From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V8 #269 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Sunday, July 25 1999 Volume 08 : Number 269 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Judas for Sophia [Natalie Jacobs ] Jewels & Moss [michelle wiener ] will write more, when I'm not stealing time on someone else's box [gondol] Weenie Wanna Be [edoxtato@intentia.com] Re: Judas for Sophia [ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com] Re: Weenie Wanna Be [ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com] Re: Weenie Wanna Be [steve ] Uncle Robby Drinking Problem??? [del winthorpe ] Re: fegmaniax-digest V8 #267 ["Andrew D. Simchik" ] kcmu seattle now [delia winthorpe ] Re:Jewels not quite a gem.... [KCasey@aol.com] Il verdetto (the verdict) de gioielli per il sophia [Bayard Subject: Judas for Sophia >That's part of it. I feel really guilty for not being ecstatic. Maybe >that's why the contrast with the new Momus really hit home- cause that >one, I genuinely really like, and I'm feeling like a very disloyal person >right about now. Like I'm cheating on someone or something. It's a very >strange and unpleasant feeling. Yeah, I feel the same way. I was listening to JfS the other day and took it off in the middle of "I Feel Beautiful" so I could listen to "The Soft Bulletin" instead. Oh dear. I think part of the problem is that JfS has been released in a year where there are a *lot* of really fantastic records coming out - stuff that's exceptionally fresh and interesting and creative - and Robyn's collection of pleasant love songs can't help but pale by comparison. JfS makes me say, "That's nice, that's a pretty song, yeah, I like that." But "When Your Heartstrings Break" and the best parts of "Apple Venus" make me say "YES!!" I also see the glowing reviews here (e.g. the Quail's 4.5/5 - which I would reserve for all-time favorites like "Armed Forces" or "Skylarking") and wonder if I'm missing something. Maybe I should listen to it again. Then I listen to it again and it sounds the same as it did before. It's grown on me a little: I think I would rescind the "flat and listless" comment from my review and replace it with "somewhat ordinary." But that's not saying much, obviously. My favorite song on the album remains "Elizabeth Jade." *That* song definitely makes me say "YES!!" :) A while back, before I had heard the song, I dreamed it had been released as a single. Imagine my surprise when I heard it and realized that it would, indeed, make a great single. Hmm... n. np: my radio show from this morning ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 13:11:20 -0400 From: michelle wiener Subject: Jewels & Moss MARKEEFE@aol.com wrote: > So, where are the people > who really like both or who don't like either? You must be out there! yeah, right here. i won't compare Jewels to Moss, though. i think Joel had mentioned something about the impossibility of really comparing Robyn's albums, that there's an album for every mood, and i fully agree (which is why i've found putting 5 Robyn CDs in the CD changer is not the best idea). Moss Elixir took me a long time to really like, partly because i didn't care that much for the studio version of "alright, yeah" after hearing it live a few times. with Jewels i found myself going back and forth between "wow this really rocks" and "eh," but i do find myself *wanting* to listen to it. it sort of reminds me of how my former roommate and Star Wars fanatic treated Phantom Menace: he decided he was going to go see it over and over again until he liked it. frankly, i haven't been completely bowled over by anything since Eye, and to a somewhat lesser degree, Respect. the positive things people have been saying here about both Moss and Jewels, however, have given me new reasons to listen and admire both of them. to compare "heliotrope" to "i feel beautiful," however...yikes! at this point, "cheese alarm" is the only song i find myself skipping over. it got old rather fast. i absolutely *love* "mexican god." i think it fits with "antwoman" and "guildford" as a song about an ended relationship--in the narrative's present time, he's not able to stop thinking about this person, even though it's making him miserable, but there's the hope that with time, it will pass. and about "nasa clapping": i agree that the chorus is a little weak in an otherwise fantastic song, but i still love it, and i cannot wait to see robyn perform this live. "who's gone and been a greedy boy? ME!" (blink, blink) it's really weird, too, but i can hear Eye at times in Jewels. "sally was a legend," for example, and "you've got a sweet mouth." i'm not sure i can explain it beyond similar chord progressions, but it's a sense that i get from Jewels. cheers, michelle ps. unfortunately i'm not going to be able to make it to chicago for "storefront." