Octo_Russ

2012-02-09T01:23:00.004Z

Beth Nielsen Chapman [Sand And Water]

This is such a profound album, it was composed during the loss of Chapman's Husband to cancer, songs of loss, and yet... deep down they're songs of gain, she writes on the back of the booklet 'every aspect of my life has deepened in meaning, that has been a gift in the midst of this loss', she certainly has a way of expressing emotion through the perfect lyric, they are full of pathos and eternity, i've tried a couple of her other albums, but i've found them weak in comparison, i first encountered her on a compilation album, and so i had to explore the disc that that song came from, another little gem in my disc library.

Beth Nielsen Chapman is American, she is now 55, i didn't think she was that old, she recorded this album in 1997, the front booklet cover is very clever, a picture of Chapman under water, holding a bunch of roses, nicely far from the usual [photo by Howard Schatz], the reflection on the surface is great too, a pointed nose and two pairs of lips!.

There are several songs that touched me on this listen, especially tracks 1, 4 , 6 & 10, i guess i connected with the slower more inward looking songs, track 6 ' Seven Shades Of Blue' is a real gem, it rises far above even the other very excellent songs on the album, it's an acoustic number, Chapman plays acoustic guitar, and she's real good with a fairly complex picking arrangement, no mere strumming here, the song is heightened by opening with a couple of long verses before the chorus [verse, verse, chorus... instead of the usual verse, chorus, verse, etc], i like the second half of the first verse,

In the hollow of your shoulder

There's a tidepool of my tears

Where the waves came crashing over

And the shoreline disappears

very meaningful, using the analogy of the sea and the beach, Michael McDonald sings backing vocal in the chorus, there's also a lovely hum of background organ throughout the song, the whole thing seeps of nostalgia and almost regret, it's really beautiful.

Here's Beth Nielsen Chapman singing 'Seven Shades Of Blue' on YouTube.

2012-02-07T04:36:00.005Z

Various Composers - 'Fire & Ice' Popular Works For Violin And Orchestra [Chang/ Domingo-Berliner Philharmoniker]

This is an excellent bunch of concertante works for the violin, called 'Fire & Ice', and juxtaposes 'fiery' virtuoso numbers with 'cool' melancholy works, it's a great mix, it's welcome that Chang includes a couple of items that seem to get passed up on in a collection like this [the Dvorak and Bach pieces], i love these little collections, there's a great variety of composers and styles, all in an hour long recital.

Sarah Chang is an American Violinist of Korean descent, she's now 31, still phenomenally young for someone with such a large discography, and she's of course a very beautiful woman, she recorded this disc in 2001, the front cover picture is fantastic [by Sheila Rock], with Placido Domingo sitting on some steps, with Sarah Chang at his side, a really lovely sharp shot, notice the things in their hands that go with their respective roles, what makes the picture is the 'fire & ice' lettering, written sideways, slightly a quarter off the page [nice idea], fire of course in orange [hot], and ice in light blue [cold], it would have worked better in red and a deeper blue, plus the lettering on a black background really stands out.

The first time i heard this disc i was wowed by Chang's interpretation of Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen, the best i've ever heard, but maybe that was just the occasion in retrospect, this time in listening i was so touched by Dvorak's Romance, what a truly beautiful piece of music it is, when i first heard it, it didn't really register with me, it's so unassuming, but it seeps into your conciousness, it weaves a special spell,

Here's Tanja Sonc playing the Dvorak Romance on YouTube.

2012-02-05T03:22:00.009Z

Van Der Graaf Generator [Still Life]

Here's the second VDGG disc in just a short time, i played World Record a couple of days ago [3th February 2012], and it's good to hear its companion disc, these two discs would have made a tremendous double record 'gatefold' vinyl album, both actually came out in the same year, i played / reviewed this in my Blog early in 2011 [3rd January 2011], it was so good to play this again, yes it's over 36 years since it was recorded, but great music is timeless, i fell in love with the original vinyl album.

Van Der Graaf Generator are a British Prog Rock group, formed in 1967, they broke up in 1978, but surprisingly re-formed again in 2005, i have yet to listen to their latest albums, and i really need to do so, i somehow feel that i will be disappointed, maybe that's why i've put them off, it's nice to remember VDGG in their glory years, at the height of their powers, the front cover is of a Lichtenberg figure, very stark, and the VDGG logo quite small.

