From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V4 #102 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Saturday, April 20 2002 Volume 04 : Number 102 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: Brace Yourselves: Doug Rambling Review! [doug brown ] OV: Later.... ["Hilary Gray" ] OV: Later with Jools-BBC america [Tom Taschler ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 09:19:06 -0700 (PDT) From: doug brown Subject: OV: Brace Yourselves: Doug Rambling Review! Hmm where to start? First off congrats to the Dels and the Commish on a beautifully crafted album. It's the best sounding Dels album so far. The mix is just right, not too bright like Twisted, not dull and flat like SOSP, and not smoky like Change Everything though I liked that one just fine. It's chock full of little goodies to keep us listeners paying attention. Lots of "electronic shite" that sometimes works like the break in Out Falls the Past, and sometimes doesn't like that gawdawful noise in Last Hurrah, but is mostly at least interesting. Also little distorted guitar bits here and there and some truly wonderful transitions like the one from Drunk In a Band to Last Hurrah (yes I know the song title), in fact someone obviously payed lots of attention to all the transistions which is very nice. That's the kind of stuff I love to see in albums, makes them like reading a book or watching a movie, instead of the "live in the studio" dullness that was SOSP. Also the musicianship is flawless. Some really nice bass playing in there especially, so I'm guessing Iain did most if not all of the bass. Only one that sounds like it could be Justin is Buttons actually. As for the electronica, I've got nothing against it. I've got albums by bands like New Order and Xymox in my collection. I don't even really hate strings, bands like the Goo Goo Dolls use them very effectively in an unannoying way. But still ... I miss the old Dels sound. Change Everything is one of the best albums ever, great songs that are great partly because they're guitar driven without being overtly rock and roll guitar type music. As I listen to this album it's way to easy to think, "that part would have sounded a lot better with Iain playing it." I'm guessing these songs will sound a lot better live as long as they don't stoop to tons of sampling, programming or *gasp* tapes. So in the end I don't think the new sound is really all that bad, it's just that the Dels had a terrific trademark sound going, and foolishly dropped it. Hopefully we can chalk this album up to being the band's Zooropa and they can get back to their former selves soon. As for the songs, welllllll, as good as they sound, in general I don't think they are up to snuff with their previous stuff. Just Before You Leave is total and complete crap and is easily the worst song on the album IMO - I really have no need to ever hear it again. Takes too long to get going and goes nowhere, meaningless lyrics, overly fat and fuzzy everywhere with Justin's 4 year old nephew on Fisher-Price organ, sugar sweet strings that make me puke up cotton candy all over Vick Plectrum, and a call back to a time an stupid era that I would rather forget with the Mayfield/Gaye influence. Blech blech hurl. Despite this incredible stupidity picking this waste of space as the single, it's of course only uphill after this. Cash and Prizes is very reminiscent of Paper Thin for better or worse. Some great music and atmosphere wasted on a silly story. This would have been a great instrumental! Sadly it would have been better off as a B-Side in the end I have to say with the low replay interest in hearing the story or lack thereof over and over. Drunk In a Band - I kind of wrote this off as silly retro rock at first, but it's a fun entertaining song that gets better with each listen and might have actually been a decent single, without Vick in the video. One More Last Hurrah - Not a bad attempt but completely ruined by that heinous high pitched electronic shite running through it. I will be skipping this one soley because of that. Buttons on My Clothes - Light breezy, still classic Dels, nice song, well done. Also like Out Falls the Past (another single pick maybe) and Jesus Saves, which is good because everyone else's descriptions of it scared me. It's cool though. The soul influence continues to bog other songs down, even otherwise nice ones like Just Getting By. Lose the Marvin Gaye puhleaze. So. The album sounds pretty good despite the electronica, I miss the guitars, but in the end it's the songs that matter ... and ... once again I have to think this is their weakest album so far. The tunes sound better and are much better presented than the ones from SOSP for example, but I really feel the songwriting has been better on every other Dels album. So some good stuff for us fans, not much for non-fans who I would still send back to their older stuff. Remember drinking and sitting around and wallowing in Waking Hours, Change Everything, Twisted, maybe ever SOSP over and over for hours, and just loving the deep dark lyrics and songs? This just isn't one of those kinds of albums. Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 09:55:27 -0700 (PDT) From: doug brown Subject: OV: Kev Ali pay attention, finally another good music site Dress Kylie Minogue! http://www.princessofpop.co.uk/ !!!! Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 14:33:24 -0400 From: "the Gardners" Subject: OV: two bits worth Just as I sat down to write this, here's Doug B's review of the album and I thought geez who dare come after the Dougman in expressing an opinion... who better than the Persistant Optimist! Right off let me say that I am almost embarrassed at how happy I am just to hear Justin sing again; its like those times when you're overjoyed to see someone after a long absence but you want to kick them too... I guess I never admitted to myself how much I like his voice and when the first track started I could feel this wave of anticipation and relief simultaneously flow inside. I am a happy optimist indeed, but I must say too that I am damned irritated that there isn't a stronger guitar presence but *harumph* I'll just go get my guitar fix somewheres else - who needs Iain anyway... I love this album. If you've followed the band from the older albums like Waking Hours thru Twisted, then SOSP, this is a logical & natural progression in the bands evolution musically. I liked "Just Before You Leave" the first time I heard it. It sounds like a track off SOSP and has those classic Currie-styled lyrics about a manipulative lover. The album is NOT complete crap by any stretch of the imagination and to my immense relief the producer Captain Whozit or Commisioner Googoo, whatever his name was, didn't totally ruin the sound of the album. "Cash and Prizes" sounds good to me too, like a more sophisticated 'Paper Thin' minus all that melodrama. Its really good when the guitar creeps in, too... "Buttons on My Clothes" I absolutely adore this one, from the sparkly keyboards to the warm harmonies that for some reason stir up fond Beatles memories. This ought to be the next single. "Baby Its Me" Who said this was a stalker song?? Nah, its just a sweet poetic expression of true love! Who can read evil into a line like this: '...Baby if you wanna find someone/ with all that they need but nothin they want/ full of themselves but with a hole where you aren't/ then can't you see?/Baby its me' (Go ahead, Metzman, I know you can prove me wrong...) "Last Cheap Shot at the Dream" is wonderful! A bit Tom Pettyish too; I love the shuffling sound of this tune and I suspect its the one I'll be singing once I learn the words a bit better... "Out Falls the Past" is 4-star! Probably my favorite, with those harmonies and the very unique Curriesque way of talking about love: 'I can't forever hide behind this mask/ 'Cos every time I fall in love, out falls the past...' "Just Getting By" Oh yeah, the Dels are back. Those lyrical flourishes are unmistakable and remind me of why I am irresistably drawn back to the bands music... 'Look at me, standing with my tattered pride/ Of toothless little lions...' A good way to end a good album. Count me in as one who is delighted to have finally gotten some new stuff from the band. And nobody could ignore the straightforward anger of not only "Jesus Saves" but also "I'm An Unbeliever" on the single; I guess its taken Justin this long to put into words all the hostility towards this Almighty he says he doesn't believe exists. The very idea of a beady-eyed God who waits eagerly to hear someone call on him did make me grin, I admit - what an audacious image! But the idea of a Christ who 'gives so he can watch this swamp of people squirm and sink' just reeks of resentment. I'd give a mint just to have an afternoon with Justin to find out where all this bitterness comes from. TTFN Susan ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Apr 2002 00:06:43 +0100 From: "Hilary Gray" Subject: OV: Later.... Just had the boys on doing Just Before You Leave and it sounds *excellent* live. As expected, Justin isn't doing the bass live, Kris is doing the honours there. I can't believe how excited I am about seeing the band performing together for the first time in nearly 4 years...... What's next? Buttons on my clothes wasn't it? Tina, are you visible in the audience? I'll have to calm down otherwise I'll never get to sleep tonight! Hilary ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 19:42:40 -0500 From: Tom Taschler Subject: OV: Later with Jools-BBC america Has anybody heard when BBC-A will be broadcasting the Jools show with the Dels? Thanks Tom ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V4 #102 **********************************