sylvian1982

This is the only Mark Lanegan album I don’t own. I’ll have to remedy that, although, while acknowledging its greatness, I must also admit that when I listen to it, it doesn’t really bring me a great sense of euphoria. In short, it falls into the category of artists to listen to with caution.

Chutes Too Narrow was truly a good album. I haven't heard this one yet, but it was to be expected to be a step back. Generally, those who create a good album (nowadays) find it hard to replicate that success. There was a lot of anticipation for this album, and the outcome, from what I read, seems to be quite fluctuating at the moment.

@Cesare Rizzi. Unfortunately, the Italian language has never been (and is not) my strong suit. On the other hand, I mention this in my reviewer profile, which has been prominently displayed on this site for almost two years. I try to do my best, without any pretensions. If I were that good, I wouldn't be here on Debaser. There’s no Scaruffi around, and there’s no animosity towards the Beatles. Perhaps it's because the first Beatles records I listened to were the collections known as the "red" and "blue" albums: phenomenal. Moving on to the actual albums, I can’t say I was equally enthusiastic. What can you do! And anyway, since you’re so good at nitpicking every word I used (for better or worse), you shouldn't have missed the premise to the sentence that so offended you regarding the Fab Four. In fact, I prefaced it with "I want to exaggerate," and perhaps it should simply be taken as an exaggeration; subjective, of course. Each can use it as they see fit. And always on that note (which you shouldn’t have missed either), I say that the Beatles have rightly been elevated to an untouchable status. I don't seem to be spreading all this animosity. Regarding the pop genre, or rather POP (you say it while shouting), I want to point out that this album has been ranked among the top twenty essential records of POP by the quarterly Il Mucchio Extra (just this past summer), as they are the ones who introduced me to it, since there was no one around here who felt the urgency to discuss it among these 13,000 reviews. So, regarding the genre, I’ve adhered to what professionals in the field have stated, and if you think it's "proto-progressive psychedelic," you can always mention it to Federico Guglielmi (this is his email: MD7213@mclink.it). You know, they sell the quarterly I just mentioned for the not-so-small price of 8 euros (13 euros if, like this quarter, there’s a CD included), and I think it’s fair to highlight the musical misinformation they present to those who dare to fork out such an amount. I believe they are right. If you think otherwise, you can always write to him, and I assure you he's a cordial, exquisite, polite, and very informed person. One last thing: as an anonymous, you can skip the effort of voting, both for the review and the album, as they won’t be counted as valid votes. Bye.

Nice review and good album. However, it doesn't seem to me that the break from Becoming X is that stark. I don't have Splinter, but I definitely need to check it out. Commercially, they're at zero, and even critically, they're not doing very well.

I also join in.

A heartfelt thank you to those who attended, which by my standards is no small number. I’m pleased that the record in question is quite appreciated, although, alas and woe to him, it remains a niche work. But perhaps that’s what Riccardo wants. @Hal, I’m waiting for you to come back as promised.

I'm hit by a terrible doubt. But will the site be updated at night too? I mean, will there be any reviews on the homepage between 3 and 5 a.m. and then gone? And will the timing for appearing on the homepage be based on merit or random? My God, what existential problems, huh!

@The Punisher. I fully support your thesis regarding the so-called MASTERPIECES and therefore, by principle, I am against fan reviews. As for the advertising on the London Underground, I just want to say that the musical underground is packed with eminent unknowns, not exactly Billy Bragg. At least that's what I've heard, one should know. That's all.

On the fact that this is "a little thing," I must respectfully disagree and express a bit of doubt. Alright, he may not have written epic masterpieces, but he is an artist worthy of respect and attention. His double participation with Wilco for Marmeid Avenue (I and II) shows this. For a brief period, he rightfully received his praise. Then, almost inevitably, he fell into oblivion, and it’s no coincidence that this is the last album I bought from him. Reading "who the hell is Billy Bragg"...oh my, did he do it on purpose? The good Bragg has been active since 1983 and has released about twenty albums (including official CDs, live records, and EPs), and in 1991 (the year this album was released), if you found yourself in London (like I did), you couldn’t help but notice, as the entire Circle Line area was plastered with posters advertising the release of Don't Try This At Home. Anyway, if you don’t know him as a musician, you can track him down as an activist for the Labour Party, to the point that he dedicated one of his EPs to The Internationale. As you can see, he’s not exactly an ascetic. That said, if you don’t like him...well, that’s fine.

Nice album, although it gets a bit sleepy towards the end. "Rose" is superior to it.