Damien Rice - a post by Joel

Damien Rice - 9

1. 9 Crimes
2. The Animals Were Gone
3. Elephant
4. Rootless Tree
5. Dogs
6. Coconut Skins
7. Me, My Yoke, and I
8. Grey Room
9. Accidental Babies
10. Sleep Don’t Weep

I fell in love with Damien’s music some time two summers ago, although his sophomore release “9” is somewhat different than his debut release “O” I would argue that Damien has matured quite a bit since. Damien Rice is a musician from Ireland, who plays numerous instruments; however, his main instrument is the piano. Damien is usually accompanied by an assortment of strings, among other instruments, such as vibraphones. Damien is also often accompanied by vocalist Lisa Hannigan.

While a few reviews have said that this disk lacks the rawness of his first release, I am alright with that. This CD while very powerful isn’t as prone to make you fall into a puddle of tears as “O” is known to do to me, which is why I have sustained listening to it for some time now.

I feel as though Damien in his new release is more raw vocally, and Lisa compliments him very nicely with her childlike tone. Although both vocalists continue to be very meek and mild in many arrangements, Damien is beginning to let loose when the emotions require it. “9” is truly an impressive showcase of his vocal range, from falsetto to a powerful tenor in a moments notice.

The disk itself is also very diverse, anywhere from the calm and simple “The Animals Were Gone” to the powerful and necessarily vulgar “Rootless Tree” to the more distorted, broken voice of “Me, My Yoke, and I” Damien pulls it off with class.

One of my favorite tracks on the disk is “Sleep Don’t Weep”. The lyrics, although basic, flow beautifully with well chosen metaphors, telling the story of belonging, through pain. The blend of Lisa and Damien’s voices using the repetition “Sleep don’t weep, my sweet love” could make you cry, it is something you must hear for yourself. The track also includes the second hidden track of the disk however, it is mostly he ringing of crystal glasses. the first can be found by hitting rewind at the beginning of the first track “9 Crimes”

I would highly recommend this disk, and out of a 5 star rating I would give it a 4.5 because there is always room for improvement. If you are into the indie, I’m a music snob and I like knowing bands that no one knows, scene, then Damien Rice (although slightly less underground, but get over it) is for you.