Sorry not been around for a while, been so hectic with Uni! I'm going to try and get back into the s...
Sorry not been around for a while, been so hectic with Uni! I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things and start by catching up with all my COT!
Member since:22.10.2005
Reviews:22
Members who trust:73
"In Between Dreams" is the third album release from American singer Jack Johnson who was born back in 1975. It came out back in April 2005 in the UK and has received some success over here. Upon first glance he appears to be your typical laid back, surfer boy which is reflected to a certain extent in his music. However this guy goes deeper with some uniquely named tracks and truly emotive lyrics also going in his favour. He's previously found rather limited success in the UK despite being quite an established name in America yet maybe this album can help him finally break into the UK music scene.
The first track on the album is "Better Together" which gives a clear insight into the lyrics of the track; however it's far from your typical love song. Instead it offers a quirky, upbeat track with unique lyrics which somehow, when combined together, give a complete sense of calmness and serenity. This first song gives a good taste of what is to come in the remaining tracks and in my opinion is a great opener for the album. "Never Know" is up next and the beat is almost identical to the previous track which gives a slightly monotone feel to the album yet it soon quickens up to distinguish it. Once again there's a distinct laid back feel to this track despite the beat creating a sense of urgency almost as the song progresses. The chorus to this track is brilliant; it almost slows down and mellows out slightly with some brilliant lyrics as well, "Never knowing, We're shocking but we're nothing, We're just moments, We're clever
but we're clueless, We're just human, amusing and confusing, We're trying, But where is this all leading, We'll never know."
Next up is the somewhat uniquely titled song "Banana Pancakes" which truly is a first for a song title, the basic gist of the song is that he wants to spend time with his girl rather than getting up and going on with their daily lives - all hidden behind the seemingly meaningless title of "Banana Pancakes!" The following tracks "Good People" and "No Other Way" are both really catchy, the former track again echoes the mellow feel of the whole album yet his voice in this track has a somewhat sultry feel to it which adds variation to the album. The latter track opens with a single guitar playing giving a personal feel to the track almost; it's very melodic and has a similar effect to a harp, the song itself is incredibly slow and soft throughout.
"Sitting, Wishing, Waiting" changes the mood of the album a little as it's got a slightly more passionate feel to it, in a depressing tone almost. His voice is a lot more gravelly almost in this track and the general lyrical gist of it is slightly pessimistic, "Must I always be waiting, waiting on you, Must I always be playing, playing your fool." A classic love song almost representing some of the harsher sides that love can show yet sang in a refreshing and collected way. "Staple It Together" is, in contrast to the other tracks on the album, must more upbeat and slightly more "boy band" sounding in a sense. It's much quicker and his voice is more intense on this song which shows that he is capable of doing a wide range of moods. I personally don't really favour this kind of music sung by him and feel he's much better suited to the calmer genre. Luckily for me he reverts back to it for "Situations" is a relatively short track, being only just over a minute long and is rather peculiar in my opinion.
"Crying Shame" reverts back to the mood echoed in the first few tracks on the album and has a similar sound to them also. It's got quite a depressing tone to it which doesn't really help any bad mood that you're in but instead seems to sympathise with you! It quickens up in speed towards the chorus and for once there's more than merely guitars backing the track which creates a louder sounding noise in a sense. "If I Could" is similar in length and mood to the previous tracks, at just over 2 minutes long it may leave some listeners feeling rather short changed (this applies to quite a few of the tracks on the album) but I do fear if they were any longer you would be falling asleep! There's not a great deal to say about this song except it echoes the mood, speed and sense of the previous track. This is followed by "Breakdown" which has a more optimistic feel to it, the lyrics are more alive feeling which give a much needed energy boost to the album. I really like the chorus to this track, it's smooth and more upbeat than other songs on the album and will have you singing along - or trying to, "I need this old train to break down, Oh please just let please break down, I need this old train to break down, Oh please just let me please break down, I wanna break them down, but I can't stop now."
Quite sadly I feel I am able to summarise the last four tracks in under 10 lines quite easily. "Belle" is under two minutes in length and consists of merely smooth, folk sounding music throughout with very little lyrics - a disappointment in my opinion. "Do You Remember" is track 12 on the album is a love song with, of course, a laid back feel. "Constellations" is quite a nice track, steady throughout and with a hint of folk music backing it. Lastly is the uniquely titled "Mud Football" which for a finishing track on the album is what I'd expect, it's a slight let down compared to some of the previous tracks but does leave me with a good feeling - energised.
There's a real laid back feel to this album that washes a sense of tranquillity over anyone who seems to listen to it. If you're into your very laid back indie music, very light folk or just general relaxing beats then this is one you simply have to get. The whole album has got a light, melodic and tranquil feel to it from his laid back voice to the drifting chords that underpin most of the tracks. Throughout the album you can almost picture him sat with his guitar on the beach, giving an intense calming feel to the entire album. On the downside thought the songs do appear to be all incredibly similar in and show little distinction from each other. In my opinion it's a little too monotone and although I do enjoy listening to it every now and then, it's hardly top of my play list.
His sound is quite similar to that of other musical talents that are currently out there, a little more upbeat in a sense than Damien Rice while a little more chilled than someone such as James Blunt. He's also been compared and linked to other American artists including Howie Day and Matt Nathanson. The album gets 3 out of 5 for me, purely because some of the tracks sound a little too similar and it's an album that hasn't shown longevity for me - I've hardly played it since the summer!
Mar 3rd, 2006
very helpful by (98%):
helpful by (2%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
