The Album Review Club - Week #145 - (page 1923) - Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans

FogBlueInSanFran said:
As I listened to this I suddenly recalled that I’d heard quite a bit before. I’ve Been Waiting is the song I remember hearing most often. Pleasantly Gin Blossomy, emphasis on the blossom and not the gin. The title track is another that I recognized right away. I always thought it was a cover! Really good little tune. I like the riffs on Evangeline and Thought I Knew You (which also sounds like a cover). I Wanted To Tell You might be near my favorite, in part because the snare coupled with the chords on the mark drive home the point. “Don’t Go” could be CSNY if they tuned their guitars with knives and spoons like Sonic Youth. Liked that too.

On the other hand, slow ones like Winona and Day For Night aren’t for me and Divine Intervention is endless at 5:36. Goodness me. Not the opener I would have selected. Slide guitar used to countrify tunes isn’t really for me either — a little for accent can be fine but when overused it’s a quicksand trap to sounding like the Eagles (cf. Your Sweet Voice).

This isn’t music that really takes a lot of chances, and as a writer, Sweet is long on guitar effects and short on lyrical potency. Fundamentally I don’t find this performed with the depth I expected based on the review. Someone else’s heartbreak should make me feel more than I felt. And I can’t get over how many songs I thought were covers. On one hand when I hear songcraft that suggests this is a man playing others’ tunes, I suppose I should be impressed. On the other hand, does that mean his playing is understated? I’m not sure.

I am fine that this is “of its era”, and there’s plenty in here I enjoyed and would listen to again but other songs that at least for me fall flat. The proportion is 60/40. So I guess that makes this a 6 but I’ve a feeling I’m underrating it and maybe repeated listenings would bring a 7. So 6 it is BUT a 6 I will listen to again.

PS. If this rings your chimes I would definitely recommend checking out Brendan Benson’s Lapalco. Similar and I think a little hookier and poppier. He later joined the Raconteurs with Jack White.
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
Big Star is a good shout, as is it being too long. 20 mins too long in fact. Stripping out 4-5 songs would make this better.
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Interesting that a couple of people have mentioned that "Divine Intervention" is an odd song to start with, and I agree that it's one of the weaker tracks. And once again, that the album is a few tracks too long - I picked up on this in my review and can't argue there.

Just to confirm that none of these songs are covers, they were all written by Matthew Sweet.

Funnily enough I've heard an album produced by Brendan Benson but never one of his own albums.
 
Never heard of Matthew Sweet but my interest was certainly piqued by references to REM, Lloyd Cole, Television etc in the review, all good associations. Coincidentally Sweet is also name checked in this month's uncut by Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles when discussing some of her favourite albums and she mused on covering Dylan's "It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry" as a duet with him.

The album was a disappointment in the context of the names mentioned but trying to separate my views from that. Well, still a bit of a disappointment although it was OK. OK in an inoffensive sort of way, I found myself tapping along to it at times and to be fair it had a good clean production, his vocals are fine if unremarkable and on the poppier numbers hard to dislike. Someone mentioned Crowded House and I did get a whiff of that at one point but so many leagues below.

At around an hour it is too long and on a couple of listens I found myself yearning for something with more substance to listen to. At around 45 minutes I think it would have been much better.

I feel like it's damning with feint praise in saying that it's "OK" but it really is nothing better than that. As it's not rubbish though it sits in that mid range bracket at 6
 
I’m next and don’t want to rain on Girlfriend but a) I know @BlueHammer85 is running around today and b) so am I so I won’t post my review until very late tonight UK time. So I thought I’d offer some clues at least.

After a long list of American bands I am switching it up and going non-Yank!

1) This band has quite a few records in Colon Larkin’s Top 1000 but not this one.
2) The band was formed in the 70s, most fruitful then and the early 80s, and is still around today with two of its original members: the front man and the multi-instrumentalist.
3) One former member went on to have a particularly prominent and innovative music career after leaving the band.
4) The person on the cover is a celebrity of sorts and has been in the news quite a bit recently.
5) The hit single from the record has been described as the “birth of new wave” by some. Not sure I’d agree but there you are.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I’m next and don’t want to rain on Girlfriend but a) I know @BlueHammer85 is running around today and b) so am I so I won’t post my review until very late tonight UK time. So I thought I’d offer some clues at least.

After a long list of American bands I am switching it up and going non-Yank!

1) This band has quite a few records in Colon Larkin’s Top 1000 but not this one.
2) The band was formed in the 70s, most fruitful then and the early 80s, and is still around today with two of its original members: the front man and the multi-instrumentalist.
3) One former member went on to have a particularly prominent and innovative music career after leaving the band.
4) The person on the cover is a celebrity of sorts and has been in the news quite a bit recently.
5) The hit single from the record has been described as the “birth of new wave” by some. Not sure I’d agree but there you are.
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Roxy Music - Siren
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I’m next and don’t want to rain on Girlfriend but a) I know @BlueHammer85 is running around today and b) so am I so I won’t post my review until very late tonight UK time. So I thought I’d offer some clues at least.

After a long list of American bands I am switching it up and going non-Yank!

1) This band has quite a few records in Colon Larkin’s Top 1000 but not this one.
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I do find some on that list hard to digest.
 
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