WHERE WE LAND - Album Appreciation Thread

[Andy, the soccer Mum]

OMG just finished listening to the album on the sound system , Songbird and Danny Boy have blown me away, the quality of his voice.. I am in teh coma.

[houndsoflove]

Well I think all the songs are divineeeeeee!!! Oh hold on a minute thats right I haven't got to hear the album yet as I'm in the bloody Singapore airport

[Spud]

You haven't heard it Houndsy? Argh that sucks, the album's so awesome!

[Leithal Dame]

andy said:

OMG just finished listening to the album on the sound system , Songbird and Danny Boy have blown me away, the quality of his voice.. I am in teh coma.

My sister LOVES DB. I'm still in raptures with every track.

[Mysterri]

Great review Spud. I'm not yet capable of putting words down about each song on the album. Although I must admit that All I Want Is You should be the next single. I just love this song and feel that it would be a #1. hit. After the melancholy of 22 Steps, AIWIY would really make the listening audience sit up and take notice.

The Long Way Back: I really, really like this one! It's really catchy and it reminds me a lot of a song that I can't remember the name of (anyone know the song I mean? lol) Before the album came out, the only time I can remember Damien mentioning this song was when he said in his newsletter that they had been recording it that day, so I wasn’t expecting it to be near the top in my list of favourites, but it is. I think it would make an excellent single (after AIWIY of course ).

I felt the same way when I first heard The Long Way Back. It's hauntingly familiar but I knew I was hearing it for the first time and then it dawned on me that it is very Beatlesque. It's as if I'd heard it before but in reality I hadn't.

Who is the guy who collaborated on the album and was heavily influenced by the Beatles? Maybe his influence is coming through in TLWB. It's really here nor there, I just love the album and every time I listen to it, there is more to discover and relish in each song.

[SJ]

Great review Spud! I totally agree with all of it, even the bit about your dad only liking small doses of D - my family are the same And I told you about AIWIY, didn't I?

It's so weird, everytime I listen to WWL (I've listened 6/7 times now), I have a different favourite - the last time it was "Shine Like The Sun". The first time I listened I definitely preferred 2 or 3 over the rest, but now I love them all pretty much equally

But.. My overall favourite is still AIWIY

Please make it the next single Damien!!

[Smiley]

Damien has every right to be proud of Where We Land. It is beautiful.

Like others each time I listen to it a different song stands out- & the more familiar the song becomes the more I like it. Listening to Not Just for the Weekend and I Still Miss Us after already listening to them from the downloads was like coming home.They are really beautiful songs.
I'm much prefering the new Beautiful (although still have to get used to the changes) I think it's been improved greatly. I'm really sad the the line "we're meant to be where we land" has gone though, especially as that has such significance for Damien. Having that as the title though I guess compensates for that.

I'm not so good at explaining why I like a song so I'll leave that to others.

Congratulations Damien You did it!

[Leithal Dame]

Still finding it hard to pick an all out favourite but I think I can safely say that Beautiful, Cold, Cold Heart, Shine Like The Sun, The Long Way Back, Blew It All Away, All I Want Is You, Not Just For The Weekend, Alone, I Still Miss Us, 22 Steps, Songbird and Danny Boy are right up there! ;D

[Mi chiamano Kami]

leithaldame said:

Still finding it hard to pick an all out favourite but I think I can safely say that Beautiful, Cold, Cold Heart, Shine Like The Sun, The Long Way Back, Blew It All Away, All I Want Is You, Not Just For The Weekend, Alone, I Still Miss Us, 22 Steps, Songbird and Danny Boy are right up there! ;D

I've been listening to the album non-stop since I got it. It's the sort of album that commands your attention - although that could just be because I love this kind of music. But I reckon it's not just me!

Now that I know the tracks pretty well I've been focusing more on the lyrics and instruments and Damien's voice, and there are a lot of little things I love, like that 'blown away' effect Spud mentioned in 'Blew It All Away', and the piano part in 'I Still Miss Us'.

I really think just about any of the original tracks on the album could be made into a single, which is good for Damien - I believe people who buy the album will remember the individual songs and want to keep listening to it in the future. A nice balance between commercial and alternative. And as much as I adore it I think like Spud it's only a very tiny part of what Damien has in him musically, and I can not wait for more and more releases. ;D

And on the falsetto - there is way more of it than I expected given what Damien had previously said, but I think overall it works. It's an awesome part of Damien's voice and he shows on tracks like 'Not Just For The Weekend' that he doesn't have to rely on it.

