Alternative Rock music reviews

This album is a compilation of the best of the first Savage Garden album plus remixes and B-sides. I've had this album for years and it still the sound is still fresh and new. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones found a way to take us out of the grunge era and brought us into the the light of intelligent lyrics and pounding beats-this was the perfect start to a too short career.

I LOVE 'This Side of Me' and all of the other songs on this CD. Definatly worth getting. The TTMAB remix starts out very nice and 'is' a bit different than the original one..

Although Darren and Daniel are now persuing solo carrers this album can help you remember the times that were. This cd also shows that all of their work is good not just 1 or 2 albums. This cd has 5 B-sides plus many mixes.

Two tracks worthy of special mention are Fire inside the man and TTMAB radio edit.

They are brilliant. The TTMAB edit is equally as good as the album version.

Best buy this beauty quickly as it is becoming quite rare.

If you're even slightly wary of albums with "Best of.." in the title, abandon any such reticence with this. It really is the best of this British Indie band and they're on top form with both the classic singles (Lay Down/Born of Confusion/How Was It For You? etc)and the lesser known material. And eighteen, thumpingly good tracks for the princely sum of under thirteen dollars is darned fine value. If it's a choice between this and a square meal, go for the CD. (Most of us could do with losing a bit of weight anyway!) This more than warrants its four out of five stars.

This CD was amazing. I knew James before buying it but now I realize that they have so many more amazing songs. This CD is awesome.

This album is superb. I play it every morning in the past months and still love it very much.

I'm so glad I picked up this album. It's just the right spice when you need to hear something soothing and uplifting. Fans of The Sunday's will enjoy this recording.

I have never found better music anywhere. Brilliant simplicity, beauty found nowhere else, innocence for sure, and the desire and happiness in life that exudes from this music: it's unmatchable. I highly recommend it as one of the top albums of our time. Karen's voice is stunning, the guitar work is outstanding, everything flows and leaves me always wanting more. This album has been a favorite of mine for ten years and I still love it as I did when I first got it. It definitely GLOWS.

Glow was my first introduction to The Innocence Mission. I had heard about them off-and-on for years, but Glow was the first album of theirs that I purchased, and that was in January 1996. Glow is arguably still their most consistently outstanding album. All of their albums have superlative songs, and putting on each new Innocence Mission album for the first time feels like having old friends drop in to visit, but Glow can still grab you from beginning to end more than a decade after its 1995 release. The childhood memories displayed on this album are moving, and lead singer and songwriter Karen Paris paints incredible pictures with an economical use of words that hint at larger vistas.

The album opener, "Keeping Awake," is itself a perfect song. If you've never heard The Innocence Mission before, you may be blown away by Karen's vocals and poetry. Musically, the song communicates peace and calm, but it's the little details that stand out. The imagery is evocative: family members sitting under trees in a dreamed-for tomorrow; a girl dancing into her room; the sense of peace at having everyone home; and, most of all, the sense that "My room is held in someone's arms,/my bed is held in someone's arms." This last little detail -- God holding the speaker's bedroom -- points to the often subtle ways in which The Innocence Mission band members communicate their Roman Catholic faith.

The album moves on from there as Karen paints her watercolor pictures. Yellow/gold is a recurring color in her palette this time around ("Bright as Yellow," "Brave," "Speak Our Minds," "Everything's Different Now," "Spinning"), as are blue ("Keeping Awake," "Happy, the End," "I Hear You Say So"), white ("Happy, the End," "There"), green ("I Hear You Say So") and red ("Bright as Yellow," "Brave"). Collectively, the songs move us through the four seasons of the year. We have recurring characters: Aunt Mary ("Speak Our Minds," "Everything's Different Now") and Harry ("Our Harry," "Spinning"; Harry is also almost definitely the one spoken to in "I Hear You Say So" and less certainly the one addressed in "That Was Another Country"). We are also introduced to Junie and Georgia, as well as other unnamed companions.

All of this adds up to a richly detailed portrait of growing up in middle-class America at a time when major changes are seen in the lives of friends. Our speaker feels trapped by fears and her inability to both reach out to others ("Bright as Yellow") and trust God ("Brave"). In contrast, one friend, Harry, is able to reach outside himself: he's going to join the Peace Corps in the summer("Our Harry"). This troubles the speaker, who doesn't want to lose Harry ("Spinning," arguably "That Was Another Country"). She and her other friends, meanwhile, face their own sadness ("Speak Our Minds") juxtaposed with times of healing ("Happy, the End"). This, of course, is just the lot of ordinary life, and such conditions require perseverance ("Go"). Such perseverance is needed not just in their relationships with other people, but God as well ("There"). In the end, Harry apparently does leave in the summer, "reaching out" to others through the Peace Corps work, but the speaker now has peace about his leaving ("I Hear You Say So").