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 15:53:28 -0800 From: gondola@deltanet.com Subject: will write more, when I'm not stealing time on someone else's box Finally got JfS a couple of days ago. Ehh, I'll give it a B+. ;) Eb - ----- Sent using MailStart.com ( http://MailStart.Com/welcome.html ) The FREE way to access your mailbox via any web browser, anywhere! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 22:40:39 GMT From: edoxtato@intentia.com Subject: Weenie Wanna Be Even though I find most music criticism weenie-like to the extreme, I've listened to our boy's new CD a couple of times, and here are my thoughts about JFS: Mexican God I like this song very much. This is the sort of acoustic tune that I like from Robyn. It's very strong, and has a great lyric. For my money, one of the best on the album. The Cheese Alarm The music for this tune I like. The tablas in the intro, and the slippy little acoustic guitar are great. I've just replayed the first minnit and a half or so of the song over and over cos I like it so much. The lyric bugs the hell out of me. He can record whatever he likes, and likewise, whenever I like I can skip ahead to the next tune... Viva! Sea-Tac Hee. I like this one a lot. I've never been to Seattle though. So I dunno nothing about it. But it's a fun tune. You've Got A Sweet Mouth On You, Baby This tune is beautiful, and it's a sweet song. Apart from the merely obvious, I don't know of too many Robyn tunes that have a sort of optimistic slant on love and all of that. Sort of nice to see. NASA Clapping Uh-huh. A nice poppy tune. So what? It's the disposable song of the album (Gene Hackman doesn't count to me), even more so than Cheese Alarm. If I heard this one on the radio (which would indeed be unusual), I'd be pleased because it meant our man was getting some airplay... but it wouldn't make me buy the album. Sally Was A Legend This sounds almost like Alright, Yeah, but I like this tune a lot. I also think the lyric is brilliant. But it reads like crap off the liner notes. It needs to be in the context of the song. Nice to not just hear Kimberly Rew's guitar, but also his voice with Robyn's again. I always liked their harmonies. I Dream Of Antwoman Hoookee Pappa! It's Tomorrow Never Knows! (One of my faves.) I liked this one when I heard it off of the live tapes that I got a few years back (Tony are you out there?) and I was curious how he was gonna do this one if he ever recorded it. I love the play in this song, with the irony of "being just contaminates the void", but also the sort of Tim Burton images I get from the idea of an Antwoman, something cartoony and nasty at the same time. And I really dig the blast of guitar at the very end over the sort of "call to the mosque" horns. Elizabeth Jade This one's fun too but... I don't like it as well cos the lyric doesn't really send me. The notion of pre-war lemonade just makes my stomach churn. "Rock on Timmy, yeah!"? Why do I think these guys are all jumping around in someone's garage? But I do like the organ. No, I Don't Remember Guildford Nice to hear Robyn playing the piano again. An instrument I wish he'd use more on his records (but that's hard to tour with and he's not Jools Holland). I like this version, but I do really like the solo version on Storefront better. It's a very simple direct song and somehow the extra instruments clutter it up for me. I dunno about the recent discussion about the meaning of the song. There's always been something very sad and wistful about the song. Reminds me of rain in England. For me, there was nothing more depressing than two weeks of rain in the middle of the summer. (Or two months...) Dark Princess This one has the most "egyptiany" feel to it. I love the trapset with the brush for percussion. That, with the guitar over the top provide a simple rocking rythym that's impossible for me to ignore. Even as I write this and listen to the song, I'm rocking back and forth in my chair. Dave D. said last Saturday he thought this is the most beautiful song on the album and I'm inclined to