Reviews by forestfly2009

This is a very dark, melancholic album, kind of similar in feel to The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, but much more polished. I feel like the album could have been wrapped up in 20 minutes if it wasn't for the sometimes needless 1 minute instrumental intros and outros. The album somehow feels unfinished by times (notably the end of the song(and album) Seventeen Seconds, where the drum track is still ending, and they just cut the music off early) .
This also happens at the end of The Final Sound (here it seems like it was an attempt at a transition into A Forest, but it didn't really work). There are a few gems in this album, but overall, just dark and depressing.

Favourite songs : A Forest (I like how they use reverb and feedback to sound like echos and wind in a dark forest), At Night, Play for Today

Least favourite songs : Secrets, Three (in both songs the vocal track is basically whispered, and overlayed by music so that you can almost not even hear the words)

2/5

Teriffic melding of styles between Billy Braggs and Wilco. In a few songs it felt like putting the words to music seemed almost forced and unpolished, but overall a fantastic album, and a great memorial to the words of Woody Guthrie

Favourite songs: Christ for President, Birds and Ships (Natalie Merchant's voice on this track is beautiful), Hesitating Beauty, The Unwelcome Guest, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key

Least Favourite Songs: Hoodoo Voodoo, Walt Whitman's Neice, Eisler on the Go, Ingrid Bergman

4/5

This is a very dark and melancholy album, with themes of death throughout. Oddly enough, this was my recommended album the day after the Queen actually died.

Favourite songs: vicar in a tutu (an injection of humour), there is a light that never goes out, the Queen is dead, cemetery gates

Least favourite songs: never had no one ever, I know it's over

3/5

Fantastic blues album. The fact that it is live adds to the recording. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and whiskey. The cheers of the crowd, and the fantastic blues guitar playing make this an amazing listen!!

Favourite songs : it's my own fault, how blue can you get?, sweet little angel

Least favourite: worry, worry (if forced to pick one)

Easy 5/5

Favourite songs: the fox in the snow, mayfly, the stars of track and field

Least favourite songs: seeing other people, if you're feeling sinister, me and the major

The back half of this album was better than the front half.

3/5

Favourite songs : vampire blues, see the sky about to rain (beautiful visuals), for the turnstiles

Least favourite: ambulance blues (long and rambling), on the beach

Overall not a bad album. 3-5