3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The mighty have fallen, hopefully only temporarily, Dec 16 2006
This review is from: Songs From Before (Audio CD)
Max Richter's follow up to the most excellent "The Blue Notebooks" feels directionless, rushed and uninspired. One can't help but think that Max attempted to fulfill a contractual obligation by taking a the table scraps from his previous record and stretching it into an album piecemeal. At roughly 37 minutes, this could very well be the case. The pretentious text readings are back and this time unforgivable. In place of Tilda Swinton, we have Robert Wyatt's goofy, almost inaudible mumbling through text by Haruki Murakami(not to mention sounding very much like cold-struck Kermit the frog). Despite this, there are several glorious moments scattered throughout the album. "Song," which opens the album, easily stands as one of Max's best. Furthermore, Max's gentle piano compositions have yet to sound less than perfect. However, as a fan of Max Richter, I can't help but feel disapointed. At best, Max has the ingredients for a solid E.P. Nevertheless, die hard Max Richter fans will ignore my warning(as would I) since the few shining moments are hard, if not impossible, to resist owning.
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