I was very impressed with the guitar work, the awe inspiring vocals, and the realistic and earthy chanting in this very solid debut. As far as album art goes i am not sure who the eye belongs too and where it was taken or who worked on the graphics but they did a great job the cover demands attention. Production of the album was superb also the samples used from "The Nile's Edge", "Somewhere Else To Be" and "You": "Salve Regina" by The Benedictine Monks of the Abby Saint-Maurice and Saint-Maur, Cleraux
TRACKLIST
| 1 | Here | 4:57 | ||
| 2 | Touched | 3:57 | ||
| 3 | Dirty Hole | 5:36 | ||
| 4 | Pretty When You Cry | 3:50 | ||
| 5 | I'm Dying | 4:09 | ||
| 6 | Flames | 4:37 | ||
| 7 | Temptation | 3:09 | ||
| 8 | Three Doors | 5:04 | ||
| 9 | The Niles Edge | 4:29 | ||
| 10 | Somewhere Else To Be | 3:05 | ||
| 11 | Untitled | 3:41 | ||
| 12 | You | 4:58 |
1 : Here - A powerful classical introduction that ends up industrial sounding with electric guitars makes me feel he is asking the big question where am i in the scheme of things? a state of limbo or perfection ? a man searching for something but always just out of his grasp perhaps ' Crosby states "All I know is that I'm here / drifting somewhere in the past / Somewhere in eternity / I never want to leave". Has classical intro that abruptly runs into industrial rhythm's and electric guitars.
2 : Touched - The most famous song on the album and without this song none of the other gems would not of been unearthed for the majority of cd/mp3 owners contains samples from "Pilentze Pee-Pilentze" by Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares and from "Bo Go Gyaling", "Tibetan Buddhist Rites From The Monasteries Of Bhutan - Vol 2" . The chanting is impressive such a beautiful demonstration of soaring vocals and emotion all at once
Touched was promoted heavily with the movie The Beach which probably drove half the market to this cd, Crosby's vocals and composure shine brightly.
3 : Dirty Hole - Contains samples from "Sounds Of The South" darkest song on the album for me. Begins with a chilling organ that made me think of a Gothic cathedral perhaps hearing it in a old cloister on a still winters night, samples are haunting and eerie strong vocals; The song seems to be about the dangers of letting the sexual demons loose Crosby's voice blends beautiful with the haunting atmosphere he has made
4 : Pretty When You Cry - I think we have intentionally hurt someone that we love just to see their reaction out of malice or spite . "I didn't mean to hurt you / but you're pretty when you cry." .A haunting bliss of gothic/industrial; . The piano combined with a strong bass line make this song amazing. .
5 : I'm Dying - Perhaps a spiritual statement made to remind himself or others that we are mortal that each day we march to the inevitable certainty. Crosby screams "Not one day goes by that I don't know that I'm dying" Once again the the chants plus the industrial-style guitars and rhythm back up the nice vocals and honest lyrics very well.
6 : Flames - Nice soothing guitar almost folk sounding with a cello playing sung with so much felt compassion and love its hard to describe it . You can feel the intense emotion in Jon's voice Flames has the ability to put you in tears and/or lull you to sleep in peace. A love song on another level; beautifully composed, it just has to be experienced
7 : Temptation - An admission of vulnerability, with the simple and repetitive "You are my temptation" as Crosby attempts to pull out of the swoon from the previous song. Loud, overpowering, effusive. Awake now? Yes the opening guitar on this immediately made me love it, and the rest of the song doesn't disappoint, it's another adrenaline song with one of the best choir chorus's in the album
10 :Somewhere Else To Be - Song of soul searching; Crosby delivers with thought-provoking, melodic, and versatile vocal talent . Desperate for escape, "I wish I could run / from everyone / Give me somewhere else to be... give me out, that's all I need." Perhaps a time when Jon wasn't comfortable in his own skin .Blends into the next track with ease
11 : Untitled - It serves a definite purpose on this album - a nice exit from 'Somewhere Else to Be' this is a great song, the male choir is enchanting, it just sinks into you without any warning until you're utterly subdued Beautiful transition piece,
12 : You - A great finish for this album i love the sounds in this track the song is beautiful sung with compassion The spacey keyboard takes you to a completely different place, a gentle fitting to a great album he gently takes you to the end. "You can't take anything with you / Except the love I have for you." . Amazing closing piece combining breathy vocals and soothing electronics
Conclusion : This is a outstanding debut album , Jon does get compared a lot to Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails i don't think there is a lot personally its just they are both one man projects and happen to be in the same genre i think the music is different, For me the best song on here is Flames for a slow moving hit that is deep but if you like a bit more fast moving songs Temptation and Three doors are great songs .
Overall a stunning debut well sampled ,well sung and worthy of having a spot in the cd/mp3 collection , a great listen 8/10
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