Search - 10,000 Maniacs :: Our Time in Eden

Solid

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 10/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This first thing I noticed about this music is its sincerity. The music is from the heart and seems to me to have been intended to please the group rather than some commercial esthetic. The result is interesting and enjoyable music where the performers are allowing us, the listeners, to share in their inner vision of who they are as artists. You can readily hear the emotion in each and every song, and I wondered whether part of that emotion was the realization that this was to be the last album from that incarnation of 10,000 Maniacs as Natalie Merchant was preparing to depart for a solo career.



The first thing I noticed when opening the fold-out for the CD is that the lyrics are written in a narrative form instead of verse form. The style of the music matches the narrative form. Many artists think and write in verse form, and to create music in narrative form is more difficult because of the difficulty and complexity of matching the syllables and pacing of the narrative to the music. The narrative form is usually the style of story tellers, and each of these songs comes across as a vignette.



The first vignette is "Noah's Dove," which comes across several ways. Noah's dove was the bird he sent out to find dry land. When at last the dove did not return, Noah knew that the dove had found dry land. Thus, the story is about someone seeking something, perhaps the something they will not find because it does not exist, but that person will continue to search, never realizing what they have in the here and now.



The second song, "These Are the Days," relates to the first song because the emphasis of this song is the here and now. The lyrics advise the listener that now is the golden time, the time that in later years the listener will look back on with fondness as one of the best times of their lives. One has to wonder whether this song was a lament at the imminent breakup of 10,000 Maniacs.



Each of these songs is full of allegory. "Eden" seems to have several allegories. The first is the allusion to the beauty on the surface of those you see, but the thorns are the reality. The song contrasts the illusions we create, even to ourselves, to our desire and willingness to be something else. How much is illusion and how much is reality is anyone's guess, because we choose, consciously or unconsciously. "Few and Far Between" continues the train of thought started in "Eden," this time from the viewpoint of accumulating the baggage of the past and regret, and not having enough room for the future.



"Stockton Gala Days," given that the singer is female, sounds a lot like a lesbian experience, particularly the line "There was no girl as warm as you." The song explains that the person she is singing about will never know how the singer felt about that experience and what it meant to the singer. "Jezebel" may fall into the same category as this song as the singer laments that she has allowed her marriage vows to cover the truth of her life and who she is.



"Gold Rush Brides" wonders where the strong women who overcame the legal limitations of the day to help win the west are documented. Most stories are of men, but women were integral to keeping everything together and often were the reason things happened. "Coming of Age" is song about how we change as we grow older. We always remember someone as the way we saw them last.



"Candy Everybody Wants" has a moral to it. Many of us consider blood, lust, hate and love of a sexual kind to be bad, yet those things are readily available in movies, books, and even song. If those things are truly wrong, the song questions who is to blame given how popular those things are. We hide behind others, blaming, but not wishing to be blamed. "Tolerance" also addresses avoidance. This time the issue is as stated in the title. When we hear of violence and intolerance, what do we do? We had away from it hoping that it will go another direction from us because we fear to take a stand.



"Circle Dream" is another wonderfully complex song. On the one hand the circle could be the world in which we live. The maze in the circle is the difficulty of living and finding our way. The face in the circle represents love and understanding, perhaps a lover. While the song has implications of an alternative lifestyle, it also implies the life we all live.



"If You Intend" is a song for lovers and loved ones, regardless of lifestyle. The song addresses commitment and love, and how the first step in realizing that love is to reach for the love, to express your intentions. Once again, the lament of the singer is for the listener to overcome their fears because the result otherwise is dreams unfulfilled.



The last song, "I'm Not the Man," caps off the running theme of intolerance and prejudice to those who are different from the "norm." In this case the victim is someone accused of the crime because of race or some similar reason. However, the singer was elsewhere, yet no one came forward. The evidence was thin, but the conviction assured. We know this scene, but it takes someone to have the power to step forward and stop it.



These songs are powerful and dramatically scrape open many of the problems of society. It is amazing that a group as well known as 10,000 Maniacs would address social issues unabashedly and ultimately create a beautiful work. Music like this dates back centuries to the days of bards. Music like this that appeals to a large audience happens all too rarely in this day of statistics and sales and station play.

"

Amazing, unique, creative album of early 90's

N. Damiano | NH , CT | 03/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"10,000 Maniacs were poineers of alternative music along with REM & Pixies and this album Our time in Eden proves it, such a unique and creative sound. Natalie Merchants voice is melodic and soothing to the ear. Noahs Dove, Few and Far Between, and These are Days stand out tracks. But every song is good. This band was original and alternative before it was hip one of my fave bands and albums of early 90's and still today. This album is an essential to those who like true indie college alt. rock. Noahs Dove I play over & over again. These are days 1 of catchiest songs of all time. This is one of those albums you can never really get sick of. It stands the test of time today. PIck up this truly original album."

Classic now. Simple, haunting and brilliant..

N. Damiano | 09/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a contrarian who remembers the '60's firsthand, albeit as a teenager (I'm 48), I am skeptical about the most of the folk-rock style singer/songwriters of today; their glib commercialism is so transparent. Not 10,000 Maniacs, definitely not this CD. This is a confirmed classic from youngish/mature artists blissfully lacking in cynicism and that tedious irony. I've listened to Our Time in Eden since it was new, and it is definitely passing the test of time (almost 7 years now).This CD still makes me cry. I can't explain it to my sometimes bitter peers, but if this were vinyl, I would have worn out three copies already. Beautiful, albeit simple, lyrics and melodies. Not deep, but haunting. Like the best folk-rock is supposed to be. Other reviewers have given the highlights, hit them well. Buy it or borrow it. Melts this often contrary heart. This band broke up too soon, and Natalie solo is just too self-indulgent. But they left this stunning, mature work. In My Tribe is also fine,rocks plenty, but a much younger work."