Lyrically and musically, The Innocence Mission give us this non-linear story with talent and creativity. Karen has one of the most beautiful voices around, and her husband Don, Mike Bitts, and (now ex-band member) Steve Brown are all talented musicians. The music is often ethereal. Glow also may be so successful partially due to the talents of Dennis Herring, who was arguably their best producer.

In any case, don't pass over Glow. You'll be missing out on a rich, emotional work if you do. The early Innocence Mission albums have been going out of print recently, so this one may not be with us (under the A&M label, at least) for much longer.

No one would ever accuse the Cowboy Junkies of being a rock and roll band, but their first album for Geffen Records found them turning the volume up a degree or two. "Lay It Down" is the most electric of the CJ's many records, yet the truly amazing thing is that the band loses absolutely nothing of their original charms. While the music may be a little denser and a touch louder, Margo Timmins never lets the sonics intimidate her subtle manner of singing.

Nowhere is this more evident than "Lay It Down's" best known song, "Common Disaster." Moving at a near pop song clip, the blues bassline and somewhat distorted guitar offer a tasty hook over which Margo sings brother Michael's tale of revenge planning ("I cut the list to one and you're name's on top"). It's one of the strongest songs of the CJ's career. Through the course of the Junkies' albums, one of the most consistent factors has been Michael's writing and "Lay It Down" is no exception. The his and hers versions of "Come Calling" show his love of country irony, and "Bea's Song" is a gorgeous entry that should find its way into someone else's record someday. He is, without question, one of the most underrated songwriters of the past two decades. With "Lay it Down," the second best album from the Cowboy Junkies treasure chest of recordings, he and his band continue to prove why their cult remains as strong as ever.

I first heard this CD at work when a new employee brought it from home. I had never heard of Cowboy Junkies before. He played it, and I was immediately hooked! Margo's haunting, spellbinding voice on the songs is nothing short of mystical, and you really cannot help but love it. So far, this is my favorite album by them. A must for any lover of Cowboy Junkies... or even just good music!

This is the first CJ album that I purchased. A friend of mine was playing it in her car and I had to do a double take when I heard it. Now, I own every CD that the CJs have done. Honestly...this is the best of all of the CJs albums. Alot of people think that Trinity Sessions is their best. I would strongly disagree. Lay it Down and Pale Sun, Crescent Moon are their two best musically, lyrically and vocally. If you are gonna start, start with Lay it Down and then move to PSCM. This album is one of my top ten CDs in my entire collection (and I have HUGE collection). It is stark and haunting and hits you hard in the gut. Despite criticisms to the contrary Margo's voice is powerful and subtle at the same time. I've seen her live and she can belt it out when she wants. Her restraint is part of the overall CJ ambience.
Frankly, I don't think there is a single band out there in the last 10 years who can even touch the CJs when it comes to lyrics. Maybe October Project got close--but the depth and beauty of the lyrics on this album are amazing.
This is a "must own" album from one of the most underrated bands of the last 20 years.

Admittedly, I wasn't a fan of Sister Hazel until I saw them perform at the House of Blues back in 2001, but I went out and got their entire catalog shortly after that amazing show. They may have been the opening band (Vertical Horizon was the main act), but honestly, their performance was the pinnacle of the night for me.

After hearing about this live album, aptly named "Live live," I quickly picked up a copy and I'm glad I did. While I was slightly disappointed by "Lift" (which I got just prior to Live Live), I was overjoyed at the quality of this excellent live album.

If you love Sister Hazel, you shouldn't be without this album. 'Nuff said.

This is truly a great (2 CD) album. Not only in terms of content, but also in terms of recording levels, etc.

You will NOT regret this album. Another masterpiece from Sister Hazel.

kt

WOW this was an AWESOME concert. I was at the Tampa concert at the masquerade, and it was truly amazing. Everyone, and i mean EVERYONE was singing along with the songs, the band was amazing and actually made two encores. I have never seen an entire audience know all the words to every song. The energy was truly unique, i understand why they chose this venue to record thier flawless preformance. this cd its a true representation of thier amazing live preformance ability, i recommend this album!

I bought this album when it first came out despite the fact that I was rather underwhelmed by its predecessor, "Wreck Your Life". This was their major label debut, and it would seem that the Old 97s took extra care with this album as it improves greatly upon their previous work. Everything on this album is better--the songs, the music, the production. This is the perfect Old 97s album.

