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Post by green-eyed-girl on Mar 14, 2009 16:56:08 GMT -5
I'm going to reserve judgment until hearing the whole album, but so far .... I *really* don't like Open Pages. I don't like Junky Valentine. I don't like Mercy. I don't love Save Yourself but I also don't hate it. I'm somewhere between the liking and loving it. I've always loved Nightingale. I'm really hoping that the rest of the album does it for me so that I don't have to say I'm disappointed seacow, I had to listen to Junky Valentine several times before I really started to love it. I liked Mercy from the beginning. He performs it live and it is a little different with just him singing. It's one of those albums that takes a little time. I tend to be more of a rocker and love Save Yourself for that. The shows are his normal rockin' affairs. I got to see him twice this week and had a blast each time.
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Post by kate on Mar 14, 2009 17:46:24 GMT -5
I really was unsure of Junky Valentine the 1st time too but now it's my 2nd fave - Bright Lights being numero uno!!! ;D
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Post by seacow on Mar 14, 2009 22:22:30 GMT -5
I'm going to reserve judgment until hearing the whole album, but so far .... I *really* don't like Open Pages. I don't like Junky Valentine. I don't like Mercy. I don't love Save Yourself but I also don't hate it. I'm somewhere between the liking and loving it. I've always loved Nightingale. I'm really hoping that the rest of the album does it for me so that I don't have to say I'm disappointed seacow, I had to listen to Junky Valentine several times before I really started to love it. I liked Mercy from the beginning. He performs it live and it is a little different with just him singing. It's one of those albums that takes a little time. I tend to be more of a rocker and love Save Yourself for that. The shows are his normal rockin' affairs. I got to see him twice this week and had a blast each time. Yeah I totally feel the same way. Luckily I got into it really really fast. Some of the songs you get into right away. Some of the other songs you have to be in the mood for it.
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Post by laymedown on Mar 15, 2009 5:10:04 GMT -5
I've had the songs I listed on my iPod for a while now. They are on my current playlist so they get listened to a fair bit whilst walking the dog etc. That's how I know I don't like them. Instead of growing on me they are doing the opposite. I just don't like the new style and can't put my finger on exactly what there is about it that I don't like.
I do know that they leave me feeling emotionless but there is more to it ...
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Post by Fluffy Poodle on Mar 15, 2009 17:04:00 GMT -5
Wow! I have the opposite problem. The songs really touch me and I get very emotional. Especially Mercy, Open Pages, Nightingale, Bright Lights and When you Learn to Sing. I can't decide which one I like best. The only one I am not crazy about is the Painting. Junky Valentine took a few times to grow on me. And I definately love the older version of ITYTKM better. More feeling and passion. There is a different feel to this record so I can't say one is better than the other. They are both great in their own way. I think Rocco has really poured his heart out on this one.
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Post by Fluffy Poodle on Mar 15, 2009 17:36:07 GMT -5
Oh and Point of View-LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! (Yes, I actually bought the albumn from itunes even though I already had the physical cd because I wanted the bonus song.)
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Post by seacow on Mar 15, 2009 18:23:57 GMT -5
share!!! You need to be in the mood for this album. These days it seems like I am in the mood for it all the time The thing about this album is that it is full of small details which is something I always liked about music. When you can listen to a song for a year, and still not know everything about the song...
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Post by laymedown on Mar 15, 2009 19:13:44 GMT -5
I don't think it is just about mood. I think it is also to do with personal taste. I LOOOOOOOOVE the rockin Rocco and actually would have much preferred an album which was more like his live performances. Whereas his new one (so far) appears to be far too mellow for my taste. I had that thread a while back about what is it that gets you. For me melody is more important to lyrics (I'm not a lyrics person and never look for meanings in songs). So whilst Rocco poured his heart and soul into his new songs - they ended up totally wasted on me. I apparently get my emotion from melody (ahhh Rocco Dobro solos ) which I'm finding either distinctly lacking/unappealing. Or I'm not really noticing it. I still can't quite pin down exactly what I'm feeling. BTW - I LOOOOOOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the new intro to ITYTKM [forgot to mention that before]. Actually I like the whole new version but particularly love the guitar on it
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Post by Fluffy Poodle on Mar 15, 2009 23:36:52 GMT -5
I always think it's interesting how music hits different people in different ways. I like the new Beatle-esque opening of ITYTKM, but I like the older version a billion times better. It rocks harder, and has much more feeling and passion in it. What was interesting was on Friday night when they played it live, it started out as the new version and ended more like the original. I do think the new cd is more mellow than the first one. Save Yourself kind of stands out as the one different one. But to me it is just a different side of Rocco. Still really wish he had put Painfully Pretty on it.