[Leithal Dame]

No doubt that Damien will go from strength to strength Kami. This is a beautiful albeit 'safe' album. I agree he shows that he doesn't have to depend on the falsetto. Every aspect of his voice is pure magic. And there are SO many aspects. I'm looking forward to the B side of the next single. Yeah......greedy isn't the word for it! Oh and another video! ;D There's nothing quite like watching D singing!

[dededom]

I listened to it several times late yesterday (whilst working) (well, trying to work).

I think the standouts are Alone and Blew it All Away musically speaking, as well as Not Just for the Weekend and I Still Miss us as songs that "stick in your head". I think AIWIY and Beautiful will make good commercial single releases.

The only negatives for me are too much sliding up to the note and I personally find the boppiness of the melody and arrangement a mismatch for the lyrics in Cold Cold Heart.

[Trilly]

dededom said:

I listened to it several times late yesterday (whilst working) (well, trying to work).

I think the standouts are Alone and Blew it All Away musically speaking, as well as Not Just for the Weekend and I Still Miss us as songs that "stick in your head". I think AIWIY and Beautiful will make good commercial single releases.

The only negatives for me are too much sliding up to the note and I personally find the boppiness of the melody and arrangement a mismatch for the lyrics in Cold Cold Heart.

That's an interesting comment re Cold Cold heart, Dede.
It reminds me in essence of Blondies's Heart of Glass. HOG is lyrically a song about disappointment, betrayal and pain, yet it has an extremely boppy and catchy tune. Debra Harry's singing conveys the message. I feel the same about CCH. Damien carries it, and it works, for me. I find myself singing it all the time.

As for the rest of the album, I agree Alone and BIAA are standouts musically, although I love Shine Like The Sun and The Long Way Back also. AIWIY, which is a brilliant feel-good song, would make an excellent single. In general, I find the album a satisfying whole, if a little safe, understandably. I too, would love to hear a few bolder choices next time.

Oh I'd better add I love ISMU too..not much I dislike , in fact! bwhaha..

[Mi chiamano Kami]

I also really like the contrast on Cold Cold Heart between the lyrics and the bouncy melody. I've always liked songs that do that - one of my favourite songs is Barry Manilow's 'Could It Be Magic', which has what seem to be happy lyrics coupled with a really sad-sounding instrumental. For me the bounciess of Cold Cold Heart is a reflection of Damien's maturity as a person - the lyrics reflect something that must be troubling him, but he's able to deal with it somewhat objectively rather than getting bogged down in the angst. You know, like, 'this sucks, but I'm getting on with things.' That's what it says for me. But I also just think the bounciness is awesome because it's not what you expect. I wonder if an alternate version was ever recorded?

I wouldn't describe the album as 'safe' at all actually - I think given the current musical... er, climate it would have been more safe for Damien to stick to more rocky songs on his first album, more traditional band instrumentation rather than the more acoustic stuff. I've discussed songs similar to these with friends before, and it astounds me how many of those friends think that kind of music 'boring'. Laid-back stuff is a hard sell - some people will just think it's too 'slow' and if there's not a lot of depth to you as a musician, it'll expose you right away. I think this set of songs shows Damien has musical depth without needing to do excessive musical acrobatics.

But I think I might be misinterpreting everyone's use of the word 'safe' slightly. In any case, those are my feelings on my interpretation of the word. ;D

[Trilly]

I think you might be slightly misinterpeting, Kami. Speaking for myself, "safe' means songs that are not particularly confronting or musically experimental. However, I believe too, that D has depths and is yet to plumb them anywhere near fully. I like your take on rockiness vs laid back ..interesting point. Also like the idea that the juxtaposition of tune and lyric conveys maturity. ;D

[12ktina]

It's interesting to read the last few comments about "Cold Cold Heart". I'm with ML - I like the lyrics and I like the jaunty tune, but the two of them just don't sit right with me. Damien is a master at singing from the heart, and I think that's why I feel there is a mismatch here. I don't dislike the song, but it has had me wondering why he didn't make it all atmospheric and dark. It doesn't seem to have the right feeling to me. However, I can see what you're saying Kami, perhaps it demonstrates being able to deal with these feelings and move on.

It will be interesting to hear this song live in concert.