agree. Jewels For Sophia The opening gets my vote for Hook Of The Year. Simple and direct. That aside, the rest of the song isn't that interesting to me. It's got some neat bits like the jumpy bass, and the little nasty guitar hook between the verses, but overall... well, it didn't cut it. The Extra Stuff The answering machine message is hilarious. I'd put it on my own answering machine but my machine is digital, and transfering sounds is a pain. The Hoot Hoot Little Priestess song. Uh, well. Yeah. Chopsticks on the piano and that goofy discordant Hoot Hoot (and I think that's Robyn singing his own backing vocals there... don't ask me why, I just do). But I really think the line "Aw, Little Priestess are you ready for Mister Tongs?" is one of those great enigmatic lines that I'll have to get really drunk to understand, but when I do, I hope I do sober up in a big hurry cos I'll want to write it down. I'll never rember it sober. And Gene Hackman as a bonus live track was a good idea. It's not a really strong tune and it's sort of dated (even now, Andi MacDowell isn't the presence she was a couple of years ago when Robyn started doing this one live... it'd have to be Catherine Zeta-Jones, sung in a hideous Welsh accent, I suppose). But it's a fun song, and it's short. And putting it down as a live cut was an interesting choice. Eddie, any idea which show this came from? Art Direction Without question, this is most hideous album I've ever seen. Terrible photos (what's with the Hammer photo on the inside of the CD, as soon as you open it up?), and an obnoxious colour scheme (icky nasty black light poster colours). Nasty. This sucker's even uglier than Mick Jagger's "Primative Cool". I wish he'd paint another album cover. I really do like the covers for Respect and Globe Of Frogs and the Soft Boys retrospective. At The End Of It All Overall, I like this album much better than Moss Elixir for one simple fact. This album is, well, fun. ME is sort of grim and determined. JFS has more variety in terms of the instrumentation and production. Much of ME is very straightforward and sort of dull. I spin it a couple of times a year. This time, there's much more variety in the percussion and the arrangements. But then again, ME was written at a time when Robyn didn't have a record deal. He also didn't have a lot of security in what he was gonna do next. It seems that he didn't have the room to experiment. But this time he did have some room. And he didn't go for the throat, he worked with a lot of different musicians and I think, got a lot out of them. For me, there isn't a bad song on the disc. Some that I don't prefer, but nothing I can't deal with. This is a disc that I'll listen to for a long time. As for the idea that some songs don't fit on the album, I don't get it. A matter of feel. So, on the weenie scale, I give it four buns out of five, with extra relish for a little summer tour. These opinions are just that, opinions. They mean squat, but they make good fodder for Mr. Derosa's next reply, and summik for Eb to ehhh over. - -Doc, who's rapidly realising how much money he's going to have to spend to get equipped for his lutherie course... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 18:20:02 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: Judas for Sophia >Yeah, I feel the same way. I was listening to JfS the other day and took >it off in the middle of "I Feel Beautiful" so I could listen to "The Soft >Bulletin" instead. Oh dear. And the real telling thing? I keep whistling and humming the Momus tunes at odd moments. None of the JfS tunes have really stuck in my head enough for that to happen. Yowch. Now, to be fair, it is partly that I've been hearing probably half of these tunes in various live incarnations for a few years now, so the lack of newness may account for some of the lack of "wow". But I don't really think so- "Jewels" and "Dark Princess" are probably my favorites, and I like them a lot better than things like "Cheese Alarm", which WAS new to me. Oh well, another good rationalization blasted to pieces. >records coming out - stuff that's exceptionally fresh and interesting and >creative - and Robyn's collection of pleasant love songs can't help but >pale by comparison. Well, actually, I'd disagree a little bit. Where they're good, they're a good deal more than pleasant. There are some moments on this that are heartbreakingly moving. That "I've been hanging round Covent Garden for you