[michelej1]

Save me. It's gone too far.

SortaSavage once outdid himself with a chart comparing feelings different websites had for each of the bandmembers. I don't want to fall into a cliche, but if someone's a leather clad deity, why deny it? Why keep trying to pretend otherwise? Resistance is futile.

Seeds We Sow - I think this one would have worked as well or better as a closer. My favorite part is the end, where his whisper flutters over the guitar.

In Our Own Time The fire just doesn't burn as fiercely as it did live.
The chorus loses some force, I miss trailing from "still in my mind" to the fury of "it wouldn't make any difference. We crossed that line." I think the song loses some of its meaning when you lose that sharp contrast. I think the song speaks of both regret and resentment and the album version doesn't capture the two tones as well.

Illumination - I like it, but it sounds like he's singing with a wad of gum (or worse) lodged in his cheek.


That's the Way Love Goes - I don't really like the helium voice, but at the end of this song it works with the way "it goes, it goes, it goes . . . " It's like the song is winding up to bat, just as it's ending. What are the lyrics? He went into her dungeon and saw her secret??


When She Comes Down - I agree that this one has an almost gospel quality. Of course, the layered vocals does indeed make you think of harmonies past. If there's one song for which you call Christine up and ask her to join you, this would be that one. The song has a rise and swell that's so uplifting that I almost resent Lindsey coming in and breaking it up. When I read the lyrics posted, I thought "now she's falling" meant falling in love. But the way Lindsey delivers that line in a halting, discordant fashion, I now understand that he means she's falling down the stairs and breaking her neck! I'd prefer not to have the flow of the song interrupted. But it's quite beautiful.


One Take - Incredible. This guy will not die. His guitar will catch fire during the guitar solo on this song and he'll ascend straight into heaven. Put a halo on it. Oh and the way he drops it down at the end, weakening as the middle class disappears . . . as a statement, I find it much more effective than Peacekeeper or WTWCT. THAT'S RIGHT.

Gone Too Far - Obviously, the more I listen, my preferences will change, but right now this is my favorite. So beautiful and vulnerable.

She Smiled Sweetly - Don't like the vocals. At one point he gets so husky and breathy it sounds like a porn call.

This is a masterpiece. I'm not going to say it's my favorite, because I still like GOS, weigh them both in total, and GOS might win out for me. But the peaks on this album reach an almost spiritual level. Reaching up to the crazy stars.

Michele