Album Club - Week 116: 22.10.2013: Alela Diane - To Be Still

[Album Club]

This week we have the first offering from another new member of Album Club - this one's from Dave (jollyfix)
Thanks Dave!



Alela Diane - To Be Still (2009)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8pueNCuyXAo/SbvY8JsO5GI/AAAAAAAABFI/2IPrNQxfloE/s320/alela-diane-to-be-still-cd-cover-album-art.jpg

spotify:album:1iGkmnUoZo06Jh2vv8K5i9

To Be Still, her second release. I have found myself listening to this again recently. When i first bought the CD, there were a few tracks i liked, but after a short time, i liked the whole CD.
Like her contemporaries ( Mariee Sioux, Marissa Nadler, alina Hardin etc), i tend to play her recordings when i fancy something different from 'up tempo' type of music.

Alela Diane Wikipage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alela_Diane)
Album review (http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12714-to-be-still/)

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[synsei]

I listened to this last night and came away with very mixed feelings. Miss Diane has an interesting voice which I enjoyed very much, there were also other elements on this album which I enjoyed in isolation, however as a whole it has a somewhat muddled and inconsistent quality. To use a metaphor, it was like being served a gourmet meal which has been prepared with the finest ingredients by someone who has never cooked before. There are points on this album where the individual musicians seem to be doing their own thing and are completely oblivious to what is going on around them. There's one track, and I forget which now, where the drummer is completely out of step with the tracks natural rhythm, and it was at this point that I decided enough was enough. Another curious thing is that from the outset the band appear to have been squashed between the centre point in the sounstage and the right hand speaker, with the occasional strummed guitar or tomtom popping out to say 'HOWDY!!!' from the left speaker. This just added to the unsettling experience for me. As a result I have given this a score of 4/10 and offer this wee bit of advice to the sound engineer concerned; "Stay off the Jack Daniels until you have finished the job!"

[pjdowns]

Thanks for introducing this album Dave but I am not a fan I am afraid. Her voice just grates on me so therefore I am afraid I give it a 3/10.

Paul.

[Audio Al]

Not for me either sorry

sounds like it needs winding up to speed and the yodel in the voice :eek:

I also gave it 3 :(

[John]

I am with Paul on this around the vocals but I give it another listen before voting
Thanks for sharing

[jollyfix]

Interesting comments about her voice, some of my mates have said the same thing, but some like her voice. Looks like she has that Marmite quality. I have to say fall into the like camp, and as i have said it did take me a while to get into this LP. There were a few tracks i liked, most i didn't, but after some time i liked them all.
I have never really thought about the mix of the record and will pay more attention to it on the next play.

[Bazil]

Anybody who has noted my comments and voting on female artists will be expecting the normal negative post and 0-2/10 score, some of the zero's would have been negative integers btw.
But here in this album I hear a voice I like in fact its quite addictive*, and that is before I have got to know the tunes. There is something of a hippy dreamy English folk vibe going on, I just know when something grabs me and this does and I'm going to give it 8/10 :eek:
I might even buy it :champagne:


edit * hypnotic was the word

[Tim]

I really like Alela and have her latest album (About Farewell), but I'm not that familiar with this one, but I'm sure it will be to my liking.

This is from the album I have and how I discovered her, I think its wonderful. Good choice Dave and I'll vote after hearing it a few times.
I do find some of the comments here amusing too . . . X-Factor this isn't, this is real singer/songwriting ;)

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[jollyfix]

I have not heard ' About Farewell ' yet, but i have her other LPs. The others i like and find them all to be different to each other, 'To Be Still' has a country feel, due to the slide guitar amongst other things, the Pirates Gospel very raw sounding but some great songs. Her last release ' To Begin', more of a band, rather than just her and her family.Some great songs on that LP too, but i find the opening of the title track ( to begin) very similar to Supertramps 'dreamer'.

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enough of her other stuff, back on track with 'To Be Still'.......

[losenotaminute]

I'm not familiar with this artist, but I have been listening to the album this evening and really enjoying it. In fact I am on my second way through.

Tatted Lace is playing at the moment - I love the way it is so effortless and unpretentious. I find the vocals very appealing and enjoy the timbre of AD's voice. I've not been put off by the recording, but that might be due to the fact that I have the volume quite low the vocals and lead guitar are shining through.

This is a nice discovery for me and I'll definitely give some of the other albums a go.

I voted 9/10. Thank you for sharing.

Lawrence

[Audioman]

I hadn't heard of this artist. On first listen via Spotify I am impressed. It's a puzzle why this music isn't better known. 8/10.

[Tim]

It's a puzzle why this music isn't better known.
Well wankers like Simon Cowell have a lot to answer for and the mindless masses who think he gives real music to the world, just fuel the fires of mediocrity :rolleyes:

[loo]

Sorry for getting to this one late, I quite liked this, I have never heard her before and I have to say it grew on me with each listen ,
nice choice 6/10 from me
Paul

[MartinT]

Never heard of her but I find myself liking her voice and the general style. I also like electric violin when played well. This is more idiosyncratic and worth more listens than some of the bland female singer/songwriters out there. 7/10.


Well wankers like Simon Cowell have a lot to answer for and the mindless masses who think he gives real music to the world

As part of the Sky Arts season of live music (From the Den, I think it's called), Adele's performance was recorded on my box. Well, I lasted through her introduction to the audience (chav doesn't even begin to cover it) and the first few bars of her singing. Simply awful and it got the delete button with extreme prejudice.

[Tim]

Adele's performance was recorded on my box. Well, I lasted through her introduction to the audience (chav doesn't even begin to cover it) and the first few bars of her singing. Simply awful and it got the delete button with extreme prejudice.
I'm not going to go there again in case I upset anyone, but I really dislike Adele. As I have mentioned before, she sat in front of me in Union Chapel for The Civil Wars solo show and revealed her true colours - I would add the words disrespectful to chav Martin as well as being a tax avoiding whining *&^^%$ (add you own expletives here folks).

http://www3.images.coolspotters.com/photos/665195/adele-and-smoking-gallery.jpg

She is attractive though ;)