Search - Mary Timony :: Mountains

Hey Mary! , SPEAK UP!

analogzombie | the deep south | 04/28/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We all know Mary Timony from her career as lead singer for the band Helium. And now we will know her for an accomplished solo artist, because I'm telling you now this cd is phenominal. Its soft and supple,yet her voice carries the strength of the words she weaves. Most of the album is quite hypnotic and mellow with a couple notable rockers. "I Fire Myself" is one such tune. With its bouncy upbeat rhyme and hella cool hand claps its as catchy as any helium song. I got interested in this after hearing her solo of Helium's "Aging Astronaut" on the Matador Sampler. Which, by the way, I also reccomend. Its nice to see more and more female artists taking the leap into solo work. Mary of course has other side projects, namely "The Spells", but it just doesn't come close to the magic on this cd. Julie Doiron fans this is for you. I am very glad i bought this cd and you will be too if your a fan of Helium or just mello chick music, like me. Its a welcome addition to my collection and I play it constantly. Sweet, strong and low. Just the right flavor."

Self-indulgence at it's best

William F. Parrish | Atlanta | 05/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Mountains" is an example of self-indulgence producing great results. Oftentimes artists who make names for themselves in iconic underground bands then break out the solo projects do so because they want to explore ideas thaey weren't able to in thier bands, for the simple reason that the ideas are usually lame. But not in Mary Timony's case--this is a beguilingly insular and solipsisitic effort. You come away with a sense of furtively glancing at her journal while she's out of the room, costantly checking to see if she's comeing so you're not caught. "I Fire Myself" especially is almost uncomfortably intimate: who knows what "the mountain of fire/ and the fountain of spit" represent, but it must not be too pleasant. In her use of grandly obfuscated meanings and ornate metaphores, Mary Timony is easily on a par with Tori Amos. Musically, as well: this record finds her moving beyond the thrilling but limited Sonic Youth/Pavement guitar terrorism of Helium into a much more complex musical expressiveness--she reveals sonic textures and tricky arrangements with the offhand genious of that one kid in art class who could casually paint a breathtaking fantasy mural but would rather be throwing spit-balls at the teacher. "The Hour Glass" is a real stunner--John Cale-circa-"Venus in Furs" viola and an arrangement which comes tantalizingly close to opening up into a full-blown psychedelic jam, but Mary, shrewd as ever, knows right when to pull the plug. Great lyrics to: "we are only free at night/ but that is when we sleep" . She even somehow manages to pull off the skippable, annoying in that "I'm following my artistic muse" type of way songs without completely swamping the project--"The Bell", with it's rediculously rote arrangement and pointless coda, and "The Fox and Hound", which is wierd and creepy the first few times but gets old fast. That song's girl-and-her-Fender-Rhodes thing is much better deployed on "1542", a sublime little confection that's just one of the sonic pleasures to be had on this wonderful record (and, to be honest "The Bell" and The Hound and Fox" aren't all that bad, either!)"

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

rackronnieroff | UK | 05/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"timony's work is getting more and more like that of a tweaked, brilliant, down-on-herself fourth grader on drugs, like crayon drawings of unicorns and medieval ladies and rainbows and blood and space...which may not mean much unless you've heard the music but this is the delicious impression i get. every release of hers ( from helium or solo) heads more in this direction, further from the GREAT but relatively straightforward 'american jean' single (guitar, bass, vocals + drums) and more into space and this bizarre dreamland of ants and roots and rainbows which belongs only to mary. however out there, i feel like i know right where she's coming from. you might, too."