It s pretty, it s edgy, it s smart, and it s convincing - I love this record. I ve had Maybelle, Shotgun, Shrug and Encantada in heavy rotation for seven years. They are some of the best-crafted songs I know. It s hard to pull off being this pretty and not coming across as sentimental, but Ida manages the trick. The rest of the album holds up fairly well to repeated listening as well. I think this is Ida s best album, but there is a side project by Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton called Nanang Tatang Muki that just might be better. It is worth tracking down.
I da like some Ida - Lately my obsession has been rock music that has country undertones. Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Neko Case, Beulah. That last one more than the others. These songs ache with goodness, I m sure you ll see there s more than an adequate serving on this album. It seems that each track is crying out to you to love it. To embrace each precious moment and word uttered so softly and with such a delicate background of sound keeping all into the mood of soothing but sad.To even say this is a sad album is an understatement, cause I thought it quite sad at first and then found it to be heartwarming the more and more I gave it a chance. Back to the country thing. It just sounds like country, but not the store bought sappy country tv crap, but classical country, like Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn. The stuff where people are aching all over their instruments and hope that you might feel the least bit good from feeling so bad.
From beginning to end, a masterpiece... - I can t tell you in words how good this album is. It is arguably Ida s best (and Ida has quite a few legendary albums), not only because of how good each song is, but because of how it all goes together, tied by a stream of strange dissonant sounds. It is absolutely perfect for a sad day, or the end of a night, or when you just need something to relax to. But again, words can t explain it. High points are Maybelle, Shrug, This Water, Turn Me On, Man in Mind, Firefly, and Don t Get Sad. Aw, hell, every single song on the damn thing is great! Stop reading this and buy the album (or order it because your record store has never heard of it)!
If you don t buy this record, God won t like you - From NOTES FROM HAMPSTEAD by Elias Canetti: I cannot help myself. In the greatest misfortune I, the unbeliever, await miracles. Of all the old doctrines of faith, only one has remained intact for me: the miracle. But I don t want to know where it comes from, I don t want to make one happen. It should remain just what it is, inexplicable, intractable, just a miracle.From Lester Bangs s review of ASTRAL WEEKS: Because you re in trouble anyway when you sit yourself down to explicate just exactly what a mystical document, which is exactly what ASTRAL WEEKS is, means. For one thing, what it means is Richard Davis s bass playing, which complements the songs and singing all the way with a lyricism that s something more than just great musicianship: there is something about it that s more than inspired, something that has been touched, that s in the realm of the miraculous.I feel the same way about Dan Littleton s guitarsmanship on a track called MAYBELLE. (And I love how Liz s violin-voice is complemented by Karla s viola-voice.)
Epic. - Ida is my favorite band, however, I do not mean to impose my personal opinion with this review. I find as a muscian that this album is very appealing. The openening track Down On Your Back hails the sweet harmonic sentiment of most Ida songs with a somewhat dark twist. Very interesting progression of chords and clever use of instrumentation throughout the entire cd makes this an incredible, dynamic and most of all interesting listening experience. Along with that, Littleton, Mitchell and Shickle prove to be an effective ensemble lyrically and vocally. Littleton has a quiet reverence with his soft spoken lullaby voice that at any given moment can turn into heartfelt outcry as in Past the Past. Elizabeth Mitchell has by far one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard (listen to The Radiator you ll know what I mean). Karla Shickle has a sly almost sarcastic catchiness to her voice and rocks on the piano laden song Man in Mind. All in all this is a great cd and a great start for anyone who wants to get familiar with this band. It will keep you interested from beginning to end.