The three tracks that i found especially enlightening were 1 & 4-5, probably the last track 'Childlike Faith In Childhood's End' is my favourite, i have a penchant for long songs, and it lasts for over 12 minutes, but on this listen i really enjoyed the opening track 'Pilgrims', its subject matter is a little naive, about the world joining hands and all being one, but there's a point to it all, the lyrics on the other hand, and even more so the music, is true art, the verses are underpinned by the organ, fairly gentle lyrics, i like the words in the first verse,

Scrabbling through your diary for a lost page

Unsure of the dream

the chorus is more powerful, Peter Hammill's voice works its almost operatic scream, the words are quite religious, and with the organ in the background, he sounds like the equivalent of a singing preacher, there's real conviction there, and then after the two verses / two choruses, comes a moment of magic, a third chorus, but this time without the words, and here's the joy of just laying back and listening to four musicians just go for it [5:45+], at first their playing is just 'choral', but soon it develops a greater euphoria [6:26+], and it climaxes [6:50], the whole thing ends on a high note instead of a fade, really takes your breath away!.

Here's Van Der Graaf Generator singing 'Pilgrims' On YouTube.

2012-02-04T00:12:00.006Z

Various Artists [Elec-Trax '16 Synth Pop Classix']

This is a wonderful collection of Electronic Pop Hits, i have several of these types of albums, some of them are double discs, but this is one of the best single disc releases i have, i played this right at the end of my first year of blogging [31st December 2010], most of these tracks are from the early Eighties, these were the years i was finishing with vinyl single 45's, and delving into albums instead, but i still remember 'Are Friends Electric?' by Tubeway Army, it was only later that i renewed my love of this music, and discovered new songs / Artists too, it was a wonderful time to discover music.

The front cover is excellent, a picture of a bald girl, with white vertical lines, and blue electric voltage / lightning coming out of her ears, or through her head, even 'Elec-Trax' is written in a electronic style, a great well thought out cover.

The tracks that really got to me this time were 2 & 16, and here's a synopsis of each,
2 Gary Numan - We Are Glass, a tremendous mechanical chugging rhythm throughout, with an overarching synth theme, the verses lean towards the mechanical chugging, then the chorus's explode in a high synth anthem, a track with a really contagious enthusiasm.
16 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing [If I Had A Photograph Of You], another song that after a hesitant intro, just explodes into life, notice the individual drum hits that introduce the explosion [0:06], the song oscillates between words and this instrumental anthemic synth, the ending is like the beginning, hesitant, then a nice smash on the drums [5:27].

2012-02-03T08:22:00.009Z

Van Der Graaf Generator [World Record]

This disc appeared as only my second entry in my Blog just over two years ago [2nd January 2010], and here it is again, in my mind one of the greatest Rock records ever made, it's 9th in my all time list, i've played it dozens and dozens of times, and i never tire of it, it was so good to listen to it again, the genius of four musicians, creating sounds that are unusual for a Rock Band, mainly because it employs saxophone and organ instead of three guitarists and a drummer, their music is almost operatic, and their penchant for long songs makes them divine to hear, and their lyrics can be fairly off the cosmic wall, it's a wonderful cohesion of revolutionary things.

Van Der Graaf Generator are an English Band, formed in 1967, they kept breaking up and re-forming, and at this point are active again, but without their Saxophonist David Jackson, the mid Seventies were their golden years, and this album along with Still Life are their greatest albums by far, this one came out in 1976, in the days of Vinyl, i owned the LP of this, the cover shows a picture of our blue planet, with an LP record as the other half, the VDGG logo above is very MC Escher in the way its lines don't work out true, but a great logo.

I really enjoyed the last two tracks, Wondering is so ethereal, it's very religious and like a cathedral church hymn in a way, strong and powerful, a great ending to the album, its lyrics enshrine belief and conviction with passion, but ultimately it has to give way to what is one of the most tremendous Prog Rock songs ever, a 21 minute masterpiece that has everything, it twists and weaves over different things, but it never sounds like a bunch of smaller songs cobbled together, it has the most phenomenal cohesion, even the 7 minute instrumental jamming session at the end feels like it's just meant to be, here's my own dividing up of the song to make it more bite-sized,