for centuries/I've been waiting on Festival Pier for you honey for decades".....what ache, what loneliness. Takes my breath away. I really do think the problem is sort of the disjointed feel of it. I woulda replaced "Cheese Alarm" with "1974" and "Sea-Tac" with "Adoration of The City". And how about replacing the pure novelty of "Gene Hackman" with something where the humor comes together with genuine poignancy, like "Let's Go Thundering"? I think that might have been a better compliment to the rest of the album. That'd be a start. Or at least, it would be one way for the album to be more of a unified whole. I realize my tastes in Robynness tend to lean more to the somber side than some others' do. Love on ya, Susan JfS makes me say, "That's nice, that's a pretty song, >yeah, I like that." But "When Your Heartstrings Break" and the best parts >of "Apple Venus" make me say "YES!!" > >I also see the glowing reviews here (e.g. the Quail's 4.5/5 - which I >would reserve for all-time favorites like "Armed Forces" or "Skylarking") >and wonder if I'm missing something. Maybe I should listen to it again. >Then I listen to it again and it sounds the same as it did before. It's >grown on me a little: I think I would rescind the "flat and listless" >comment from my review and replace it with "somewhat ordinary." But >that's not saying much, obviously. > >My favorite song on the album remains "Elizabeth Jade." *That* song >definitely makes me say "YES!!" :) A while back, before I had heard the >song, I dreamed it had been released as a single. Imagine my surprise >when I heard it and realized that it would, indeed, make a great single. >Hmm... > >n. > >np: my radio show from this morning 'Momus? That guy is sinister!' Marilyn Manson, as reported by Haig Bedrossian ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 18:48:40 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: Weenie Wanna Be >Even though I find most music criticism weenie-like to the extreme, I've >listened to our boy's new CD a couple of times, and here are my thoughts Do you realize how many critics there are lurking about here on Feg? Never mind, I'm sure you do. *ROTFLMAO* Including amateurs like myself. I must say I am very offended. The correct term is musicus geekus maximus, thank you very much. >Overall, I like this album much better than Moss Elixir for one simple >fact. This album is, well, fun. Eh, that's what bugs me about it. I don't like fun *grimble grumble*. Seriously tho, I feel that on the whole it doesn't match up in terms of imagination or intimacy. ME was about some powerful things, coming to terms with love, with death, with the passing of time, with the existence of evil and the shadow self (or selves). JfS doesn't have the same kind of mythic resonance, for me. Love on ya, Susan 'Momus? That guy is sinister!' Marilyn Manson, as reported by Haig Bedrossian ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 21:34:38 -0500 From: steve Subject: Re: Weenie Wanna Be >>Overall, I like this album much better than Moss Elixir for one simple >>fact. This album is, well, fun. ultraconformist: >Eh, that's what bugs me about it. I don't like fun *grimble grumble*. So can we divide JfS approval into "fun" and "no fun" camps? I guess it depends on what we're looking for. My bias is always toward the full band with nifty arrangements Robyn, rather than the deep guy and his guitar Robyn. Not that I dislike the latter. On an even less important note, has anyone else discovered what looks to be a security strip under the CD holder part of the JfS case? - - Steve _______________ We're all Jesus, Buddha, and the Wizard of Oz! - Andy Partridge ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 20:09:51 -0400 (EDT) From: del winthorpe Subject: Uncle Robby Drinking Problem??? I AM NOT TRYING TO START A RUMOR... but today a friend at breakfast told me that apparently robyn has been having drinking problems lately...appearing on stage drunk and incomprehensible. what? i've seen him many times and have never found this to be the case - aside from his general rambling. any insights? also, seattle show number two was rather uneventful. i would agree with eddie that robyn seems to be going along for the ride on this one. no stories told and i believe it was only six songs (maybe seven) long. he did rock on electric for sure with "kingdom of love." hope bumbershoot is a much better gig. must say that i found iqu of olympia rather kick arse with