The Album Review Club - *** Christmas Break Playlist (next album 7/1/26) ***

Don't find the music very interesting or adventurous but I'm guessing the overall point is the lyrics. These are kind of EMOtional and agree with Fog about the (what seem a bit pointless to me) screaming.
It's not really my kind of music, nothing I would listen too again. I imagine a lot of young women would succumb to this emotional heart rending lyrical pain but you won't see many FOC's in his audience.
I was just listening to Leave, in it's quieter moments it was quite nice, and reminded me of Cat Stevens on his acoustic songs, but then he got all worked up and started screaming again.
Falling Slowly I quite liked but he keeps reminding me of Cat Stevens. I cant get away from it....but I think Cat's songs have more depth and he is a better singer....I could well imagine this on the album. :) 5/10



 
Last edited:
Coatigan said:
Fair enough. I've read a few say after one listen won't go back etc, so was just wondering. The alcy is a good touch.
Click to expand...
I won't write if I can't listen to the whole thing almost always twice, with time to go back to the bits I like and dislike most at least a few times. I had a work-imposed hiatus for a month or so and actually was listening to the Maccabees record a bit today (holiday in the US) cuz I missed it a bit ago.
 
Bill Walker said:
Don't find the music very interesting or adventurous but I'm guessing the overall point is the lyrics. These are kind of EMOtional and agree with Fog about the (what seem a bit pointless to me) screaming.
It's not really my kind of music, nothing I would listen too again. I imagine a lot of young women would succumb to this emotional heart rending lyrical pain but you won't see many FOC's in his audience.
I was just listening to Leave, in it's quieter moments it was quite nice, and reminded me of Cat Stevens on his acoustic songs, but then he got all worked up and started screaming again.
Falling Slowly I quite liked but he keeps reminding me of Cat Stevens. I cant get away from it....but I think Cat's songs have more depth and he is a better singer....I could well imagine this on the album. :) 5/10

Click to expand...

Cat Stevens is my kind of background music on a Sunday morning, or was, since I don't play him much anymore. Our teen guitar trio used to sing "Morning Is Broken" and "Sing Out" in my church as a kid (not me, I was a boy -- it was mid-70s San Francisco -- hippy teenage Catholic girls with acoustic guitars). I always liked "Wild World" best.
 
bennyboy said:
Liked half the songs but none are great.
Some terrible stuff as well.
Nothing special vocal wise and as the album went on the more interest I lost.
The Spotify version had 2 Van Morrisons songs on at the end - And the Healing Has Become and Into the Mystic.Nothing came close to them on this record.5/10
Click to expand...
To be fair not much comes close to Van when he’s in the sort of form he is on those tracks.

Pedants corner- it’s And the Healing has Begun…
 
Coatigan said:
Out of interest, how many times did you listen to it? And did you listen to the songs (note not the album) in full?

I know everyone has things that make them tick and tick them off. What I have found surprising on here, is how often people completely miss the point though. I'm saying this as a response to you but it is an accummulated thought, yours just happens to be the latest. Looking for 'excitement', in an album based around various life struggles, looking for 'grit' in a melodic mood album, looking for sorrow in a happy electro-pop thing, or 'character (undefined)' with no actual meaning, comparing artists like cohen or gallagher to bands erc etc. Quite often feels like there is a preconceived expectation and if it isn't met, albums are judged on that.

I have had my own gripes with some that do nothing for me, or have large chunks that do nothing for me. Not afraid to say that. I do feel giving every one a chance, in different settings, moods or split into chunks when I found them tedious helps. Maybe this is one if those, that needs it.

You are right, there is filler. The film doesn't play all aongs in full, some.are just cut elements, sonthe album suffers for it in sheer number. There is OTT shouting, he has a typenof voice, she has another. A lot of the songs aren't actually new for the album or film either, they are reworked from previous albums with his band. But there are some relly good and well developed songs imo. I hadn't listened to it in years, gave it one whirl, and have had a few stuck in my head the last couple of days, so there is strength there. I may have joined after your nomination, but I'm really curious to see what your thing is now.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't look for excitement in an album of songs about life's struggles, but as a musician, you've got to at least make it interesting. This album may be interesting for some - there's definitely an audience for this kind of music - but it's not me.