A - Intro - 0:00

B - First Verse - 1:15

C - First Chorus - 4:27

D - Second Verse - 8:18

E - Musical Interlude - 11:21

F - Second Chorus - 12:44

G - Jamming Session - 13:20

i would be here explaining the highlights of the song forever, because it's so full of good things, but i'll just mention the very best highlights, i like the way David Jackson plays the sax to sound ghostly like a flute [4:57+], and a nice jam session ensues after the lyrics [5:32+], and it all heats up to a boil, and explodes with Peter Hammill's guitar [8:18+], and with Jackson's sax / Banton's organ adding the most delicious reply, this riff just goes on and on for just over 3 minutes [8:18-11:21], great stuff, with Hammill lyrics in the middle, a heady mixture of music and lyrics, and the whole song is rounded out by the most hypnotic jam session by the four musicians, Banton / drums & Evans / organ provide the hypnotic rhythm section, while Hammill / guitar & Jackson / saxophone ad lib their way around like Jazz Fusionists, the whole things develops a tremendous intensity, and eventually fades out in full swing, i wonder how long it went on for?, a nigh perfect Prog track.

Here's Van Der Graaf Generator playing 'Meurglys 3, The Songwriters Guild' on YouTube.

2012-02-02T01:07:00.006Z

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21 [Uchida]

Mitsuko Uchida's Schubert discs are a very welcome addition to the catalogue, i have some of her other discs, notably the Impromptus, and some of the other Sonatas, and she's always an enlightening Schubert advocate, i find her ploughing a fairly middle ground, even though in the past i sense a 'staccato' player, i certainly notice a lovely legato this time, she gives a real sense of the architecture of the whole piece, rather than a flamboyant player showing off in little bursts, one of the main things i love in a Pianist, is the ability to look for the long term musical paybacks in a piece, Pianists like Kempff and Rubinstein were great at that, she's got that trend too.

Mitsuko Uchida is Japanese, she's now 63 years old, she moved to England, and is now a citizen here, she recorded this work in 1997, the front cover [photo by Walter Schels] shows Uchida in a relaxed moment, a black and white shot, with a dark background, emphasizing the lightened face and the white lettering, certainly the white lettering stands out on the back insert, very nicely placed, well done Philips.

It was so good to hear this gorgeous work again, it's a mammoth statement from Schubert, and his final Piano Sonata [he died 2 months later], this time i enjoyed the second movement more than usual, but it's still the first movement that has me in awe, it's almost a perfect piano statement, the opening is one of the most inspired utterances Schubert ever made, a grave tune to take your breath away [0:00-1:05], and it just unfolds in the most natural and timeless way, but there's also a dark volatile undercurrent too, i love the way Uchida creates fireworks with the first outburst [1:46-2:17], a variation of the opening tune played at the loud extreme of noise, Uchida plays the exposition repeat [5:45+], with it's own special little connecting bridge back to the beginning, unique music you wouldn't hear without the exposition repeat, this makes the first movement last nearly 22 minutes long, about a minute shorter than the other three movements put together, it shifts the centre of the piece fully onto the first movement, halfway through there's a wistful variation on the opening tune [11:04-11:35], full of sadness, especially the second half of it, and right after Uchida plays the rolling treble notes expertly [11:35-12:17], staccato and legato wonderfully combined, the sombre opening returns again [15:16+], very welcome!, it's a theme that Schubert exploited to it's full potential here, i wonder what a bunch of variations on that original theme would have sounded like from him?, something Brahms or Bach would have revelled in, another memorable musical experience.

Here's Zoltan Kocsis playing the first movement on YouTube.

2012-02-01T07:14:00.003Z

Abba [Greatest Hits]

First off, this disc is called 'Gold' Greatest Hits, yes i replaced the original cover with the waterloo one, i do this if i don't like the original cover, i guess it's just my thing, just to explain the confusion, i grew up with Abba, or at least mid-Abba, 1974-1979, after that i lost interest in vinyl 45 singles, and also Abba's star was on the wane, but this collection brings together all their hits, and of course there aren't a few, they certainly weren't one hit wonders, and yet deep down they're unashamedly a Pop band, their sophistication is in the marvellous way the music just hits the perfect 3 minute radio spot, their lyrics on the whole are quite unprofound and well, Poppish!, and yet they appealed to a very broad spectrum of ages and tastes.

Abba [or is it ABBA?] are a Swedish group formed in 1972, and broke up in 1982, a 10 year whirlwind, made up of two married couples, they both divorced, and split up soon after, i like the Waterloo front cover, i remember that Eurovision Song Contest, one of the few years i actually watched it, a clever cover, showing the two couples, nice natural backlighting from the window.

The tracks i really liked the most were 11 & 12, 'Chiquitita' and 'Fernando', and it's track 11 Chiquitita that has emerged as my favourite Abba song, it used to be Dancing Queen years back,

Here's Abba singing Chiquitita on YouTube.