their own brand of electro-trip-hip-jungle-jazz whatever it was. i'm picking up a cd of theirs quite soon. didn't stick around for sebadoh or flaming lips. ciao _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 09:41:10 -0400 From: "Andrew D. Simchik" Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V8 #267 Joel Mullins wrote: >I agree. I don't have anything against the lyrics on Jewels, but >Elixir's lyrics are much better. ME's melodies are better too. JfS is >a really good album, but ME is one of his best. Also, I think it's >really hard to compare at this point. Once the newness of JfS wears >off, it'll be easier to make assessments and comparisons. Right now, >it's my favorite RH album to listen to, but I doubt it will be a year >from now. I'm a little disappointed with the new album. I agree about Moss Elixir -- it set me up for thinking this album would be onward and upward. For some reason I can't warm to this album yet the way I did almost instantly to ME. I adore a few of the songs ("Dark Princess," "Jewels for Sophia," and of course "Guildford"), but the upbeat numbers in particular don't bring me in. Mind you, I've only started listening to it and there's plenty of growing-on-me time available. >So, I'm taking your comments to mean that the shows from the fall '96 >period are reall fucking good! Cool. Anyone want to help me acquire >some? I can't help you "acquire" any, but fall '96 was actually when I saw my very *first* Robyn Hitchcock show, and I fell in love all over again. It was the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. I was then thrilled when I learned he'd be in Rochester, NY, in (was it?) '97, but that show was not nearly so good. I blame the venue and the poor tech more than Robyn, though. Happily, that show turned me on to the Dear Janes so it wasn't a complete disappointment. Oh yes -- and I adore the Gene Hackman "hidden track." DDerosa5@aol.com wrote (regarding the Apples in Stereo?): >and they're playing with "Dressy Bessy" Ooh! Dressy Bessy are quite cute. I have to move to a larger city so the best show around can be someone other than the Beautiful South. Cheers (and nice to be reading fegmaniax (again?)), Drew - -- Andrew D. Simchik, wyrd@rochester.rr.com http://home.rochester.rr.com/wyrd/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 18:02:06 -0400 (EDT) From: delia winthorpe Subject: kcmu seattle now if yer here...and you got the radio snuggled at yer side...listen now 3pm kcm 90.3 seattle - and the interviewer amanda wilde sucks alot by the way ta-ra! _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 23:22:41 EDT From: KCasey@aol.com Subject: Re:Jewels not quite a gem.... I'm working for the summer in Arrow Rock, Missouri (population 70) and the first time I listened to JFS was at 2:30 in the morning, sitting on the porch while a huge thunderstorm raged around me. It was a great time. Whether or not JFS is ever considered a great album by the fegs at large, for me Dark Princess alone would be worth the price. Listen to it on headphones during a thunderstorm for maximun effect. KC ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 23:43:47 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Il verdetto (the verdict) de gioielli per il sophia I just wanted to chime in with a few thoughts. I'm pretty tired since i didn't really sleep last night and today I went on a pretty fierce hike/mt climb, but I want to make sure I say something before I get involved in other things again. I am with Michael, Quail, and whoever else gives this album props. Not only do I rank it above Moss Elixir (which I have come to appreciate a lot more than I did) but I think it's in the top third of all his releases. These track by track deals may be getting a bit tedious, but I will do a semi-brief one, cribbing some text from the good Doctor: > Mexican God > I like this song very much. This is the sort of acoustic tune that I like > from Robyn. It's very strong, and has a great lyric. For my money, one of > the best on the album. Agreed - this is also one of the ones that sticks pleasantly in my head, along with "sally" and "i feel beautiful". > The Cheese Alarm > The music for this tune I like. The tablas in the intro, and the slippy > little acoustic guitar are great. I've just replayed the first minnit and > a half or so of the song over and over cos I like it so much. yes! Yes! YES!!! This is a fantastic intro. It's wild. I enjoy it so much I actually