- Audio CD (4 May 2009)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Absolute / Hoop Recordings Ltd
- ASIN: B001JQHT7G
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,755 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Ocean and a rock |
| 2. Venn Diagram |
| 3. Sea Song |
| 4. Splishy Splashy |
| 5. I Don't Know |
| 6. Keep It All |
| 7. Courting Blues |
| 8. Pistachio |
| 9. Teeth |
| 10. Lille |
Product Description
Review
Lisa Hannigan's little tiff with Damien Rice worked out rather well for one of the parties concerned. Two years on from her departure as backing singer and sometime instrumentalist for Mr Popularity 2004, Ms Hannigan is revelling in award nominations and international acclaim. As for Mr Rice, well his underperforming second album and three-year disappearance from the new release shelves are now something of an irrelevance.
Put out through her own label, Hoop, Sea Sew is Hannigan's passion project, hand-crafted in just a fortnight. There's definitely an unashamed quaintness to the album, with self-stitched artwork and old friends drafted in from the Rice days to help out on instrumentation. I Don't Know has a similar coy seductiveness to that other Mercury nominee, the terminally underrated Kathryn Williams, but neither have deserved to be unjustly dubbed the 'token folkie' on the shortlist. There is nothing token about tracks like Keep It All, a sinisterly executed, contemporary tale of infatuation which opens with a rock drum solo definitely not typical of a standard folk offering.
Single Lille is clearly an example of what caused a friend to coin the term 'Plink Plonk Rock' to describe Hannigan's style, sounding like an ambitious Swiss clock with a trouping parade of mechanical figures that meet in the middle at the top of each hour.
As you'd expect from the title, water references abound: Splishy Splashy mimics the rhythm of the tide in its vocals and gentle acoustic guitar, while Ocean And A Rock shares a beautiful motif among strings, brass and keys. Sea Song is the standout track, faintly Latin with pleasingly warm lyrics: ''He's like the wishful thinking in my life/ He's like the wine on the weekend''.
Mercury nominations and the praise of US chat show hosts aside, Lisa Hannigan seems to have an overflowing idea bank with which to go forth and flourish. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr Rice. --Keira Burgess
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CD Description
2009 album from Lisa Hannigan.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Lisa Hannigan's debut album "Sea Sew" is an charming confection although its difficult to see why adding live versions of songs on the original "Sea Sew" makes this record a "Deluxe" version. I would have liked to see some other new material from the excellent Lisa Hannigan or at least some of the cover versions she has recorded such as Joni Mitchell's "Willy" or Roy Orbison's "Love hurts" Yet to be fair the live versions are generally solid and if the key purpose is to remind you what a little gem this album is then they serve their purpose. Lisa Hannigan was as pivotal to "O" as Damien Rice's guitar. The "Blowers daughter" is in my mind as much her song as his and her contribution to the some of the best songs on "9" was immense.
"Sea Sew" has a quiet but huge following and its is delicious album packed with delightful and precious songs like "Ocean and Rock", "I don't Know", "Lille", the truly gorgeous "Venn diagram" and the harder "Sea Song". The album manages to skilfully blend beauty with whimsy without degenerating into sentimentality or tweeness. The most ample demonstration of this is in the albums towering highlight "Teeth" where Hannigan spits out the lyric and the raw emotion erupts in this song particularly on the repeated chorus where she states "And I had a swing/When my salt was my own/I'd my teeth bared for battle/Till love lost made me dull". It is brilliant songwriting.
Granted when viewed in its totality "Sea Sew" is lighter than anything she has done with Damien Rice and yet I have to say I listen to it much more than "9". Along with Laura Marling and Theo Gilmore she is proof of an amazing renaissance of British/Irish female singer songwriters. More importantly she is ample evidence that the judges of the Mercury Prize maintain an impeccable record as the most consistent bunch of tone deaf idiots currently listening to modern music.
"Sea Sew" has a quiet but huge following and its is delicious album packed with delightful and precious songs like "Ocean and Rock", "I don't Know", "Lille", the truly gorgeous "Venn diagram" and the harder "Sea Song". The album manages to skilfully blend beauty with whimsy without degenerating into sentimentality or tweeness. The most ample demonstration of this is in the albums towering highlight "Teeth" where Hannigan spits out the lyric and the raw emotion erupts in this song particularly on the repeated chorus where she states "And I had a swing/When my salt was my own/I'd my teeth bared for battle/Till love lost made me dull". It is brilliant songwriting.
Granted when viewed in its totality "Sea Sew" is lighter than anything she has done with Damien Rice and yet I have to say I listen to it much more than "9". Along with Laura Marling and Theo Gilmore she is proof of an amazing renaissance of British/Irish female singer songwriters. More importantly she is ample evidence that the judges of the Mercury Prize maintain an impeccable record as the most consistent bunch of tone deaf idiots currently listening to modern music.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've listened Sea Sew driven by the preferences of customers who have bought cd of Florence and the Machine, Red House Painters, John Martyn, Jackie Leven, and other acustic - folk rock musicians.
I think that this debut is really a little precious jewel that you learn to appreciate after few listenings, because the arrangements are excellent bun not immediate.
