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Zarko · 04-09-2009, 07:03 AM

The Night I Met My Second Wife – Sir (2000)

GENRES – Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Film Noir, Australian

Handsome – 3:58
Washed Up – 5:12
Too Good – 4:51
Drunk On Love – 5:33
Sunny Safari – 3:26
The Night I Met My Second Wife – 5:50
The Girl Of My Dreams – 6:05
Release The Herd – 6:11
Heart Aches And Heart Breaks – 3:52

Sir is a three piece Melbourne band (Australia for you lot cross those vast pools of water) consisting of Jesse Shepard (Electric organ, analogue synth and vocals), Elizabeth Downey (Vocals and guitar) and Matt Bailey (Bass). There are a few ways to describe the natue with which Sir play their music… Slow, slow as hell, slow as ****, drug induced coma slow, laid back, and unhurried. These are but a few ways to describe Sir’s melancholic atmospheric alt. singer/songwriter style. That being said, it isn’t bad, but I can definitely imagine the pace turning quite a few people off. Add to that fact that it almost never picks up, the question begs to be asked. Why exactly do I like this as much as I do? It doesn’t offer too much, it isn’t terribly technical, it doesn’t offer amazing lyricism… It’s just appealing. Obviously it doesn’t suit every moment of the day or every mood, but in the right frame of mind and time, it is a god send.

‘Handsome’ is every indication you need to know what the album will be like. It opens with some synth and gentle guitar strumming, layering with Elizabeth’s gloomy and nonchalant vocals. Its simplicity adds to its beauty. As I suggested earlier, don’t expect to be too engaged to the music. I feel it is best to listen to on a quiet, subdued night on your lonesome. Sometimes it is difficult to decipher Elizabeth’s vocals, but that simply adds to the overall mystique of the performance. It is numinous enough to never be quite too clear, but always present.

‘Washed Up’ follows the same pace but is more minimalist and dark in its nature, rather than just sad and gloomy. The haunting horns and synth work, never complete in its performance, but adding a trudging beat to the song, is splendid in its contrast, and it nothing seems in sync, which contributes to the dark tone. Elizabeth’s vocals are also distorted quite scarily at random times. They are sometimes hard to pick up on, but it is a great twist, and a bit spine tingling in the right setting.
The monotonous ‘I’m going to bring you down’, in a murky, and sometimes childish voice also displays a fascinating level of wickedness. ‘Too Good’ is slightly lighter, and more continuous and unbroken, unlike the last piece. The backing synth and organ lift nicely at the appropriate times. Even though the pace and tone doesn’t always suggest so, it’s quite the ‘smile bringer’. It is a very solid track, probably one of my top two, maybe because its uplifting style is more appropriate for when it’s best listened to.

‘Drunk On Love’ is a more psychedelic, spacey background, as the works come out for Jesse’s vocal debut. His grainy, casual, vocals work well with the ideas being put forward by the lyrics, where a man’s life has been consumed by the alcohol that is love. That of course, doesn’t make it a joyful song, rather this is sometimes seen as a negative outcome of life and love. ‘Sunny Safari’ reintroduces Elizabeth once again, in her nonchalant form in its full glory. Every now and then she picks up her vocals, which is a nice touch. She doesn’t push herself to any wild degree, but worth checking out in contrast either way. ‘We’ll be leaving… Some day…’ are some nice repetitive lines from the lyrics, which contain both hope and fear for the future.

‘The Night I Met My Second Wife’ sets quite the foreboding tone, with Jesse initiating the vocal aspect of things, however, the two work in collaboration for quite the appealing tune. The organ creates an ethereal mood, as the clear, concise and derivative vocals by Jesse work in stark contrast to Elizabeth’s indistinct, gloomy performances. The tonal work is nice, as the layered snyth, organ and electric bass make a twister whore version of what should be construed as a positive event. This is another one of my favourites from the album.

‘The Girl of My Dreams’ starts off with the sound of a heart monitor, moving at normal pace. As Jesse begins his vocal work, with some light organ backing, it picks up as he sings about finding out about ‘the girl of his dreams’. It may have just been my interpretation, but it adds an awesome little touch that adds to the depth and meaning of the song. He sings about every detail of the girl, without actually ever having met her. He sings with depth and passion, and despite not being the best vocalist, it is a better performance than many others I have seen of people with better vocals.

‘Release The Herd’, the longest track on the album, which has some nice depth, the bassy lines, the synth and guitar strumming, as well as the constant fuzz noise works well, before the organ introduces some various increments of niceties. It is just simple, chilled, laid back glory in the right frame of mind. The final track, ‘Heart Aches And Heart Breaks’ is another collaborative place, with the two singing together, rather than in contrast, as is present elsewhere in the album. It is a simple and stunning ballad to end the album.

At only 45 minutes, it can feel like one of two things, depending on the mood. If you love it, and alert, it can feel all too short, however, if you love it and are just in a chilled mood, it feels like the perfect length. Of course, I can understand that if it isn’t your sort of thing it can drone on. Despite its similarity throughout, it doesn’t lose interest, as with each listen you uncover another nook or cranny to a song that you love. I recommend at least the youtube videos, though I don’t expect much to come out of it. Though it isn’t the type of thing you will remember forever.

TOTAL SCORE

7.0/10

– Too Good
– The Night I Met My Second Wife
– Girl Of My Dreams

My last review until after the Easter weekend... Hoping for a fun filled holiday period.

