Search - The Essex Green :: Long Goodbye

...Review - Enchanting, timeless pop

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 07/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Essex Green was one of the last bands to nibble on the blades of grass that came with the Elephant 6 Recording Company's stamp of approval. However, it was not long after that when the once fertile landscape turned harsh for even the most peripheral of E6 associates. Under the glare of so many critical lights and a cresting wave of backlash, the Essex Green and much of the E6 posse went underground. Here the Green resurface with The Long Goodbye to say hello again.And for the most part, little has changed. The band, less psychedelic than most of the E6 fold, continues to play wholesome sounding MOR ripped from the '70s, complete with its golden-haired charms and occasional dips in orchestral cheese. Sasha Bell, who also is a member of the Ladybug Transistor, sings with a honeyed voice that rings out pure and true on the bulk of these 12 tracks. Her breezy vocals on songs like "By The Sea" and "Our Lady In Havana" make for enchanting, timeless pop.Unfortunately the band sometimes overdoes the sweetness and ends up being too precious. "Julia," a wispy flute laced laze in the shade is but one example of the band crossing this threshold.The overall vibe of this album in akin to the old Coke commercial where cheery faces try to "teach the world to sing" on a mountainside under dappled sunlight. As much as one may have snickered, it was hard not to be secretly uplifted by the sincerity and innocence of such sentiments. The Long Goodbye is likely to do the same for you if given half the chance.Barin McGrath
..."

A Classic

denverwannabe | New York, New York United States | 04/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's obvious these guys don't give a [dang] about anything going on today. And that's a good thing. This is a great record that keeps growing on you the more you listen to it. It's eclectic, but there are common themes running throughout the record that hold it together. An album's album. One of my favorite new records."

Fantastic Album

IcemanJ | 04/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every song on this album is pretty catchy, but not as memorable as some of the tunes on the previous 3 albums. This ordinarily would be a bad thing, but this album just keeps growing on me. Zach Ward's voice is missed on this release as well as Mike Barretts, but somehow the EG have made another masterpiece - it just isn't as immediate as the 3 previous releases. I actually had to come back and edit my review, this album finally clicked with me and it deserves to be heard. The difference between The Essex Green and The Sixth Great Lake used to be Timothy Barnes in EG and not in SGL while Zach Ward was in SGL but not EG....if Barnes isn't in the band anymore, can't we just make Zach a member of both bands???"