At first I liked this album. It seemed honest, strong, depressing, uplifting and an excellent album overall. I think I was drunk at the time though. Anything was good.
The other day, I played it again. My reaction was one of, “WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CRAP?”. The album has become a monotone, bland, and empty record. Listening to it is akin to creating bowel movements while having a cattle prod inserted into areas where no one should dare explore.
Rice’s album has been hailed as one of the best albums of the year (or was it last year? I forget), but for me, it is one of the most overrated, over hyped albums I have ever had the misfortune to listen to. Over hyped? “But we haven’t heard of him before this!” When unknown artists are given a glorified and carpet sweeping approvals of thumbs up from everyone, you have to suspect that
a) It really is that good an album
b) It is bullshit.
So why did I like it in the first place? Honestly? I didn’t actually listen to it, I caught the ends of each track, having, unconsciously ignored the rest of it. It was only, for the first time that I had purposely sat down to listen to it, and boy, was it one helluva disappointment.
magazines would like to see Rice as a catharsis for all the saccharine-like crap that we are lambasted with at present, but this is only an illusion
I need perhaps, a lobotomy to transplant a Damien Rice fan’s brain into my head to understand how this hyperbolic monotony has gained such momentum when there are far, far superior albums out there. Rice has done nothing original in his work, and has neither innovated nor improved an art form. I can understand to some extent that magazines would like to see Rice as a catharsis for all the saccharine-like crap that we are lambasted with at present, but this is only an illusion. There are some tracks which I did like, but for the love of Christ, this album was crap.
There have been times I have listened to music, that could help me drift to sleep. Sigur Ros being one of those artists that could do this, but at the same time, their music, although abstract for most, is beautiful and interesting in its innovation, and improvement in a genre stifled with clones. Damian Rice, on the other hand, could put me to sleep, stick me in a coma, and keep me dead for the next 4 million years.
Verdict: Tripe and nonsensical melancholy preaching. Save your money for something better.
Track Listing
1. Delicate
2. Volcano
3. The Blower’s Daughter
4. Cannonball
5. Older Chests
6. Amie
7. Cheers Darlin’
8. Cold Water
9. I Remember
10. Eskimo