From: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org (good-noise-digest) To: good-noise-digest@smoe.org Subject: good-noise-digest V6 #46 Reply-To: good-noise@smoe.org Sender: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk good-noise-digest Wednesday, September 24 2003 Volume 06 : Number 046 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Old Futures Gone - A Review ["Mike Smith" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:21:25 +0000 From: "Mike Smith" Subject: Old Futures Gone - A Review I've listened to this new CD a couple dozen times now and thought I would share my thoughts on it. This is his first collection of music since 9/11 and it definitely had it's influenced on this CD. He stated on his website that he didn't feel he had anything of consequence to say shortly after it that day, I believe that 'Old Futures Gone' is his reply. The first four songs deal with losing someone, loneliness, denial, and running away, yet thanks to some nice catchy grooves and a few nicely placed optimistic phrases, he makes it seem like even though things are bad, everything is going to be OK. 'Trouble & Care', the fifth song starts dark and stays there with a nice hypnotic chant. John goes upbeat next with "Make Them Crazy', he probably thought after the first five songs we needed a breather. Going back into the theme, the title track 'Old Futures Gone', combining William Blake's beautiful poem Eternity with the awful events of the world and stating 'There's a new way through the hills ahead, This one we'll have to earn'. The second half of the CD starts with a straight out love song, 'Lay Me Down' about coming home after a long time away, which I can see as being an autobiographical song for John. On 9/27/01 on his website, he wrote that 'Music can reach the places that words alone cannot find' and I'm sure from that nugget the song 'Shapes' was born. This is a great song, one of my favorites. The inspirational 'A Soldier After All' is next with a different kind of fighting, the good kind. Just like on TV with the good cop/bad cop, he follows with 'Poor Side' about what kind of man not to be. 'War Makes War'... just what it says, I find it interesting the contrast of such powerful words against such light, upbeat music. 'If Not Now' a great addition to WMW asking some thoughtful questions that need to be asked. And finally 'Riverside'. John seems to leave his best work for last. After going through all the emotions of the previous 13 songs, he leaves us with this seemingly calm tale of time and space and life and love. I haven't quite figured out what it all means, but I like it, and I keep coming back, it's a great song. There, I'm done. I think this CD is great, every song reaching places words alone cannot find. Thank you, John. Mike _________________________________________________________________ Frustrated with dial-up? Get high-speed for as low as $29.95/month (depending on the local service providers in your area). https://broadband.msn.com ------------------------------ End of good-noise-digest V6 #46 *******************************