get a little bummed when the song proper starts. Not because the sung part bothers be - I like it too, better than the solo verson - I just love that intro so much. > Viva! Sea-Tac > Hee. I like this one a lot. Alas, this is the big bummer of the album for me. I disagree with the dissenters that the album is disjointed, with this exception. Two "novelty" songs shouldn't be butted right up next to each other. And I just can't like this song anyway. I have tried to figure out why - and I think it's the song itself, the additional instruments don't add anything for me - along with the way it messes up the continuity of the album (IMO). Perhaps I'm just sick of the song after hearing it live these past few years. To cap it all off, what the hell does "Before him the rain" mean? > You've Got A Sweet Mouth On You, Baby > This tune is beautiful, and it's a sweet song. Apart from the merely > obvious, I don't know of too many Robyn tunes that have a sort of > optimistic slant on love and all of that. Sort of nice to see. Yes, this is a big part of what makes this album a sort of new direction for RH - on this disc he is perhaps at his most direct ever, at least on some songs. Well, it's not a new direction, but he seems to be travelling down that path farther. Another thing I really noticed about the production - the mix really spotlights robyn and his guitar and harp (with obvious exceptions.) It's a waaaay different tactic than on the Egyptians stuff and may be what some of you are reacting to negatively (eddie?) The accompaniment is in the back seat (where it belongs). I love the quiet percussion on this track. mmm, marimba! > NASA Clapping > Uh-huh. A nice poppy tune. So what? It's the disposable song of the > album. Hmm... This version does not match the ripping solo electric versions from late last year, for some reason. I'm not sure why. I still dig the song, but not as much as the stripped down solo rendition. > Sally Was A Legend > This sounds almost like Alright, Yeah, but I like this tune a lot. I also > think the lyric is brilliant. But it reads like crap off the liner notes. > It needs to be in the context of the song. Nice to not just hear Kimberly > Rew's guitar, but also his voice with Robyn's again. I always liked their > harmonies. Agreed, though I think it sounds only vaguely like AY. I *ADORE* this song. I love the music (not very original sounding, but perfect, and very appropriate) and the lyrics (simple. and they, too, just "fit".) Not only that but while hiking today, the song first became a sort of mantra for me as i went up the particularly steep bits, and later, in the "rocks scramble" it struck me what it may be about - it sounds like the person in the song is remembering a matriarch of his family, one whom he loved but had a difference of opinion with (perhaps religious differences) and maybe she claimed clairvoyance or predictive abilities, seeing robyn (or whoever the person in the song is) being born or growing up before it ever happened. He is telling his partner about this matriarch, years later. Well, it's just my delirious impression, but there you have it. > I Dream Of Antwoman > Hoookee Pappa! It's Tomorrow Never Knows! (One of my faves.) I liked > this one when I heard it off of the live tapes that I got a few years back > (Tony are you out there?) and I was curious how he was gonna do this one if > he ever recorded it. I love the play in this song, with the irony of > "being just contaminates the void", but also the sort of Tim Burton images > I get from the idea of an Antwoman, something cartoony and nasty at the > same time. And I really dig the blast of guitar at the very end over the > sort of "call to the mosque" horns. I reckon the music is perfect on this song. The India-sounding horns/chants sound rather like the faithful singing to the Bee King himself. I LOVE the musical flourishes in the "the rises then she hops and then she eats you" chorus. (some kind of organ, sounds like.) Also the break with "polite clapping" and those awesome drums. Eddie, I don't find the perc inappropriate on this disc, with the exception of sea-tac. > Elizabeth Jade > This one's fun too but... I don't like it as well cos the lyric doesn't > really send me. The notion of pre-war lemonade just makes my stomach > churn. "Rock on Timmy, yeah!"