Customer Reviews

PINES

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alison Sudol has a story to tell with her fine new album 'Pines'
(it's available as an ebook too should you wish to know the whole tale).
This excursion is a somewhat different kettle of fish from her
previous two albums : the beautiful debut 'One Cell In The Sea'
(2007) and her rather more rumbustious sophomore release 'Bomb In
A Birdcage' (2009) - (both recordings well worth getting to know).

'Pines' is a back to nature affair (recorded "live") which continues
to demonstrate Ms Sudol's graceful facility with music and words. Her's
is a voice which has always been very easy on the ear; soprano in
timbre, it has the ability to coax and energise in equal measure.

There are thirteen numbers in the set and not a bad one amongst
them. Each piece represents a chapter in the narrative but it is
not necessary to know the whole story to enjoy the experience. Tracks
worth an especial mention include the beautifully mournful 'Riversong',
a composition scored for subdued piano and plaintive violin and
sporting some truly delicious, dreamlike, vocal harmonies; the fragile
'Dream In The Dark', a haunting quasi-Appalachian lullaby and the
gorgeous final song 'Untitled (Grasses Grow)' which will melt your heart.

'Pines' is a welcome addition to the oeuvre of this hugely talented artist.

Highly Recommended.

Have all previous recording and have liked them all and champion Alison Sudol as a songwriter but Pines...ok here goes..... left me wholly underwhelmed, don't buy Pnes on the basis of her previous highly praised efforts..Bomb in a Bird Cage it ain't...its not hard listening or difficult to follow...its just a lot of the tracks have a same sound to them dare I say sound tedious and soporific....listened to it three times now and still feel disappointed by the cd as a whole.

Love this album and find it perfect for winding down at the end of the day. Not come across this artist before but I recommend this album if dreamy is your scene.

Having heard and really enjoyed her first 2 albums I bought this without sampling it - I'm happy with the purchase but it requires more effort than her earlier work.

I saw this album in the Sunday Times as 'one to buy' ... so I did. Having never heard of A Fine Frenzy before, I would highly recommend. Wonderful album and very relaxing. To lie in the bath with candles and the sound of this album is bliss. Will buy some more.

Love the new album! Been a fan since her first album, and although there are a few songs that perhaps aren't her best, I definitely recommend giving it a listen

Pines is very different to Alison's previous two Cd's -which I love.

I really want to like this one and hope it grows on me. But by the time you hear 'They Can't If You Don't Let Them'and the cd does get going it's just all a bit too late.

There's just too much plinkety-plonk accompaniment, too many breathy vocals, and too much meandering songwork that simply goes nowhere.

On their own, Pines are serene and stately trees. But to have a whole stand of them produces a boring monoculture. So it is with the songs on 'Pines'.

Updated April 2013: It's not grown on me at all. It's depressing and tedious and a huge disappointment despite putting the effort in to continue to listen to it. Roll on the next album!

I Loved Bomb In the Birdcage so much, however I was a little underwhelmed by this offering.

The album itself is very beautiful. The songs are slow and meandering and it's obvious that a lot of thought and effort has gone into the writing and recording.

This, however, maybe the albums downfall. The songs are so tightly packed that it takes a while to unwrap and peer in.

Alison has said that this album is very personal to her, but I just can't get a handle on what she is talking about. Her voice seems hidden and not as prominent as on "Bomb".
Gone are the nice Beatles-esq pop songs and in their place we now have long, morose, songs that are hard to reach the end of.

In fact the songs are so morose and sad that the whole thing becomes really hard to listen to. You're just left wanting for a slightly upbeat, uplifting song but you wade through morose song after morose song and it becomes a bit "huhh" after a while.
Then you finally get to an upbate song "Now is the Start" and the song is so swamped with a mishmash of voices and reverb that you can't actually make out Alison.

I really, really wanted to like it but now I can't even listen to more than two songs in a row.

But maybe I'll love it in a few years time, who knows. But, now is not the start for Pines.

If you are a fun loving, nature loving, music loving individual with a big heart, this record is for you! It's such a deeply personal offering covering the whole spectrum of emotions. Alison shows herself to have matured again with this her third excellent album.

i have listened to all their previous albums,i have to say this songwriter need to have more airtime,as she has huge abundance of talent! i was reluctant to obtain their latest ,considering all the reviews,but just make ur own decision? i hope they keep their raw talent unabridged ,as would spoil their naturalisation !