Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmm, 4 Nov 2006
First, let me say that the musical pieces contained on this disc are almost, but not quite, the equal of "The Blue Notebooks", which is a stunning album. There is more emphasis on piano, rather than strings, but the weird voice samples remain, albeit with a different person saying them. So, yeah, brilliant album.
Now, the previous reviewer compained that the album is too short, which may be true. But I prefer to think of LPs in terms of how good they are, rather than how long they are. I'd much prefer 35 minutes of brilliance to the same music but with another 35 minutes of filler.
Longer albums arent necessarily better! If an artist feels that an album is right as it is then there is no need for them to add any more.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Meditative and beautiful, 29 Dec 2006
Like most reviewers,I agree that this is no 'Blue Notebooks'. It does not share the same, almost intangible melancholia. Moreover, I find Robert Wyatt an uninvolving narrator, who does not share Tilda Swinton's feel for the language (in this case Japanese author Murakami). However, the same ensemble as 'Notebooks' again succeed in creating a resonant soundscape of alienation and yearning, esp. on the beautiful 'Flowers for Yulia'.
Yes, it's short. But like haiku, it is a distillation of elements, the critical deployment of only essential materials, that makes it work.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Close, but no quite on the same level as "The Blue Notebooks", 28 Oct 2006
Max Richter has produced a haunting and melancholy follow-up to his Kafka inspired "The Blue Notebooks." "Songs from Before" is a more conservative effort though, and at a brief 37 minutes, it acually feels like it is missing a few pieces towards the end. The length of the album is NOT the issue. The feeling that original musical ideas are lacking towards the end of the album is the concern. I also have a slight problem with the choice of reader for this album. His voice has a mumbling quality which certainly doesn't serve the poetry well. In addition, the Kafka poetry in the "Blue Notebooks" was far more moving than any poetry on display in "Songs from Before". Musically, this is a subdued and conservative effort. I don't regret this purchase. Max Richter's third album is a gem - just not as radiant and creative a jem as "The Blue Notebooks" or "Memoryhouse". The music on this CD should sound like more than "The Blue Notebooks, Part Two", unfortunately, it never really takes off into its own orbit and settles for exploring soundscapes already covered by Richter in previous releases.
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~ Max Richter
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