Ultimately whenever we listen to music, at a basic level we either like it or we don't. But that's not very interesting from a discussion perspective, so I like to say why I like or don't like something and if I don't like it, give examples of what could be different to make me like it.

Most of the Once soundtrack is a guy down on his luck and taking to his acoustic guitar and moaning about it. Fair enough, this has been the basis of a lot of music for many years. But, to quote one example, Bob Dylan did it far better on Blood On The Tracks - similar subject but the difference is performance is startling.
 
Bill Walker said:
Don't find the music very interesting or adventurous but I'm guessing the overall point is the lyrics. These are kind of EMOtional and agree with Fog about the (what seem a bit pointless to me) screaming.
It's not really my kind of music, nothing I would listen too again. I imagine a lot of young women would succumb to this emotional heart rending lyrical pain but you won't see many FOC's in his audience.
I was just listening to Leave, in it's quieter moments it was quite nice, and reminded me of Cat Stevens on his acoustic songs, but then he got all worked up and started screaming again.
Falling Slowly I quite liked but he keeps reminding me of Cat Stevens. I cant get away from it....but I think Cat's songs have more depth and he is a better singer....I could well imagine this on the album. :) 5/10



Click to expand...

I thought as much as well but this album cannot compare IMO with Cat Stevens particularly when he had the likes of Alun Davies and Jeremy Taylor while he was on his Fender Rhodes or playing acoustic guitar himself.
 
And while I'm venting. There isn't a term I detest more to describe music, than, 'nice background music'. Man I find that so insulting, give me Bimbo's review over that any day.

Right that's me got it all off my chest now , thanks for listening. 2/10.
 
RobMCFC said:
I wouldn't look for excitement in an album of songs about life's struggles, but as a musician, you've got to at least make it interesting. This album may be interesting for some - there's definitely an audience for this kind of music - but it's not me.

Ultimately whenever we listen to music, at a basic level we either like it or we don't. But that's not very interesting from a discussion perspective, so I like to say why I like or don't like something and if I don't like it, give examples of what could be different to make me like it.

Most of the Once soundtrack is a guy down on his luck and taking to his acoustic guitar and moaning about it. Fair enough, this has been the basis of a lot of music for many years. But, to quote one example, Bob Dylan did it far better on Blood On The Tracks - similar subject but the difference is performance is startling.
Click to expand...
Thats the way my mind works as well. Listen to a piece of music, decide what genre it fits best into, compare it to your favourite artist/band/albums from that genre. Score accordingly. Singer/songwriter is a very broad genre but still...
 
Coatigan said:
And while I'm venting. There isn't a term I detest more to describe music, than, 'nice background music'. Man I find that so insulting, give me Bimbo's review over that any day.

Right that's me got it all off my chest now , thanks for listening. 2/10.
Click to expand...
I disagree, I think there is nice background music like at a dinner party or gathering, or Sunday morning while you're doing other shit.
 
This album started nicely with Slowly Falling and I loved the second track If You Want Me. I think Marketa has a great voice. This song could easily make it on to my soppy playlist next time I do one.

So far so good, but then the totally pointless 50 second hoover man song which must have accompanied a great scene in the film but is totally superfluous here and kinda spoiled the mood, like the first little cloud over a budding romance, if you'll excuse the rather obvious and painful analogy re an album that charts a new relationship. It's a shame because those first two tracks had me thinking this might be, the one...

Sadly it peaked early. There were some nice enough songs to follow but I'm not sold on Glen's voice. It's OK when he doesn't overdo it but the couple of tracks where he's injecting "emotion" are pretty awful.

Nothing stood out as the album progressed. Even Marketa's lovely voice couldn't rescue The Hill, the only chance she has to showcase her talents. I'm minded though to explore further if she has any solo work.

