Distance To Here

This is basically 56 minutes of beautifully written alternative/arena-rock music, with absurdly catchy and memorable hooks, totally captivating guitar work, varied instrumentation with clever electronic dabbings here and there, and an overall melodic style and energy that is more akin to 'Throwing Copper' than Live's previous release, 'Secret Samadhi'. It's a much cleaner sound than we're used to, and clearly heavier on the production side -- I 'suppose', more "commercial" or "mainstream" could be vaguely accurate -- and, because of this, feels quite a bit less connected to the listener emotionally than 'TC' (and a much lesser extent, 'SS'), but quite frankly I don't mind this at all. 'TC' was an intelligent and emotional experience that I latched onto; 'Distance' is an oft intelligent listen but it's emotional core seems to be a bit more fabricated, and generally doesn't do a whole lot for me (the concluding two songs being an exemplary exception). Yet, while it might seem like I'm complaining, I actually do not mind this one bit, and find the music just as captivating despite its inability to really connect with me at a deep personal level. It's strange, but entirely true -- I actually prefer the "lack" of emotion or (no pun intended) emotional 'distance' the music produces.

There are so many highlights. "Run to the Water" is a hugely inspiring, fantastic ballad; "Sun", with its fast tempo, recalls many songs on TC; "Where the Fishes Go" hypnotizes with its unique and eerie soundscape; "The Children's Song", which brings with it a brilliant use of the slide guitar, soars; "Meltdown", a perfectly produced, complex song that hits all the right notes; "They Stood Up For Love", an admittedly cheesy but undeniably addicting ballad; "Dance With You", a sincere and yearning ballad that concludes the album with class...

It's just great music, friends. I have listened to it so many times and it and I'm utterly enticed every time I listen to it. It is, officially, one of my favorite CD's, right alongside Radiohead's 'OK Computer', U2's 'The Joshua Tree', and Sunny Day Real Estate's 'Diary' (just naming a few so you can get an idea of my tastes). Lyrically, it can't hold a candle to 'Throwing Copper', but the fact that the lyrics are by-and-large mediocre is a testament to 'The Distance to Here''s musical goodness. Live would fumble with 'V' just 2 years later, and I'm not quite sure how 'Birds of Pray' turned out yet, but as far as I'm concerned this is them at the top of their game.

It's a diamond in the rough. Please do yourself a favor and get it.

1) The Dolphin's Cry (a good hard rocker--the bridge is outstanding)
2) The Distance (I love the synth harpsichord solo)
3) Sparkle (nice mid-tempo beat with good guitars and great lyrics)
4) Run to the Water (a great power ballad)
5) Sun (a great up-tempo rocker--it could have been on Throwing Copper)
6) Voodoo Lady (weird lyrics, but a cool melody)
7) Where Fishes Go (positive lyrics; I can see how the earnestness can turn some people off, but I think it's great)
8) Face and Ghost (good lyrics, good slide guitar, and some cool experimentation with a vocal filter)
9) Feel the Quiet River Rage (solid lyrics with a good arrangement)
10) Meltdown (the best arrangement on the album -- the guitars really shine)
11) They Stood Up For Love (this song has the best lyrics on the album: "We spend all of our lives / going out of our minds / looking back to our birth / forward to our demise," and I love the organ featured here)
12) We Walk in the Dream (a solid rocker)
13) Dance With You (another great ballad; it's much more mellow than Run to the Water)

The one drawback of talking about music is that you can't really describe to someone else what it sounds like. They have to hear it for themselves. I hope my review is descriptive enough for you to check out this album, because it's just an amazing piece of work. It's alt rock at its best.