? Why do I think these guys are all jumping > around in someone's garage? But I do like the organ. The organ does work here, as opposed to on sea-tac, imo. I dig this. Remember Robyn's mom was nee Elizabeth J. Watts. > No, I Don't Remember Guildford Like it - I have not immersed myself in Storefront enough to make the obligatory comparison. > Dark Princess Very good track. And the "Okay" at the end fits, unlike the "OK, we can probably stop... Oops." on sea-tac. I'm all for studio chatter, but it is possible to go too far, you know. One "let's stop" vocal signal is enough per album. (is seven minutes a good thing or a bad thing?) > Jewels For Sophia I love the way the guitar parts fit together like a jagged puzzle. Better than the live versions, I think this benefits from having been in the studio. Love those sparse hand claps! The Bonuses... > The answering machine message is hilarious. Indeed! And that just might be the squeaky fish he was given on stage in NY in June 98, which he used to good effect at the Ram's Head, making a guest vocal appearance. >Hoot At first I was all, "What the f...????" But listen to this with your head in the sweet spot btw really good speakers, or whith great headphones. It's well done, if a bit wacky. And I don't think he's being purposefully whack, Sue. This style is part of the overall expression, obviously he felt it fit as a bonus track. Whether he was correct, well.... Pity about how it stops just after the drums kick in. Percussious interruptus. Oh and yes Doc, he's harmonizing with himself. Something he's wont to do - - listen closely to _you and oblivion_ (the album). among others! _Trains_, etc. >Hackman I'm good and sick of this, but I don't mind it being tacked on here. Well, I wouldn't say I'm sick of it. Just really used to it. > Art Direction > Without question, this is most hideous album I've ever seen. Terrible > photos (what's with the Hammer photo on the inside of the CD, as soon as > you open it up?), and an obnoxious colour scheme (icky nasty black light > poster colours). not to mention the spooky 'The Scream' photo on the left when you open up the cd (back of the booklet.) hey, anyone have a black light? if this is flourescent, that would be cool. don't think so though. I have gotten used to the artwork, it doesn't gross me out, but i'm not crazy about it. I'm not too pressed about most cds' artwork though - don't tend to look at it much. I am very pleased they gave us lyrics! > At The End Of It All > Overall, I like this album much better than Moss Elixir for one simple > fact. This album is, well, fun. It's very likely his most fun since at least _globe of frogs_. Almost definitely. It could also probably give Black Snake Diamond Role a run for its money, but probably not underwater moonlight! >This is a disc that I'll listen to > for a long time. Amen, Doc! Testify! In closing - I like this. A lot. It is my #1 of the year, which means squat b/c I'm not a ranker weenie. ;) Give it one more chance, Susan, Gnat. Don't shelf it yet. It's a slightly deceptive album, and it gets better, a slow grower, I think you said. Deceptively simple, perhaps. Look at all we have here: 1. An ode to mortality and time, the way he does it best - not willfully obscure, but intricate and complex; but you don't have to understand every word to enjoy it immensely. 2. A paean to Cheese! And an indictment of the substance at the same time. All over really awesome drums. Mmmmm... Cheese Drums... 3. A Pac-NW travelogue. 4. A gorgeous, straightforward Robyn love song. 5. A gorgeous, straightforward Robyn love song. 6. A condemnation of humanity's creeping destruction of the universe. (Set in a rocking love song). 7. A fun, rollicking, bouncy song about RH's grandmother. How can you not like a like as crafty as "Now she's at the table with a knife". Classic imagery, it's an optical illusion - at first it seems menacing, then you realize she's just carving the christmas goose (made of cheese, of course) 8. The ultimate femme fatale! Bee-ing just contaminates the void. 9. A song sung to RH's mother, from his father's POV. 10. I think the Quail has explained this one really well! 11. A Robyn love song with some wicked double entendres. 12. A Robyn love song with some wicked double entendres. "AND MORE!!!!" now how much would you pay? =b ps. Have we talked this much about every "ablum"? All I remember form when M.E. came out was the subject like "Woss Elixir, diggin' it sorta" and someone blasting the "Penny Lane Horns" on one song. ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V8 #269 *******************************