Expressions of love and anger fill this CD. From it’s magical astronomical start to it’s depressing anonymous ending the CD drags you through a range of emotions that is hard to find in any other CD. The emotions are deep and understated to the first time listener, even after the 50th time (or more) this CD will leave you wanting more and wishing there were more songs on the CD to listen to. To a wonderful start to a musical career and a great introduction to this duo of talented musicians.
The CD starts with the most powerful song on it, To the Moon and Back. This song takes you on a journey literally to the moon and back again. The song still makes me hold my breathe from the first note to the first vocal. There is no way around the haunting music and lyrics within this song:
’’She’s taking her time making up the reasons,
To justify all the hurt inside,
Guess she knows from the smiles
and the look in their eyes
Everyone’s got a theory about the bitter one’’
The lyrics convey a deep need for love and acceptance for a young girl that only her true love can give to her and explores her journey to find that love. The music that accompanies these sentiments is one of a kind of draws you into the journey. The music for this song is truly haunting.
The next song, I Want You was the song that drew me into the band to start with. I first bought the CD single because I had seen the video and was intrigued by the song. After hearing the song many many times I had to buy the CD. I Want You is a more subtle song (not from the title) but questions the need or want of another person. The song is very fast paced and at times hard to keep track of but in the end takes you on a small journey of exploration into wanting and needing.
Truly, Madly, Deeply is a love song like no other. It express the love of another person so deeply and without question that you can picture people dedicating their lives to others with the emotions that are expressed within the song:
’’A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning’’
This song also brought them more exposure within the US than they had before and made them a more household name than they would have been without this song. However, the band is deeper and more meaningful than even this song can express and shouldn’t be judged just on this song - no matter how wonderful the song is.
Tears of Pearls is a more energetic song but not less emotional than others on this CD. Although there are hundreds of different interpretations of this song it has always held to me the fact that we all keep things hidden within ourselves that we do not allow others to view even those closest to us. The music for the song is very upbeat and energetic.
Universe again switches directions as you listen through the CD. This song slows down the CD from Tears of Pearls and brings a much more sensual feel to the CD. The song portrays that we need to talk about what we want and need in our lives and our Universe is determined by what we feel and express to others within our lives (no matter how personal that might be).
’’Universe inside your heart
You gotta let me know
so you can be free baby’’
The song is very moving and strong. A very good way to slow down and relax between to more up-tempo songs.
Carry on Dancing has always been more lyrically confusing for me but still a brilliant song and stirring. More up-tempo than Universe is it lifts your spirits as the CD moves along through it’s range of emotions. The music is also very fitting and matches the mood of the song and emphasis the lyrics along with many special effects that are within the song. A very good journey with the song.
Violet is also a journey which starts with a knock on the door to let people into a party that seems in progress. This song seems like a meeting between people that are getting to know each other but also getting to know the music that is going on around them.
Break Me, Shake Me is a more angry aggressive song that pulls you into a world of anger about a person that takes over your life and then leaves. The song starts out slow and then speeds up at the first chorus where it pulls you into the anger. A very good song to listen to in bad moods and release that anger. The song portrays this anger and states:
’’So break me, shake me, hate me, take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone’’
Sometimes this is what bad relationships feel like when you start to see the truth and move on with your life. This song expresses the emotions that are over (’’when the madness stops’’).
A Thousand Words continues the emotions of Break Me, Shake Me but on a more subtle level and one that requires one to
move past the hate and anger of a relationship and start seeing the truth that is within it. This song breaks through the truth and lies that are present in relationships and exposes the truth of ending a friendship made out of lies. This is much slower than the previous song but much more emotion is behind it. The music and lyrics of this song are emotional and show maturity in
songwriting that isn’t usually present in a debut CD such as this.
Promises is another song about lies in friendships that ruins them. It has some very interesting percussion work on the song and brings yet another feel to the CD that ads to the mixture of styles and songs that are present.
Santa Monica brings us back to a fantasy. The music is very slow and Darren’s voice is very dynamic in the song. This song slows everything down and is a great ending to a great CD.
The CD is packed with emotion from the start to the finish and takes you on a journey that is not imaginable until you listen to the CD in it’s entirety. Like all great artists the lyrics have so many interpretations that one can take and apply to their own lives no matter where they are or what they usually listen to.