Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com
Showing posts with label Warm Inventions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warm Inventions. Show all posts
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Concert Review: Hope Sandoval at Vicar Street in Dublin
For once, this was a gig I wasn't particularly looking forward to. It took place on Halloween night, which meant braving Dublin city centre on a Saturday night, not something I'm fond of.
The gig was relatively full, which surprised me a little. The support band were exactly what you would expect sound-wise, very mellow and country tinged, though not bad. They were called Dirt Blue Jeans, though somebody said later they looked more like refugees from Almost Famous!
In fact, the support band was made up of members of Hope's band, the Warm Inventions (who played the first song with Halloween masks!). The gig failed to spark really. Hope Sandoval looked the part but she refused to engage with the audience and spent much of the gig not even looking at the audience. The music was very same-y, mellow, drifting along quite pleasantly. However the set was dominated by her new album (Through the Devil Softly), which doesn't grab me very much, with very few standout tracks at all.
She spent most of her time studiously ignoring the audience while intermittently bashing away at a xylophone (quite good actually) but the whole thing left me cold. Though I must admit, I was in the minority. I had hoped that seeing her live might pull me into the album, but it hasn't happened.
The gig was relatively full, which surprised me a little. The support band were exactly what you would expect sound-wise, very mellow and country tinged, though not bad. They were called Dirt Blue Jeans, though somebody said later they looked more like refugees from Almost Famous!
In fact, the support band was made up of members of Hope's band, the Warm Inventions (who played the first song with Halloween masks!). The gig failed to spark really. Hope Sandoval looked the part but she refused to engage with the audience and spent much of the gig not even looking at the audience. The music was very same-y, mellow, drifting along quite pleasantly. However the set was dominated by her new album (Through the Devil Softly), which doesn't grab me very much, with very few standout tracks at all.
She spent most of her time studiously ignoring the audience while intermittently bashing away at a xylophone (quite good actually) but the whole thing left me cold. Though I must admit, I was in the minority. I had hoped that seeing her live might pull me into the album, but it hasn't happened.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Album Review: Hope Sandoval - Bavarian Fruit Bread
In the 90s, Hope Sandoval sang in a band called Mazzy Star. Their music consisted mainly of drowsy, langurous songs with a slight tinge of country. While they had their moments (1993's So Tonight That I Might See) I was never a huge fan.
In 2001 Hope Sandoval released an album under the banner Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions. Bizarrely, it was entitled Bavarian Fruit Bread and largely featured a collaboration with Colm O'Ciosoig, ex-drummer with the wonderful My Bloody Valentine. There's minimal percussion here though. The sound of the album, while not a major departure for Sandoval, was a lot more stripped back than Mazzy Star, featuring a lot more acoustic guitar and touches of cello, bells, harmonica and xylophone here and there. Hope sounds totally unenthused, but in an utterly bewitching way.
The album begins with Drop, a Jesus and Mary Chain cover (she used to go out with William Reid) and Hope's voice is centre stage over a strummed acoustic guitar. It's followed up by the narcoleptic Suzanne. This and Butterfly Mornings are perfect sunny Sunday morning music. On the Low picks up the pace a bit and reminds me slightly of less cringe-y Serge Gainsbourg (without the male vocals). Feeling of Gaze doesn't quite work. Hope's singing is great but the cello and piano competes rather than complements leaving the track sounding disjointed.
The stronger melodies are actually backweighted towards the second half of the album. Charlotte is another sleepily graceful track, while Clear Day is a quiet triumph. The vocals here are particularly enticing, lines like "gonna take all your troubles, gonna send them away"wouldn't work with other singers but they suit perfectly here. Around My Smile is probably the strongest track, a slow-burning torch song with Hope Sandoval at her most alluring. The chorus is like a ridiculous come-on, the line is "I got going on". Writing about it doesn't do it justice. The final track is an extended shoe-gazey type piece, Lose Me On The Way.
Avoid this album at all costs if you prefer rockier stuff or like your music to actually go anywhere. It seems like she has returned to music after 8 years. She is set to release Through The Devil Softly in September 2009.
In 2001 Hope Sandoval released an album under the banner Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions. Bizarrely, it was entitled Bavarian Fruit Bread and largely featured a collaboration with Colm O'Ciosoig, ex-drummer with the wonderful My Bloody Valentine. There's minimal percussion here though. The sound of the album, while not a major departure for Sandoval, was a lot more stripped back than Mazzy Star, featuring a lot more acoustic guitar and touches of cello, bells, harmonica and xylophone here and there. Hope sounds totally unenthused, but in an utterly bewitching way.
The album begins with Drop, a Jesus and Mary Chain cover (she used to go out with William Reid) and Hope's voice is centre stage over a strummed acoustic guitar. It's followed up by the narcoleptic Suzanne. This and Butterfly Mornings are perfect sunny Sunday morning music. On the Low picks up the pace a bit and reminds me slightly of less cringe-y Serge Gainsbourg (without the male vocals). Feeling of Gaze doesn't quite work. Hope's singing is great but the cello and piano competes rather than complements leaving the track sounding disjointed.
The stronger melodies are actually backweighted towards the second half of the album. Charlotte is another sleepily graceful track, while Clear Day is a quiet triumph. The vocals here are particularly enticing, lines like "gonna take all your troubles, gonna send them away"wouldn't work with other singers but they suit perfectly here. Around My Smile is probably the strongest track, a slow-burning torch song with Hope Sandoval at her most alluring. The chorus is like a ridiculous come-on, the line is "I got going on". Writing about it doesn't do it justice. The final track is an extended shoe-gazey type piece, Lose Me On The Way.
Avoid this album at all costs if you prefer rockier stuff or like your music to actually go anywhere. It seems like she has returned to music after 8 years. She is set to release Through The Devil Softly in September 2009.
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