Take “Washington Square” for example. The lyrics are all about the loneliness of leaving home while the music for the most part is soft and sad with a lonely acoustic guitar leading. Then the music builds and out comes this piano flittering like a butterfly across the room and there's a hint of an accordion and harmonica whispering in the background. The bass builds the music into crescendo and a banjo breaks through and it all explodes into something beautiful and free.
If I could call the album only one word, I would choose "fun." It is a great spring record ready to be blasted from car speakers as the listener zooms down the road with the wind in his face, and the sun on his back. I might have lost Counting Crows for a long while, but they are very much back, and the sounds I hear are sure to create more lasting memories.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
I have always liked the songs I heard, and dug the first album a lot, but there's just something missing that keeps me from following them. I don't know what it is.
2 - Tom Johnson
I'm kind of in the same boat here, too, but there's something really powerful about this album. I think if you like the first one, you're going to like this one - it has the same driving energy and efficiency. Great, great stuff.
3 - Mat Brewster
The album is surprisingly good. Like I said in the review I haven't really paid attention to them in years, but this album is lots of fun.
With this and the new REM we may have to call 2008 the year of the comeback.