So what makes this album so great? Rhett Miller's lyrics and delivery. He had already shown himself to be a smart and clever lyricist on previous albums, but here he takes it to the next level where almost every phrase of every song employs some sort of subtle intricate wordplay. His themes of young love and love lost are still there, but you can tell he took his time with the words this time around. For example, from "Salome", "I'm tired of making friends, and I'm tired of making time; from "Big Brown Eyes", "you make a big impression for a girl your size"; from "Niteclub", "telephones make strangers out of lovers, whiskey makes the strangers all look good", and from "Barrier Reef", "my name's Stuart Ransom Miller, and I'm a serial lady killer". Oh, and did I mention that the kid can sing?

As for the music, they are as tuneful as they ever were here, but the country leanings are very pronounced. They would definitely go on to produce more polished work over the next few years, but if you like your pop music with a healty twang of cowpunk then this is the album for you.

This album is a serious a**-kicker from start to finish.
No matter how old you are, where you're from, or what kind of music you normally listen to, I dare you not to stomp your feet when "Timebomb" gets going. This is the perfect driving album.

But as any Old 97's fan will tell you, the music's only half the story. Rhett Miller and company are kings of the lyrical one liners... and their skills truly shine in Too Far to Care.

Buy this album - you won't regret it. Then see them live!

A must have for anyone who enjoys X, The Reverend Horton Heat, or anything else that rides the line between punk rock and country.

I have a lot of REMs CDs and I must say "UP" is the one of the best albums they have ever put out. The music aspect of the album was phenominal, and was only surpassed by the poetic verses and thought provoking lyrics! "UP" is totally my favourite and I recomend it to anyone who likes music, period!

You Must get UP The Limited Edition CD Not Because It Has UP Because It Comes With The 48 Page CD Booklet That Has Lyrics To ALL REM Songs Which I Think Is Cool If You Are A REM Follower Like Me And Don't Know The Lyrics To Some Songs My Favorite Song/s Is The Whole Album

Although my favorite REM album changes from time to time, this one is always up there. REM used the restriction of drum machines and turned it to advantage by giving a feel to some of their songs that has not been seen before (Hope and Lotus). This may be one of the most over looked CD's in the past few years due to the fact that the songs rely on emotion and conviction instead of catchy words or lyrics that shock the public. REM amazes me every time by taking the hard road and telling what they feel, and not what everyone thinks that they want to hear.

... "if dimension, fidelity, and artistry are more your bag, Live pretty much bites. --Sue VanHecke"

Sorry Sue, I can't agree with that. Saying the Bosstones lack artistry is almost laughable. The Tones showcase some of the most talented musicians I've come across in my time. Masterful bass playing, a tight brass section, excellent guitar work and frankly, Dicky Barrett's vocal's are individual, endearing and soulful.

All up a great CD!

Wow...wow is all I can say about this display of live concert music. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are my favorite band, and I completed my collection of their cd's by laying down $18 for this cd- and I don't regret it oooone bit.
Between the awesome blend of songs from all their albums and the raw energy being witnessed, this cd can please anyone who's in the room. Cd's such as Devil's Night Out and More Noises and Other Disturbances weren't all that great to me...but this cd has made me come to love both of those "okay" cd's just because hearing some older songs by MMB played live seemed to bring a new light over them!
It's plain and simple...BUY THIS ALBUM! It's a must-have for annny MMB fan.

Like the Grateful Dead, the Bosstones are better live than recorded. This is essentially a live greatest hits album. It has all the songs of theirs that I could name, good sound, and an amazing 22 tracks. It's the only Bosstones disc I need, especially with "Where'd you go", "Someday I suppose", and half of the "Let's face it" album. Who needs that anymore. If you enjoy that "live" energy, and listen to bands like Fishbone and The Reverend Horton Heat, you'll love this.

About the Band:
Dead Can Dance is considered the seminal example of the ethereal (in the US) or heavenly voices (in Europe) genre. In fact, the name of the label, 4AD, which carried many of the 1990s DCD releases, is sometimes also used to describe this genre of music, which is a fusion of subtle electronics, vocals, drums, world music, and a near limitless count of instruments. Brendan Perry sometimes has been described as a gothic Frank Sinatra. Lisa Gerrard's enchanting vocals are often sung in a language only known to Lisa. I count myself among the many that hold these two musicians in the highest esteem.

About the Album:
Toward the Within is a live album from 1994, and though many music fans will often prefer the quality associated with a studio recorded album, I personally feel that heavenly voices music is designed to be emotional and moving ... and this album has a sincerity that will touch any listener. Toward the Within is one of my favorite albums. Fans of Brendan Perry's vocals will likely be more pleased by this album, as he provides the lead on the majority of the tracks.

