding like a cheesy commercial for faith, Sixpence keeps references to their God vague enough to not shut out listeners. Of course, upon learning of Sixpence None the Richer's roots in Christian pop, it is very easy to pick out the references.
—Cary Weisgram
Scarlet's Walk
By Tori Amos
(Epic)
4 out of 5
Once upon a time, there was a woman named Scarlet who walked coast to coast, across America. This is the story Tori Amos tells her latest musical offering, Scarlet's Walk.
The limited edition of the album comes with stickers, snapshots, a tiny charm and a supplementary DVD. Essentially, it is evident that Tori's vision here was to tell an American story through the eyes of one woman who has a chance to see it all. Each musical piece is an attempt to engender a feeling in listeners and allow them to live Scarlet's experiences with her—and it works.
The first song released, "A Sorta Fairytale" is a lively, breathless song that feels as if it should be accompanying the rolling credits of some inspiring film.
"Carbon" has a lonely piano opening reminiscent of her landmark album, "Little Earthquakes." On contrary, the song writing is sparse, like the songs on "To Venus and Back."
"Crazy", a warm, cozy and somewhat twangy song, is like Kate Bush meets '70's R & B love songs. Go figure, but it includes one of the coolest lines on the album — "first let's unzip your religion down".
Actually, that's one thing that older fans may find displeasing about Scarlet's Walk, that her song writing is becoming more accessible to the masses. However, it would be hard for many of them to say that she has failed to evolve as an artist.
Amos' last album, Strange Little Girls, though acclaimed, seemed like more of a potboiler and an attempt to pacify fans. Scarlet's Walk, in contrast, is an unforgettable journey that brings the best of Tori's contributions to the musical world full circle.
—Louise Tripp
( )
by Sigur Ros
(MCA)
4 out of 5
Fresh off the cult success of their 2001 album, Agaetis Byrjun, Sigur Ros have created yet another masterpiece. To those unfamiliar with Sigur Ros, their music can best be described as Radiohead on really good acid—and that's an understatement.
Some may think that it's impossible to even surpass the kaleidoscope of sounds that Sigur Ros displayed in Agaeits Bryjun—but damnit they have.
Sigur Ros's strangely titled new release, ( ), is crafted with jumbled Icelandic lyrics (coined as Hookelandish) behind a solid force of infinite strings and melodic keyboard melodies.
And unlike Agaeitis Bryjun, which had song names that Alex Trebec would have trouble pronouncing, the songs on ( ) are plainly titled "Track 1," "Track 2" etc. Dumbed-down song titles may be beneficial to the listener, but come off as nothing short than pretentious to a band whose latest release is titled ( ).
"Track 1," "Track 3" and "Track 4" are supernatural in their own right with soaring keyboards, a wave of strings and gliding guitars drowning out mystical voices.
For "Track 2" and "Track 5" the Icelanders may have traveled to Mars to retrieve the unexplainable sounds that ooze out in infinite quantities. In fact, the best way to explain "Track 2" and "Track 5" is traveling on a space ship at warp speed while making several stops to enjoy the scenery of the universe.
But nothing short of enjoyment is the reaction after listening to "Track 7." Picture Brian Wilson recording Pet Sounds in 1965, and then multiply that by a 100.
The epic "Track 7" is truly the highlight of the album with the orchestration along the lines of uncanny wizardry.
To say that the experimentations of sound on ( ) is similar to those of Agaetis Byrjun is untrue—alleged only by those who listen to the album once.
( ) is not an album that can be totally grasped in one sitting. Sigur Ros is truly way ahead of their time—so much so that it will come as no surprise if in twenty years ( ) will concur mainstream music.
—Jim Famera