2012-01-31T07:09:00.005Z

Brahms - Handel Variations [Arrau]

This comes from a 3 disc box set, handsomely presented, the works certainly aren't of equal value, and instead of the two Piano Sonatas, it would have been better to have the shorter Piano Pieces Op116-119 instead, but it's still great to hear Arrau, , i listened to this just over a year ago [3rd October 2010], i still marvel at the ingenuity of Brahms creating a work teeming with an almost endless supply of ideas, and even though i find Arrau a bit heavy handed at times, and maybe in a few variations a bit slow, there's insights aplenty, this was a wonderful experience.

Claudio Arrau was born in Chile in 1903, and died in 1991, he recorded this work in 1978, the front cover shows Arrau in a reflective mood [photo by Christian Steiner], a background of sheet music, and nice lettering in green.

I enjoyed so much variations 1, 5-7, 22 & 25, the early variations 5-7 come together in a clump, and each variations adds to the one before, highlighting and complementing each other, and this was an especially nice little phase, here are these variations explained in more detail,
Variation 1 [1:19-2:17], right after the slow theme, it's wonderful to hear the faster first variation explode into life, with jagged and staccato notes, and inbetween quick little runs, a breath of fresh air.
Variation 5 [4:48-6:03], a subdued and serious variation, Arrau has a tendency to sniff all over the place, but i like his rubato as it quickens and slows in waves.
Variation 6 [6:03-7:13], another quiet variation, this time there's a whiff of a funeral march about it, it's certainly solemn and dark, those bass notes are so nice to hear, again Arrau just plays with the rubato to give it some elasticity, he's great at judging those things.
Variation 7 [7:14-7:51], and in contrast a more lively variation, again a piece full of staccato, it gets more and more frantic towards the end.
Variation 22 [20:48-21:50], i find this variations so very coda-esque, as if it's a culmination of things, lovely high in the treble, i love the ringing notes it creates, and the gentle background the left hand gives from the middle of the keyboard.
Variation 25 [22:54-23:33], a real explosion of pent up feeling, a tremendous joy and enthusiasm in attack from Arrau, a great ending to the variation part of the work, and probably on this listen this was my favourite variation this time.

Here's variations 22 to the end being played on YouTube, i don't know who the Pianist is, variation 25 starts at [1:59], look at his hand jumping up and down all over the place, a real virtuoso variation, a joy to watch.

2012-01-29T03:33:00.028Z

Janacek - String Quartet 1 [Smetana Quartet]

Janacek makes his debut in my Blog here today, he still remains a fairly unknown Composer to me, i certainly don't know these String Quartets very well, and neither am i all too familiar with his Orchestral works, the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba, or even his Glagolitic Mass, three works i would like to get to know more, but his String Quartets are a start, certainly not the usual fare, both are roughly only 20 minutes long, and are snatches of melody interspersed with dynamic outbursts and creative sonorities, it takes time to really get to know them.

The Smetana Quartet is really quite old, they started up in 1945, and they ended in 1989, a 44 year existence, they made this live recording in 1980, the front cover shot is special, of the Quartet facing away from the would be audience, but showing the lovely architecture and lights of what i assume is the Dvorak Hall in Prague, Czechoslovakia, there's a gorgeous symmetry about the shot, and with the curved bended lines of the columns top left and right corners, it's of course a wide-angle lens, and you can feel the dimensions and sense of space in the hall, plus the colours are rich in red, orange, and grey, a band running across the centre holds the lettering, which separates the Quartet / audience and the hall / architecture, a really inspiring shot.

Well i certainly enjoyed the opening of this Quartet, it has a certain mystery about it, plus the beginnings of some dynamic rhythms, but it was the fourth movement that i found the very best, it's an Adagio of an introduction [0:00-1:13], and with longing and aching from the first violin [Jiri Novak], it has a sadness there, slightly over halfway through there's a couple of very fast bowing episodes from the whole Quartet [3:01-3:08 & 3:15-3:22], sounds like waves of buzzing, really effective, after that the Feroce section of the movement comes in, and there's frantic stamping rhythms from the viola [Milan Skampa - 3:22+], and this is transferred to the second violin [Lubomir Kostecky - 3:29+], making a great background rhythm the first violin plays over, and the viola and second violin keep swapping this rhythm like a tag team, the playing really reaches a wonderful zenith with the second violin playing the most exquisitely fast rhythm very high [4:01-4:07], while at the same time the first violin is playing the main tune also very high in the tessitura, it's the most magical point of the Quartet, the Quartet players comes down from their high peak in a clever way [4:10-4:44], the closing is really inspired, a lovely coda, it's the second half of the movement where things get truly exciting, i'm glad i got the chance to 'assimilate' this Quartet today, and i'm looking forward to listing to my next helping.

