Now that I have WATS, it's time to revisit my initial review...
Quote:"Morning Moon" is a great leading track and one of the best on the album. The slide guitar is exceptional and the lyrics paint a beautiful picture. The production doesn't weigh down the song too much, but a little less strings would be appreciated.
This song gets better every time I hear it. I don't even notice the strings any more. I grew up near a nuclear power plant, and although it wasn't across a lake, it could be seen in the distance. Whenever the steam was missing, we'd say "the reactor's down." So you can see why I like this song.
Quote:"Honey, Please" is a good track about songwriting (a la. "My Music at Work") and I love the organ in the background. The solo section, with the mixture of slide guitar, mandolin, and organ, is a musical revelation. The background vocals are a little overdone (one of those wince moments) but it doesn't detract from a good song.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the album. I still love the Hammond in this song.
Quote:"The Last Recluse" is the strongest of the first half with a great chorus melody and some of Gord's best singing on the album. Very thick production, but the organ and (I think) accordion work well together.
Another great song. One of the best choruses in any Hip song. I never thought I'd love an accordion this much. This album has one of the best three song lead-ins of any album I've heard, Hip or not.
Quote:"Coffee Girl" would be good if it weren't for the biggest gaffe on the album - a drum track! I don't know if it's Johnny trying to sound like a drum machine, a sample of his drums, or an electronic loop, but it doesn't fit and makes it sound like a pseudo-hip-hop-pop track. It ruins an otherwise good upbeat track. And a trumpet solo? Don't they have two capable guitarists? Are there any guitars on this song? Wait, there they are, under the drum track and synth. Oh well, at least it's short. What a shame.
That's definitely Johnny on drums. They just sound like a hip-hop drum track. It still sounds a little too much like a John Mayer song, but it's not bad enough of a song to skip over. I'm even getting used to the trumpet. Seriously, when was the last time you heard an accordion and a trumpet on the same rock album? Classic.
Quote:"Now the Struggle Has a Name" is pure anthemic rock, with the slide guitar prominent again. Not prominent enough, though, as it has to share space with a string section. Oh, the strings are under the chorus, too. Wait, there they are under the verse. Too bad it's hard to hear the great Rotovibe guitar lick over the violins. Even the guitar solo has to struggle for space. I'd love to hear this song without the strings. It would sound so much better. So much more alive. This song deserved better.
This is one of the failed experiments. I love the song, though. I just try to tune out the string arrangements. The music soars enough that it didn't need the strings, especially over the guitar solo. This song is going to kick major ass live.
Quote:"The Depression Suite" deserves some special attention. ...this is an epic piece and deserving of its place among the best Hip songs. Luckily the song is so good that it overcomes its grandiose production. The kicker is, without that, it would be a lock for their best song ever. Damn them strings!
I still agree with everything I said before. Take out the strings, keep the rest of the big production, and this is the #1 Hip song of all time. Hands down. As it stands, it's a little too ELO.
Quote:The second half of the album rocks much harder and starts off well with "The Exact Feeling", a rocking tune with the sparsest production on the whole album. It's got a different feel and a much different drum line than the rest of the album. I like the talk box, too. It's hard to hear (big surprise) but it's there. I hope it's more prominent live. "Queen of the Furrows" is the best song on the second half. It has great dynamics, a killer solo (finally!) and good use of mandolin. It's amazing how a song about farming can rock so much. Again, the sparser production brings this song alive. "Speed River" is a song that wouldn't be out of place on Fully Completely. Guitars take the lead (yes!) and the drums change nicely between the verse and chorus. Some of the guitars are positively Beatle-esque. Nice. Good solo, too. Nothing wrong with this song at all. Love the Hammond!
My favorite three-song sequence on the album, even more so than the leading tracks. All these songs rock. Queen of the Furrows is God-like, but I'm surprised at just how much I like Speed River. Those two songs are my favorites on the album.
Quote:Frozen In My Tracks is where it all starts falling apart again. Perhaps it's because the last three songs were so good. The background vocals are WAY overdone to the point of being a distraction. Sounds like Motley Crue. I like the 6/8 time, though. I'm sure this song will sound amazing live. Take out the cheesy "Whoa-oh" and this is a much better song.
I was so wrong about this song. Sure, the whoahs are a little overwrought, but I guess they have their place. I'm still trying to figure out if it's in 6/8 or 3/4. The meter sounds like 6/8 to me. Oh well, either way it rocks.
Quote:"Love is a First" is the first release (but just try to hear in on the radio in the U.S.) and I think it's the weakest song on the second half. The lyrics are the weakest on the album - I think I had enough poppy love songs on World Container. I like how they tried to incorporate a Downie Rant into a studio recording, and it isn't as horrible as you may think. In the end, though, it comes off as some kind of power pop song. It should have been done on World Container, where it would have been one of the best songs on the album. It doesn't fit here.
I was even more wrong about this song. Sure, it's not my favorite on the album, but it most certainly belongs here. It's not a poppy love song, either. I love the lyrics in the closing rant - "I drank the poison from the source and smoked that murder, fell on the floor and watched the near-death of your TV, and dreamed its darkly nurtured dreams." How f'n cool is that?
Quote:Country Day is a great song let down by Rock's overproduction. It's a nice return to the softer songs of the first half and nicely brings the album to an end by tying the two halves together. Not to sound like a broken record, but there are too many strings. This would work so well as a stripped down - dare I say country-like - song.
The production's not the problem as much as it's just a little too long. Chop off about 30 seconds and it's a better song.
Quote:It's like a good glass of wine that was watered down just enough so that you can still taste it, but some of the flavors got lost.
I can taste it now. It just takes a little longer to find the flavors.