04-09-2009, 07:03 AM	#39 (permalink)
Zarko Barely Disheveled Zombie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 1,196	The Night I Met My Second Wife – Sir (2000) GENRES – Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Film Noir, Australian Handsome – 3:58 Washed Up – 5:12 Too Good – 4:51 Drunk On Love – 5:33 Sunny Safari – 3:26 The Night I Met My Second Wife – 5:50 The Girl Of My Dreams – 6:05 Release The Herd – 6:11 Heart Aches And Heart Breaks – 3:52 Sir is a three piece Melbourne band (Australia for you lot cross those vast pools of water) consisting of Jesse Shepard (Electric organ, analogue synth and vocals), Elizabeth Downey (Vocals and guitar) and Matt Bailey (Bass). There are a few ways to describe the natue with which Sir play their music… Slow, slow as hell, slow as **, drug induced coma slow, laid back, and unhurried. These are but a few ways to describe Sir’s melancholic atmospheric alt. singer/songwriter style. That being said, it isn’t bad, but I can definitely imagine the pace turning quite a few people off. Add to that fact that it almost never picks up, the question begs to be asked. Why exactly do I like this as much as I do? It doesn’t offer too much, it isn’t terribly technical, it doesn’t offer amazing lyricism… It’s just appealing. Obviously it doesn’t suit every moment of the day or every mood, but in the right frame of mind and time, it is a god send. ‘Handsome’ is every indication you need to know what the album will be like. It opens with some synth and gentle guitar strumming, layering with Elizabeth’s gloomy and nonchalant vocals. Its simplicity adds to its beauty. As I suggested earlier, don’t expect to be too engaged to the music. I feel it is best to listen to on a quiet, subdued night on your lonesome. Sometimes it is difficult to decipher Elizabeth’s vocals, but that simply adds to the overall mystique of the performance. It is numinous enough to never be quite too clear, but always present. ‘Washed Up’ follows the same pace but is more minimalist and dark in its nature, rather than just sad and gloomy. The haunting horns and synth work, never complete in its performance, but adding a trudging beat to the song, is splendid in its contrast, and it nothing seems in sync, which contributes to the dark tone. Elizabeth’s vocals are also distorted quite scarily at random times. They are sometimes hard to pick up on, but it is a great twist, and a bit spine tingling in the right setting. The monotonous ‘I’m going to bring you down’, in a murky, and sometimes childish voice also displays a fascinating level of wickedness. ‘Too Good’ is slightly lighter, and more continuous and unbroken, unlike the last piece. The backing synth and organ lift nicely at the appropriate times. Even though the pace and tone doesn’t always suggest so, it’s quite the ‘smile bringer’. It is a very solid track, probably one of my top two, maybe because its uplifting style is more appropriate for when it’s best listened to. ‘Drunk On Love’ is a more psychedelic, spacey background, as the works come out for Jesse’s vocal debut. His grainy, casual, vocals work well with the ideas being put forward by the lyrics, where a man’s life has been consumed by the alcohol that is love. That of course, doesn’t make it a joyful song, rather this is sometimes seen as a negative outcome of life and love. ‘Sunny Safari’ reintroduces Elizabeth once again, in her nonchalant form in its full glory. Every now and then she picks up her vocals, which is a nice touch. She doesn’t push herself to any wild degree, but worth checking out in contrast either way. ‘We’ll be leaving… Some day…’ are some nice repetitive lines from the lyrics, which contain both hope and fear for the future. ‘The Night I Met My Second Wife’ sets quite the foreboding tone, with Jesse initiating the vocal aspect of things, however, the two work in collaboration for quite the appealing tune. The organ creates an ethereal mood, as the clear, concise and derivative vocals by Jesse work in stark contrast to Elizabeth’s indistinct, gloomy performances. The tonal work is nice, as the layered snyth, organ and electric bass make a twister whore version of what should be construed as a positive event. This is another one of my favourites from the album. ‘The Girl of My Dreams’ starts off with the sound of a heart monitor, moving at normal pace. As Jesse begins his vocal work, with some light organ backing, it picks up as he sings about finding out about ‘the girl of his dreams’. It may have just been my interpretation, but it adds an awesome little touch that adds to the depth and meaning of the song. He sings about every detail of the girl, without actually ever having met her. He sings with depth and passion, and despite not being the best vocalist, it is a better performance than many others I have seen of people with better vocals. ‘Release The Herd’, the longest track on the album, which has some nice depth, the bassy lines, the synth and guitar strumming, as well as the constant fuzz noise works well, before the organ introduces some various increments of niceties. It is just simple, chilled, laid back glory in the right frame of mind. The final track, ‘Heart Aches And Heart Breaks’ is another collaborative place, with the two singing together, rather than in contrast, as is present elsewhere in the album. It is a simple and stunning ballad to end the album. At only 45 minutes, it can feel like one of two things, depending on the mood. If you love it, and alert, it can feel all too short, however, if you love it and are just in a chilled mood, it feels like the perfect length. Of course, I can understand that if it isn’t your sort of thing it can drone on. Despite its similarity throughout, it doesn’t lose interest, as with each listen you uncover another nook or cranny to a song that you love. I recommend at least the youtube videos, though I don’t expect much to come out of it. Though it isn’t the type of thing you will remember forever. TOTAL SCORE 7.0/10** – Too Good – The Night I Met My Second Wife – Girl Of My Dreams My last review until after the Easter weekend... Hoping for a fun filled holiday period.