I'll admit it - I have a pretty short musical attention span. My mind still works in vinyl album-side mode: after about 20 minutes of the same artist I tend to drift. It is the rare CD that holds my attention for a full 60 or 70 minutes, and due to the insular similarity and reatively small dynamic range of most acoustic singer-songwriter music, it is rarer still for a CD of that ilk to hold my attention.
But hold it indeed does introspective, wistful, alt-folk troubador Damien Rice on his self-recorded and produced debut, O. The CD was a sensation when released last year in Rice's native Ireland, eventually going triple-platinum, and came out here in June.
Though still in his twenties, Rice seems to marshall the accumulated poignancy of Irish history in the opening dirge "Delicate," highlighted by his expressive tenor (somewhere between David Gray and Don McLean) and Vyvienne Long's mournful cello.
The vocal interplay between Rice and (Beth Orton-like) Lisa Hannigan, and a strong backbeat drive "Volcano." I find "The Blower's Daughter," though a huge hit in Ireland, relatively uninteresting: a bit too freighted with MEANING, the poignancy forced rather than organic.
Sprightly picked and strummed acoustic guitars (bringing to mind some of the best of Cat Stevens) enlivens "Cannonball"; "Older Chests" speaks hauntingly of the accretion of time that results in age, with attendant understanding and loss. "Amie" evokes similar emotional space, but with an even lovelier melody.
"Cold Water" is a tad too glacial for my taste, but the disc ends on a bizarre high with the conspiratorial, incantatory "Eskimo" ("I look to my eskimo friend when I'm down, down, down"), which remarkably busts into operatic soprano from Doreen Curran for its coda - didn't see that one coming, I assure you.
Rice is coming to the U.S. in September and early October:
Wed 10 USA Philadelphia TLA
Thur 11 Canada Toronto El Mocambo
Sat 13 USA Boston Paradise
Mon 15 USA New York Irving Plaza
Tue 16 USA Pittsburgh Club Cafe
Wed 17 USA Louisville Headliners
Thur 18 USA Birmingham Workplay
Sat 20 USA Nashville Belcourt
Sun 21 USA Atlanta Cotton Club
Tue 23 USA Chicago Park West
Wed 24 USA Minneapolis Fine Line
Fri 26 USA Boulder Fox
Mon 29 Canada Vancouver Richards
Tue 30 USA Seattle Crocodile
See his site for more tour information.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i heard a song from this on the radio yesterday. don't know which one though...it gets very sparse at the end with the two vocals sorta intermixing...it reminded me of X, but very very slow.
2 - Eric Olsen
M, probably "Volcano" - that's the "single" now.
3 - Simon Hibberd
This album, is just bathed in purity. from the choice of words, to the Soothing cello parts. In away even the Heart renching creshendos used through out the whold album. I have a different favourite song everyweek, but for the last few months its been off O. There are so many little delicate touchs that just seem so personal. Its almost like your reading somebodys diary. You feel so much empathy u feel like ur heart my burst. there is a moment in one track entitled Older chests that is just plesant. when damien utters "children scream, although it seeems louder than before." There is the sound of children laughing just under the vocal part. It just helps the imagery that little bit more, til all of a sudden your there in the song. my fav song at the moment would have to be cheers darlin. it just oozes with this feel of pain. The precution in this song for the most is just the sound of glasses clinging together (which lets face it is musically genius) Its about the regret of loosing a lost lover. Although this is a cliche amongst the music industry, let me tell you there is notheing common in this song. Each bitter line begins with Damien saying cheers darlin, This sarcastic way of looking at things (cheers darlin, heres to you and your lover boy) is just special to say the least even if it is a very dark way. The whole song just drips with Regret and sadness but then plummits into complete dispair when the music lifts and damien roars and the violins pleasently screech.
Each song has at least one gem like moment. whether its the swaying cello part of Volcano. or any number of Lisa hanigans beautiful vocals. But In prauge and I remember Damien and Lisa find new depths of drama. This is done so well in I remember. When Lisa sings the first 2/3 almost replying to Damiens first part of the album talking about love. Its like shes giving her point of view, lol, but Damien is having none of that, all of a sudden the scraping of the acoustic becomes more powerful the chords become clearer and Damien is pissed off. The last 3rd moves likes heart attack, a racing pluse as it seems Damien just gets more desperate and builds to the most beautiful and confused ending.
Above all if you admire honesty,and you love to hear beauty comming from your CD, player get this CD.
4 - Ztevan
One of the best of the decade already!!!
5 - Sam
Not only is "O" out, but his new c.d. "9" has just been announced. Among the tracks are "9 Crimes", "Elephant" (which is possibly Blower's Daughter Pt. 2, due to: "But you can't paint elephants..", and that it's supposed to be track 3), and "Accidental Babies". Most of the other songs he's performed once or twice, but aren't singles or anything (especially in the U.S)
All three of the songs I mentioned I love even more than the ones on "O", so my anticipation for the new album can in no way be described. With each year his music matures and grows and evolves. "O" has been pushed slowly to the back of my mind due to the quality of his other singles and performances.
I hope The Professor is a secret track.