A couple of songs a bit lyrically trite and towards the end I'm knowing this relationship is going nowhere but I didn't want to be the one to end it. Thankfully it reached it's own conclusion and we both kind of left with our dignity intact. The memories would have been better if I'd left it as a one night stand...

Enough of that. Overall, a couple of songs apart was OK but not memorable. It's a 5 from me.
 
Bill Walker said:
I disagree, I think there is nice background music like at a dinner party or gathering, or Sunday morning while you're doing other shit.
Click to expand...

Sure, Any music can be background music. I doubt many musicias set out to create music that would serve as just uninvolved uncapturing secondary noise that you don't really need to get engrossed by, is where I was maybe coming from. I suppose I listen to most of my music while working so technically it is all 'background'. But I very much take it in, whereas the term (to me) suggests detachment, something bland that can fill a space without distraction. That's just how I always read it. Take your point, different instances.
 
Coatigan said:
I doubt many musicias set out to create music that would serve as just uninvolved uncapturing secondary noise that you don't really need to get engrossed by,
Click to expand...
A tenner on the fact that when @FogBlueInSanFran wakes up, he'll say something about Brian Eno's Music for Airports in relation to this. :)
 
Bill Walker said:
Yes
I agree
Click to expand...
I actually had Cat Stevens in my top ten vocalists in the pop/rock era as his song writing credentials of course are first rate but his vocals IMO are underrated.

if we had a top 10 singer songwriters category I would have to think long and hard to leave him out.

Ahead of his time IMO without an overreaching political and religious message despite his faith and change of faith as he said shopping around for the best insurance policy.

Where do the Children Play now without their iphone.
 
journolud said:
This album started nicely with Slowly Falling and I loved the second track If You Want Me. I think Marketa has a great voice. This song could easily make it on to my soppy playlist next time I do one.

So far so good, but then the totally pointless 50 second hoover man song which must have accompanied a great scene in the film but is totally superfluous here and kinda spoiled the mood, like the first little cloud over a budding romance, if you'll excuse the rather obvious and painful analogy re an album that charts a new relationship. It's a shame because those first two tracks had me thinking this might be, the one...

Sadly it peaked early. There were some nice enough songs to follow but I'm not sold on Glen's voice. It's OK when he doesn't overdo it but the couple of tracks where he's injecting "emotion" are pretty awful.

Nothing stood out as the album progressed. Even Marketa's lovely voice couldn't rescue The Hill, the only chance she has to showcase her talents. I'm minded though to explore further if she has any solo work.

A couple of songs a bit lyrically trite and towards the end I'm knowing this relationship is going nowhere but I didn't want to be the one to end it. Thankfully it reached it's own conclusion and we both kind of left with our dignity intact. The memories would have been better if I'd left it as a one night stand...

Enough of that. Overall, a couple of songs apart was OK but not memorable. It's a 5 from me.
Click to expand...
She did a couple of solo albums Muna and Anar.
 
RobMCFC said:
A tenner on the fact that when @FogBlueInSanFran wakes up, he'll say something about Brian Eno's Music for Airports in relation to this. :)
Click to expand...
Ha. Goes for all his ambients, but M4A is the flagship. Actually I tend to listen to him on planes as opposed to in airports while working — ideal for drowning out the sound of shrieking babies and talkative seat mates, his “Another Green World” (not actually an ambient) being a regular choice.
 
Coatigan said:
Sure, Any music can be background music. I doubt many musicias set out to create music that would serve as just uninvolved uncapturing secondary noise that you don't really need to get engrossed by, is where I was maybe coming from. I suppose I listen to most of my music while working so technically it is all 'background'. But I very much take it in, whereas the term (to me) suggests detachment, something bland that can fill a space without distraction. That's just how I always read it. Take your point, different instances.
Click to expand...
People have different descriptions of what background music is. Mine is that if it was playing in the background, i wouldn't turn it off....but equally, it could stop and I might not notice straight away!
1 or 2 albums on here, have been in this category for me, and this is another, so a 4 for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top