Here's the Mandelbrot Quartet playing Janacek's First String Quartet on YouTube, the fourth movement starts at [13:40].

2012-01-28T07:33:00.000Z

Manic Street Preachers [The Holy Bible]

Here's one of the greatest albums ever recorded, and fittingly titled The Holy Bible, i can't believe this is only the first time this appears in my Blog, it's a massive album, a phenomenal statement by the band, and a farewell from Richey James Edwards [missing - probable Suicide], more than anything the music veers away from the MSP's earlier Alternative Rock albums, and moves more into Punk Rock territory, after this album they would move toward melodic Hard Rock, the lyrics are 80% from Richey James Edwards, and he is full of vitriol for the serious problems of the world, it can be quite a depressing read, but... the music and the enthusiasm behind it makes it somehow a truly enlightening statement, this album is my 11th favourite disc out of roughly 1650 discs that i own, that's major, every time i listen to this album i marvel at the sheer inventiveness of each of the tracks, the Manic Street Preachers would never make another album remotely as good as this one again.

The Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh band, formed in 1986, and still going strong today, they recorded this album in 1994, the front cover is a painting called Strategy by Jenny Saville, a thought provoking piece of artwork, the track listing is actually on the front, a clever inventive little idea, it sort of completes things.

Just about every track was so superb, with tracks 3-4, 6-7, 9, 11 & 13 really stunning, out of this i found track 3 Of Walking Abortion to be especially enlightening, not one of my usual favourites [usually 6, 9 or 13], and it was good to seriously listen to this track, and find a new appreciation for it, and to hear things that i've never really noticed before,

Here's the Manic Street Preachers singing Of Walking Abortion on YouTube.

2012-01-27T01:07:00.003Z

Heather Nova [Siren]

Surprisingly this is the first time Heather Nova's Siren gets into my Blog, it was only a couple of months ago that i reviewed the listening of her album South [23rd November 2011], slowly she's seeping into my conciousness, i also have the albums Oyster and Storm, and isn't there a propensity for one word titles for her albums!, i have a tendency to mix up her albums, i was expecting a track at the end of this album, which i'm now sure is on Oyster, yes it takes a while to really assimilate all her works, and individualize each and every album from another.

Heather Nova is actually from Bermuda, she is now 44 years old, and this was her fourth studio album, that came out in 1998, the front cover is a good one [photo by Mike Diver], of a head and shoulders shot of Nova, hair over one eye, and that yellow dress that seems to be made of cling film!, the green background and the dress really compliment each other, a nice portrait.

Here's Heather Nova singing 'Widescreen' on YouTube.

2012-01-26T22:35:00.009Z

Mary Black [Babes In The Wood]

I first heard Mary Black on the radio, i'm sure it was Radio 2, and it was the opening track on this disc, and straightway i went to the Library and hired out a cassette of this album, and of course liked it so much that i bought myself the disc, this was in 1993, it's a lovely Folk / Pop album, and she's got such a wonderful voice, i've tried other albums by her, but they just don't work for me, she isn't a Songwriter herself, she sings other peoples songs, but she really makes them come alive.

Mary Black is Irish, she's now 56, originally she started singing traditional Irish songs, but she developed into more contemporary fare, she recorded this disc in 1991.

Mary Black is very much like a Singer / Songwriter, her solo albums have the feel of being her own work, maybe that's the effect that taking a song and transforming it into her own creation makes, i really enjoyed the songs 1-3, 5, 8-9 & 12, and it's track 8 'Adam At The Window' that i'm always stunned by, the opening has a lovely sparse use of acoustic guitar [Declan Sinnott], and an even more judicious use of the piano [Pat Crowley], but it's Mary Black's delivery that conjures up the sights and smells of the song,

Adam's at the window

staring at the apple trees on fire

waiting for the windfall

that brings the smile of kings and their desire

It's in the second verse that the bongos start [Noel Bridgeman], and the music goes up a notch, lovely drizzle of piano [and Pat Crowley really gives the whole album a sense of dappling sunlight], and he plays the piano almost in an ad lib fashion, a smattering here and there to give atmosphere, at the end of the song there's a tease of a fourth verse, but really it's just the opening of the first verse 'Adams at the window'..., and tails off to a close, a nice inventive ending.

