Rachael B
Senior HTF Member
...Grant-Lee Phillips' MOBILIZE. He looks like Napoleon on the cover. I think maybe he want tuu rulz ze wurld? SEE AMERICA the first cut sounds a bit Bowie influenced to me, sort'a? I'm not sure why I think that, just a feeling. Maybe it's the intro with acoustic guitar licks...? It's a nice cut. HUMANKIND, the second cut, is a nice lite rock cut about suprise, suprise, human nature.
One of the album's real highlights is WE ALL GET A TASTE. "...you can't take that away, because the gods make sure we all get a taste..." Maybe it's not true but it's a plasant thought or whim. LIKE A LOVER has some very unusual percussion that's a real winner. The title song, MOBILIZE, has echoey vocals and is, apparently, about mobilizing yor heart for something? I'm not sure what? I like it but it's not one of the albums best to my tastes, anyway. SPRING RELEASED is a moving jam that well captures spring break, I think?
BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS is one of my favorite cuts and it's very pop sounding with synthesizers and a heavy beat. SLEEPLESS LAKE sounds very "Donovan-esqe" both in style and performance. It features Phllips' acoustic quitar against a backdrop of synthesizers.
Phillips performed all the instuments on this album. He's not that good of a drummer. A couple of cuts beg for better drumming or are drumless or sound like a drum machine. He does quite well with everything else. There's alot of acoustic quitar with a little electric here and there. His writing seems quite strong. Sometimes he reminds me of the "popness" of the High Llamas later albums, if you've heard them....?
Phillips album is on the Rounder label and is a hybrid, stereo disc. The more I listen to this one the more I like it. It's one of the better one-man band albums I've ever heard despite the weak drumming. The guy writes intresting songs....
P.S.- thanks for the format Lee!
One of the album's real highlights is WE ALL GET A TASTE. "...you can't take that away, because the gods make sure we all get a taste..." Maybe it's not true but it's a plasant thought or whim. LIKE A LOVER has some very unusual percussion that's a real winner. The title song, MOBILIZE, has echoey vocals and is, apparently, about mobilizing yor heart for something? I'm not sure what? I like it but it's not one of the albums best to my tastes, anyway. SPRING RELEASED is a moving jam that well captures spring break, I think?
BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS is one of my favorite cuts and it's very pop sounding with synthesizers and a heavy beat. SLEEPLESS LAKE sounds very "Donovan-esqe" both in style and performance. It features Phllips' acoustic quitar against a backdrop of synthesizers.
Phillips performed all the instuments on this album. He's not that good of a drummer. A couple of cuts beg for better drumming or are drumless or sound like a drum machine. He does quite well with everything else. There's alot of acoustic quitar with a little electric here and there. His writing seems quite strong. Sometimes he reminds me of the "popness" of the High Llamas later albums, if you've heard them....?
Phillips album is on the Rounder label and is a hybrid, stereo disc. The more I listen to this one the more I like it. It's one of the better one-man band albums I've ever heard despite the weak drumming. The guy writes intresting songs....
P.S.- thanks for the format Lee!
