I hated this at first, but it grows on you - this is unique
C. Cross | 01/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anyone who's into indie pop probably has heard the name Badly Drawn Boy before (this album won best album of the year over Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" in the 1999 British music awards). I'll admit that at first I didn't really like this album as most of the songs weren't as instantly catchy as "Everybody's Stalking" and "Disillusion" (the two standouts and my favorite tracks on the album). If you give the rest some time, though, you'll find that not only are they unique and interesting, but they're all very good! Badly Drawn Boy, aka Damon Gough, has a pretty likable voice that suits the music very well, and although he's not perfect he does a fine job. Musically the album is pretty hard to describe - it's a mixture of indie rock, indie pop and other genres that I'm not sure how to describe. He uses some slightly unique instruments (the names of which I don't know) that give everything a strange and new sound. Basically, the whole album sounds fresh. The lyrics are also surprisingly good here and very memorable in some of the songs ("Disillusion" especially). I'm not entirely sure what all the songs are about yet, but I know that most people will like paying attention to his words. The only complaint I could possibly make about the album is that the production could use some work (the songs are a littly fuzzy and lo-fi, but perhaps that was his intention?). Despite any minor grievances I might have, "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" remains a great album that all indie pop fans should own (non-genre fans will probably like it, too)! Absolutely recommended!
Highlights include:
"The Shining"
"Everybody's Stalking"
"Disillusion"
the rest are good, too"
Badly Drawn Boy... simply the best...
Sergio Enrique Jáuregui Villanueva | Mexico City | 03/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The way he uses all kind of instruments and his lyrics are amazing... few have the genius this guy has."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1