Here's Mary Black singing 'Adam At The Window' on YouTube.

2012-01-25T06:31:00.007Z

Various Artists [32 Dynamic Disco Hits]

This was one of the very first things i ever bought on Ebay, i owned a double cassette of this, so i bought the double disc set to replace it, it's a great set of famous tunes if you love Seventies Disco music, while sitting down it wanted to get my feet moving, at least i was twitching and snapping my fingers, almost a perfect set of 32 tunes, play real loud!.

The tracks that really hit me were 1, 3, 6, 11-12, 15 & 32, and i must admit that i seem to gravitate to those songs that are a little over the top, and in a way almost seem like parodies of the Disco era, or was it just the naivete of the time?, so tracks 6, 15 & 32 were the ones that i would pick as the triptych that i would like to give a summary of,
6 Edwin Starr - Contact, the vocal stylings of Starr on this track are nicely over the top, it starts with a huge instrumental intro [0:00-1:35], which start as a sort of jungle bongos, and then the chorus of rhythmic clappers start up [0:08+], the rhythm changes to something more funky [0:52+], and i guess the same clapper chorus are the shouters of contact! throughout, with the most improbable story line of two lonely people making eye to eye contact through a maze of disco dancers, and the excellent Starr goes over the top, 'ow ow oh yeah' [2:11 & 3:17], and the laughs! [2:31], 'my heart was beating like a drum, as i fought my way over', yep, i can just imagine him with an invisible machete, slashing away the jungle of disco-ees to reach his beloved!, the laugh near the end is fantastic [3:42] 'hahahahahahaha-haaaar!', life's a jungle safari, glad Starr captured his prey.
15 Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music, another over the top vocal styling, sounds like he's high on drugs, i've mentioned before that i always thought he was black, he sounds so much like a black guy, but he's white, he got the idea of the title of the song when they were playing a gig, and the drummer shouted 'play some funky music white boy', with twangy guitar vibes at the beginning, and the spoken intro from the singer 'heyyyyy do it now' [0:06] is excellent, and almost on the end of every line he overemphasizes the last word, plus he speak comments on his own singing lines from time to time, at the end of the chorus he adds 'till you die, ohhh till die-high' [1:20 & 2:48], there's a screaming guitar solo in the middle [1:27-1:45], i like the lines 'i'm funking out in every waaaaay' [2:07], done really over the top, and right at the outro his says 'plaaaaay that funky music' [3:06], haha, it's not meant to be a parody or anything, it was the real thing back then, but now it sounds such a spoof, i love it more than when it originally came out!.
32 Change - Searching, a lovely intro, nice hits of the drums, and a rolling wave rhythm, i can almost feel myself on an inflatable bed out on a hypnotizing ocean roll, in the chorus the girl in the song says 'she said, stop, stop, stop, get out your heart, what i've got's hot stuff, the night is ours' [1:15-1:29 & 2:31-2:45], also there's an alto sax solo that takes us outro [2:47-3:13], another great song that i appreciate more on this listening.

2012-01-23T00:34:00.003Z

Skin [Fake Chemical State]

This is only the second time i've played this disc, i really enjoyed it the first time around, and it's a fantastic feeling getting to know an album you can feel is opening up wonderfully, i knew that the second listen would be even better, and i wasn't disappointed, this will take some more listening to become a 'classic' for me.

Skin [Deborah Anne Dyer] was born in 1967 in England, the lead singer of Skunk Anansie, i liked the song 'I Can Dream' from them, but their albums are a bit of a letdown, solo she's much better, there's a bit less hardness, more lyricism, but still very strong, visually she's quite scary, shaven headed and strong eye make-up, but i like the booklet cover, and it's excellent [by Derrick Santini], showing Skin sitting on the floor of what looks like public toilets!, with ripped jeans and a red fishnet top, even the tie as a belt is crazy!, she recorded this album in 2006.

Well she has a certain style all of her own, it's Hard Alternative Rock, i liked tracks 2-3 & 5 the most, with track 5 'Purple' as the outright winner, for Skin it's actually quite mellow, with a lovely opening vibe on a sparse electric guitar, and a clever and complex drumming beat [Wayne Riches], the more i listen to the song the more i feel it's a work of genius, there's a heavier instrumental passage in the middle, and at the end the sparse guitar twangs and drumming are excellent [3:19+], the very ending has the guitar twang extended [3:32-3:40], a great ending, and a great song.

Here's Skin singing 'Purple' on YouTube.