A lot of beautiful passages are "hidden" at the first listenings. The tone is calm, relaxed, and the musicians never try to use special effects to catch the attention preferring to mantain a balance in the execution.
I give the album 4 stars, it means a excellent album, because 5 stars in my scale of value is a masterpiece.
Sea Sew is not a masterpiece, it's "only" one of the best album of 2008, probably one of the most understimated.
I hope that Lisa Hannigan could produce a masterpiece the next time.
I think that this debut is really a little precious jewel that you learn to appreciate after few listenings, because the arrangements are excellent bun not immediate.
A lot of beautiful passages are "hidden" at the first listenings. The tone is calm, relaxed, and the musicians never try to use special effects to catch the attention preferring to mantain a balance in the execution.
I give the album 4 stars, it means a excellent album, because 5 stars in my scale of value is a masterpiece.
Sea Sew is not a masterpiece, it's "only" one of the best album of 2008, probably one of the most understimated.
I hope that Lisa Hannigan could produce a masterpiece the next time.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I originally thought of getting this album as something I thought my girlfriend might like. However, one sunny afternoon with wireless headphones in the garden later... I've found myself with an unexpected addiction to this record, and a welcome early contender for my favourite album of the year.
Lisa Hannigan has such a light touch, impeccable ear for a tune and an absolutely gorgeous voice that bury these pieces of music deep in your subconscious almost immediately. I guess this would be classified as folk, but there's such a lot going on here that labels just seem superfluous. Just appreciate it for what it is.
Particular favourites of mine are "Ocean and a Rock", "Pistacchio", "Lille", "Sea Song" [which is the only song on the album that sounds anything like a Damien Rice song - but is still good], and "Keep It All". These songs I think will prove to be timeless, both musically and lyrically - since Lisa seems to have avoided any semblance of modern faddery altogether - no Amy Winehouse vocal inflections, no Regina Spektor quirkiness, no Lily Allen "hip"-ness, and no Duffy pretences. The lyrics are abstract and intriguing, and the performances just have a real integrity.
I certainly didn't expect to enjoy this record so much, but I'm not complaining ... I'm not about to start listening to Damien Rice, either.
Lisa Hannigan has such a light touch, impeccable ear for a tune and an absolutely gorgeous voice that bury these pieces of music deep in your subconscious almost immediately. I guess this would be classified as folk, but there's such a lot going on here that labels just seem superfluous. Just appreciate it for what it is.
Particular favourites of mine are "Ocean and a Rock", "Pistacchio", "Lille", "Sea Song" [which is the only song on the album that sounds anything like a Damien Rice song - but is still good], and "Keep It All". These songs I think will prove to be timeless, both musically and lyrically - since Lisa seems to have avoided any semblance of modern faddery altogether - no Amy Winehouse vocal inflections, no Regina Spektor quirkiness, no Lily Allen "hip"-ness, and no Duffy pretences. The lyrics are abstract and intriguing, and the performances just have a real integrity.
I certainly didn't expect to enjoy this record so much, but I'm not complaining ... I'm not about to start listening to Damien Rice, either.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A new fan
I wasn't familiar with Lisa Hannigan's music but got this CD for my husband for Christmas and am now defnitely going to be adding it to my 'music to sing along to in the car'... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Candycanandco
Lisa Hannigan goes solo
For me, this was the best debut album album of 2009. Sweet, delicate, addictive.
I loved Lisa's voice when collaborating with Damien Rice (especially in "9 crimes"), and here... Read more
I loved Lisa's voice when collaborating with Damien Rice (especially in "9 crimes"), and here... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Etta
Sea Sew
I am a huge fan of Lisa Hannigan, I love her voice and her range. I'm so gld she is releasing solo material, there are son many good songs on this album for example Ocean and a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Croft
Lisa Hannigan releases a great debut album
After working with Damien Rice on his two albums, "O" and "9", and providing backing vocals to a number of the tracks on each release, Lisa Hannigan made the wise choice to go... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Amillionmiles
great album!
This album is soulfull and quirky....in its own particular way quite unique. I first listened to this album online and the videos for the songs are extreamly creative, especially... Read more
Published 12 months ago by XCHARLYBX
Lovely
I loved this Irish singer, so natural and lovely voice.
Every song is nicer than the other one.
It's a reccomended purchase.
Every song is nicer than the other one.
It's a reccomended purchase.
Published 23 months ago by Alberto Garcia Gimenez
I want to say "don't buy it" but let me explain....
I want to call this album beautiful and calming and serene, but if I do, then more people may hear the voice and maybe she'll become a world superstar and then we won't be able to... Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2010 by littlegreen
new artist
Interesting cd from a new artist as far as I am concerned. Heard her on Womans Hour ad bought the cd on the strength of this. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by P. Wilson
Sea Sew Lisa Hannigan
First saw Lisa Hannigan + album featured on Mercury prize awards 2009, never heard of her before. Heard snippits of the songs and thought my friend would really like it so bought... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2010 by S. Whittle
Great album
Very good & interesting album. For us it has it all, effortless vocals, interesting lyrics and a solid backing band.
Published on 30 Dec 2009 by DRT
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