Posts Tagged: jack’s mannequin

2004 / 4 stars / june is for women / missy higgins / reviews — No Comments
23
Jun 09

The Sound of White (2004) by Missy Higgins

missy higgins the sound of white

Missy Higgins
The Sound of White
2004, Eleven
piano pop, folk
4½

I came across Missy Higgins through her single “Where I Stood” from her second album. It’s common for me to search for an artist’s first album if I liked their second album, but it’s rare that I then find the first album miles better than the second. The Sound of White is Missy Higgins at her purest, most artistic form. Her voice, her lyrics, and her song arrangements are spotless and infectious to the point where you end up wondering if she could ever outdo herself in consequent albums.

In fact, after hearing her second album, I couldn’t believe it when I heard how prominent the piano is in this album. The lyrics are honest in a way that Andrew McMahon/Jack’s Mannequin fans will enjoy – soul-baring but coy in its subtlety. Her vocalizations are playful and range the blues, pop, soul, and what I like to call “hushed acoustic.” A literal jack-of-all-trades, Higgins’ debut shows her off in a way that American pop producers couldn’t.

“Don’t Ever,” “Unbroken,” “The River.”
myspace, last.fm
Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything in Transit, Sara Bareilles’s Little Voice

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2005 / 2007 / 3 stars / reviews / site news / the fray — No Comments
19
Feb 09

How To Save A Life (2005) by The Fray

How To Save A Life by The Fray

The Fray
How To Save A Life
2005, Epic
piano rock, alt rock
3½

I won’t deny that I’m a fan of piano rock, but that genre requires careful craft work before the song edges from ‘respectable’ into ‘nonsensical sentimental sap.’. Strangely enough, The Fray manages to cover both types in their full-length debut, with no middle ground. Sometimes, The Fray mixes pop, rock, and piano in a potent combination that catches your ear. That would explain why “Over My Head (Cable Car)” was the big hit from this album. But at other times, the album seems to drone on with no end.

To this day, I can still only listen to 5 of the 11 songs on this album – I consider the other 6 essentially useless in sound, structure, and lyrics. And while I’m a fan of good production quality, it seems The Fray needs that production like a crutch. Keep that in mind if you like this album, and for the review of their new album tomorrow.

“Over My Head (Cable Car)” “Trust Me,” “Vienna.”
website, last.fm
Jack’s Manneqin’s The Glass Passenger, Augustana’s Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt

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2 stars / 2003 / reviews / the fray — No Comments
19
Feb 09

Reason EP (2003) by The Fray

Reason EP by The Fray

The Fray
Reason EP
2003, independent (no label)
pop rock, piano rock
2½

This debut EP by the now-famous The Fray isn’t much of a gem when compared with their later work. While much of Reason is more Billy Joel-wannabe piano pop than the piano rock they would later become, it featured an attempt at lyricism that was promising even if it didn’t always hit the mark. “Oceans Away,” “Vienna,” (yes the same song on How To Save A Life) and “Without Reason” are probably the three songs that scored this band their strong fanbase and, eventually, their record deal. Get the EP if you want to hear more of the same stuff from their two albums; otherwise, don’t bother.

“Vienna,” “Without Reason,” “Oceans Away.”
last.fm, amazon
The Fray’s How To Save A Life, Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything In Transit

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