Recommended Tracks:
-I Can See Now
-Don't Fade Away
-Rakim
-American Dreaming
-Desert Song
-The Wind that Shakes the Barley (I like this live version better)
-Cantara

In contrast to two very popular DCD offerings that are also worth checking out, Aion (which is very medieval sounding) and Into the Labyrinth (which is a bit remorseful and dark), I found this entire album extremely uplifting and inspirational. I can't stress enough how much I wish I could sing like Perry, and the truth is that I find myself doing so with this album. Fans of folk and romantic music will absolutely love this album.

Similar Artists:
If you love DCD because of Lisa's and Brendan's vocals, then I am confident you'll enjoy the following heavenly voices artists:
-Impressions of Winter (hard to find) - considered better than DCD, by many DCD fans lucky enough to hear them!!!
-Das Zeichen
-Love is Colder Than Death
-Deine Lakaien
-Qntal
-Helium Vola
-Corvus Corax
-Soil & Eclipse

I wish so much I could have been there when they were touring America...It sounds so much like your right there listening to them.

Dead Can Dance is one of the most talented artists I have ever heard. I love their music, and I feel this album is a great piece to add to the collection.

Any work by Dead Can Dance is more than a musical work: it's an almost trascendent experience. Their music crosses geographical and cultural barriers. By blending in Middle Eastern influences ("Rakim", "Desert Song", "Oman", "Tristan"), medieval/gregorian chants ("Cantara", "Song of the Sibyl") and traditional folk sounds ("American Dreaming", "Don't fade away"), they take you on a musical trip that goes beyond the confines of the album.

This recording contains live versions of several of their well known songs, some of which are presented in a brand new light. My favorites, the renditions of the highly spiritual "Yulunga" and "Sanvean". As a whole, this is one mesmerizing work you should not let go by the side. It's an absolute must on any serious music collection.

I took the gamble and purchased this CD because of some of the positive reviews that it was given. I'd never heard of Morphine but it felt like it was a worthy risk. I gotta admit I was disappointed. I just couldn't find much substance in the lyrical or instrumental composition. I listened to it many times hoping that I might discover some subtle appeal, but nuttin...I found it empty and boring.

Released posthumously, the Night stands out as the culminating masterpiece of the Boston trio. The low-sounding buzzing monotonic jazz-rock vibrates from the speakers without becoming too boring or annoying. Dim the lights, put your feet up, close your eyes and enjoy.

I was introduced to Morphine in 1993, when they had just released their classic album "Cure for Pain". The low-rock minimalistic sound with that incredible baritone saxophone just did the trick to me. The songs on that album are quite open to a general audience, with choruslines of many songs like " Buena", "Candy" and "All Wrong" remaining in your head. The sound was low, but quite crisp and clear. Coming from the sound of their more jazz-like debut album "Good" (1993) it had evolved. This debut album contains some jewels like "The Saddest Song" and "The other Side". However, the characteristic baritone sax sound was not that prominent then. I can remember once hearing a live version of "the saddest song" during their Cure for Pain time, when Dana Colley had added more sax to the song; it was great!

While anticipation was high, the third album was a bit of a disappointment to me. It was clear to me that the music was evolving further, but IMHO the general sound on "YES" was too experimental. "Free Love" however, contained by far the lowwest baritone sax note ever striking my ears and I found myself up to my stereo set increasing bass to a maximum to relive the feeling I encountered on the one occasion I heard Morphine live (1994): the feeling of my pants vibrating to the dark low waves of the sax. The disappointment about YES was the reason I never bought "Like Swimming".

When I heard Sandman had collapsed on stage, but not until he had handed in material for a full studio album, I was curious what his final musical accomplishment had been. From the moment I heard the titlesong "The Night", it just struck me: this was some of the best Morphine had produced. Integrating the jazz-like sound of their first album with the catchy choruslines of Cure for Pain and topped with the experimental flavor of YES Morphine had proven to advance. "Top floor, Bottom buzzer" reminded me again of the some of the cure for pain songs. "Souvenir" struck me as a very jazzy song (especially the drumming), more like the songs on "Good", but then with the improvement I have already been talking about. Then again, The Night also contains unique material like "Rope on Fire". Never in my life I have heard a saxophone play this catchy eastern tune. Marvellous! In "Take me with You", minimalism has been reduced with even backing vocals; but, I have to say, the combination of Sandman's intriguing monotonic sound combined with more instruments (even orchestrated) and backing vocals is very nice to the ear.

To me, "the Night" is a Morphine classic with overall quality rising to the level of "Cure for Pain", but with a sound which has evolved and grown. Sandman left us where he was best, in the sound of the Night.

This album is my favorite album by morphine. The band mixed it up on this record. Not all the songs sound the same. There is more variety and the band seems to showcase their musicianship well. I finally found a guy singing a song about how partners dont always meet under romantic circumstances. That, mixed with the sax, is the antithesis of the dave mathews band and that alone earns it five stars.