Damien Rice: 9

I’m really going to have to write in this blog more often. There are so many things out there that you people should know about.

This entry just happens to be about Damien Rice’s new album (well, new to me anyway. It’s been around for a few months, I think), entitled, “9.”

If you listened to his first album, “O,” then you sort of have a hint of what this one is like. Not saying that it’s the same album at all. The music style is very similar, which is funny, because Damien said that he started recording this album with every intention of having a much heavier sound. It didn’t turn out that way, but he was okay with that, because he ended up recording the kind of music he would want to listen to. And it is just amazing.

For those of you who don’t know anything about him, Damien is an Irish singer/songwriter, and his music is different than anything else I’ve ever heard. He uses a good bit of cello in his music (a good decision, in my opinion), and he ends up with these great, beautiful, intense sort of heart wrenching songs. Also, he enlists the aid of his friend Lisa Hannigan for some of the vocals, and their voices complement one another so well. They have a great, mellow, honest sound. Does that make sense, that their sound is honest? Give it a listen and see if you agree.

I think what’s different about this album, as opposed to “O,” is that it is almost impossible to pick a favorite song from it. While I like every song on “O,” there is one song that stands out to me as the best one: “The Blower’s Daughter.” It was what first got me hooked on Damien Rice, from the first time I heard it. It was on a friend’s MySpace page, and from the first notes, I couldn’t stop listening. It’s a truly beautiful song, and because of it, I acquired his CD at my first opportunity. I fell in love with the music and have been anxiously awaiting his next release ever since.

Now it’s here, and I cannot choose a favorite song. There are three that are absolutely fantastic, another two that I can’t get enough of, and I just am not familiar enough with the others yet to judge. I think the worst thing I can say for the CD is that the final track, “Sleep Don’t Weep” is highly reminiscent of “Cold Water,” from his first album; but since both songs are completely gorgeous, you really can’t complain about it. The songs that are sort of heavier, like, “Me, My Yoke, and I,” and “9 Crimes” aren’t my favorites, but neither are they songs that I can dismiss as being bad. I like every song on this CD. How many artists can you say that about? There are precious few in the world, let me tell you. However, if you just want to listen to a couple of good ones on the CD, let me recommend them: first of all, “The Animals Were Gone.” Typical Damien. It’s beautiful, and it has some of the best lyrics on the CD. Its lyrics are relatively simple, relaying such sentiments as, “I love your depression, and I love your double chin,” but if that’s not a nice thing to say to someone, I sure don’t know what is. And the thought of making “babies and accidental songs” is a lovely thing to aspire to in a marriage. This was the first song I heard from the album and, as “The Blower’s Daughter” did, it had me from the get-go. Another one is “Elephant.” I won’t lie: I don’t have a full grasp on what this song means yet, but it’s so intense the whole time, but not in a heavy sort of way. It’s got a “whisper-to-a-scream” type of dynamic. His voice is the sole music in the beginning, but more music is added with each section (I don’t know if “stanza” is the appropriate word), and eventually it gets pretty hard-core, once we reach, “What’s the point of this song? Or even singing? You’ve already gone, why am I clinging?” but it’s still just beautiful! How he pulls off hard-core and beautiful at the same time is pretty remarkable. By the end of the song, it’s back to just his voice, and you can barely even hear that as the song fades out. Amazing. (If you want to hear either of these songs, they are both on his MySpace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=38029055&MyToken=5be6194c-020a-49f6-b401-b7b346077274)
Also, “Accidental Babies.” This is arguably my sister’s favorite. Again, with the simple lyrics: “Do you brush your teeth before you kiss? Do you miss my smell?” It’s brilliant how simple it is. And this one is just Damien and a piano, and I hate that there aren’t more good synonyms for “beautiful,” but with that being the case, I just have to say that it is BEAUTIFUL. It’s sensual and sincere and a little bit heartbreaking, but it’s just beautiful.

What’s amazing is that Damien is just not afraid to say anything. As a result, some of his stuff is probably more scandalous than you’re comfortable with. Hopefully, though, you can see past that and recognize it for the brilliant songwriting that it is. Just watch out: “Rootless Tree” does drop the F-bomb, and “Accidental Babies” has some pretty blatant sexual themes, but those things pale to utter insignificance in light of the overall beauty of this album. The honesty and boldness in his lyrics is one of the strong points of his writing style.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll like him—I know my dad didn’t care for him, and someone else told me he’s more of an acquired taste. But I’m the one writing the review, after all, and I fell in love with his music from the first line of “The Blower’s Daughter.” So I think you should listen to him. I mentioned this CD in one of my recent LiveJournal entries, and what I said was, “I don’t know what it is that he does to me, but the only way I can explain it is that his music makes me feel like I’m in love. Does that make sense? It makes my heart swell, and I feel like I am in love. It’s pretty brilliant when an artist can do that to you.” So I guess that’s really all I can say for him. You’ve got to go experience it for yourself.