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Post by laymedown on Mar 16, 2009 6:11:06 GMT -5
Oh yes, definitely a different side. Unfortunately for me it isn't a side that I like. It isn't a style I like or would listen to. When his first album came out I loved all but one track [Dillon] the moment that I heard them. It took a while for me to decide which were my favourites. The album got listened to day in and day out. Then I saw him live and became disappointed. I didn't want to listen to the boring album version of Swing Low .. I desperately wanted the live version. It had so much more going on with it. Listening to the parts I have of the new album I get none of the feelings I had from the 1st In fact if Mercy was the first album I probably would never have gone to see RDB live or been where I am now. It really does nothing for me. I can't like something just for the sake of it. On Open Pages it sounds like a keyboard with organ sound in parts and that bit drives me insane. OMG I hate it so much. To me it is so distracting. Oddly enough though straight after Open Pages on my playlist is Sigur Ros - 'Vaka' followed by 'Heysatan' both songs have a similar organ sound which I absolutely love on the tracks. They blend in with the surrounding melodies and work so well. Whereas with Open Pages it actually hurts my ears because it stands out too much This guy really doesn't like Rocco www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/03/rocco-deluca-the-burden-mercy.html
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Post by Giselle on Mar 18, 2009 6:21:49 GMT -5
OUCH!!! He has issues. I can see what you are saying LMD, it is a different sound. I love the it, some of the songs hit me on a personal level and maybe that is why I feel connected to it. It is definitely more mellow than ITYTKM . Some songs didn't grab me straight away but they definitely grew on me the more I listened. My favourites would have to be Mercy, Nightingale, Open Pages and Bright Lights, with that said I don't skip over any of the songs. Plus when he plays live he still brings it, even to the mellow songs
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Post by Fluffy Poodle on Mar 18, 2009 18:35:13 GMT -5
Sounds like a personal problem to me. Maybe Rocco stole his girlfriend. I mean seriously, even if the Mercy cd doesn't strike your fancy, you can't deny Rocco's musical talent. This guy is just full of insults. Doesn't even seem like a professional review.
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Post by Giselle on Mar 18, 2009 19:49:12 GMT -5
oh! and Lizzie and I were just looking for Rocco on The Tonight show on youtube cos we missed it last night and look what I found!!! Pure gold! WOW!!! It is pure gold ... so many good quotes. My favourites DL "Driven by his own heart" RD "One more colour to add to the painting" DL " Whether I am operating in the same limelight, ahead of him, behind him, in his shadow, whatever it takes I 'll be there" They are such a magical combination
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Post by laymedown on Mar 19, 2009 2:53:55 GMT -5
Sounds like a personal problem to me. Maybe Rocco stole his girlfriend. I mean seriously, even if the Mercy cd doesn't strike your fancy, you can't deny Rocco's musical talent. This guy is just full of insults. Doesn't even seem like a professional review. The scary thing is that this review comes up as the first 2 links in google when you type in 'Rocco Deluca Mercy review.' it worries me how many people new to Rocco will completly believe what they read and as a result not go out and buy the album.
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Post by sabine on Mar 19, 2009 11:10:10 GMT -5
Thanks to my Texan friend, I got the album on Monday. Amazon still has problems to deliver to Europe (I hear complaints from England as well). bleh. anyways...here are my "2" thoughts about MERCY: First off – I cannot find proper words to describe what the lyrics do to me, in company with the music. I go thru all kinds of emotions when I listen to this album, so for my “review”, I will focus on the music.MERCY – beautiful song. I hear the heartbeat in the tender piano and string intro, Rocco’s voice is calm and longing for inner peace. I also like the Keane singer’s voice, he sang his part beautifully, “all in one piece” (if my translation is correct…sheesh.). So it fits perfectly into the sound, but the moment Rocco’s voice sets in again I go…ahhhh…much better. Can’t help myself. It’s so unique. To me, it’s a song where someone tries to make peace with past and present, to have a future. ITYTKM – the best hard roccin version was for me the track in the beginning of the ITYTKM DVD. Rocco’s angry energy in voice and face – a picture I cannot forget. The Mercy version is a bit mellow, but I LOVE the striking and sparkling guitar soli. The Painting - I call it myself the “nod-to-Sigur Ros” song. AWESOME sound!! Open pages/Did I let you down – Love it but after listening to it more than 5 times it is a bit too poppy for me. Love the Glockenspiel and the strings. Nightingale – I am so grateful they worked so carefully with this song. The acoustic version is pure beauty, so I was concerned. But I LOVE the version they came up with now, only thing that disturbs me a bit is the low piano sound, maybe this should describe a constant reminder or mourning? I dunno. Rocco’s voice sounds especially vulnerable in this song. Save yourself – Oh man. Who’s f… idea was it to put that right after “Nightingale”? C’mon I still need my ears!! It’s like a fist in my eye. Ouch. The rocker Rocco is back in this song, proving again his musical versatility. Awesome. I think this is the counterpart to “Soul” from the first album. Any man – interesting and experimental sound, plus I was especially delighted to notice the bongos – heya Greg!! Very cool. The song has to grow on me, though. Lilja - this is such a cool idea for an intro!!! Islandic is really a very unique language with a very special sound. I feel a great tension when I listen to this song, it creates a strange atmosphere. Love the singing along with the Dobro sound, sounds almost a bit off-key sometimes, but very cool! I still wonder whether there IS voice singing along with the guitar or if it’s just my imagination or an echo or something. Bright lights - after the calm intro, I definitely expected a different song, lol. However, this girl loves a surprise. I really really wonder who this song is about ….roccing and even a bit evil. Love the guitar solo, but it’s far too short!!!!! And now---my absolute favorite song of the album – Junky Valentine ahhh. Ahhh. Is it the nod to Jeff Buckley, is it the waltz intro, is it the “off-key” sound, or the lyrics or the voice, hehe…I dunno what I love more. BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! When you learn to sing – well, with the dedication from the booklet it is obvious where this song comes from. Again, a song with the longing for inner peace. Love the sparkling steel pedal guitar and the beautiful voices of the fabulous Owen brothers help to create an ethereal sound. “Mercy” and “When you learn to sing” are the “brackets” for this album for me. It is different from the first one, but/and I LOVE it. All the different layers, "new" sounds I discover when I listen again...awesome. ahhh. LOVE IT.
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