I am currently learning how to create a website. It is being updated at a snail's pace. You can chec...
I am currently learning how to create a website. It is being updated at a snail's pace. You can check it out:
educofides.weebly.com
Member since:31.12.2008
Reviews:20
[Also reviewed on Epinions and Dooyoo]
I bought this album after hearing the sumptuous "Destiny" track expecting more of the same and was initially disappointed. Simple Things has however grown on me over time.
Simple Things was a 2001 Mercury Prize nominee and is characterised by its downtempo, extremely chilled tracks. 4 of the 12 tracks are purely instrumental. There is a strong jazzy feel with frequent use of rhodes, ambient soundscapes and beautiful melodies that develop over time. Comparisons are made with Air but I personally much prefer the more melodic sound of Simple Things to Air's more electronic Moonlight Safari album. I particularly love the attention to detail and sounds going on in the background of each track.
Simple Things kicks off with the excellent "I Have Seen" featuring the vocals of Mozez. This is one of my favourite tracks because of the drumming, addictive bass/rhodes melody which repeats again and again putting you into a chilled out trance and reinforced with the lyrics "I have seen time go so slow, days come and go", the sweeping strings, ambient sounds woven throughout the track and the acoustic guitar strumming at the end.
"Destiny" is another album highlight for me, featuring the vocals of Sia Furler. The acoustic guitar and background melody create a dizzyingly dreamy atmosphere which is a work of art. Small wonder then at one point, every single holiday guide program on tv was guaranteed to feature an instrumental snippet of "Destiny" with a shot of an exotic beach somewhere in the world... but I digress. Sia has a very distinctive voice which you are going to find interesting or just annoying. The chorus contains the nicely written lyrics "When I'm weak I draw strength from you, and when you're lost I know how to change your mood, and when I'm down you breathe life over me, even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny".
My only minor gripe is the instrumental tracks. They all have great performances, good melodies and are well composed but the absence of any vocals is very noticeable after listening to a track such as "Destiny" - it's as though something is missing and the album becomes fractionally less cohesive. Still, this is nit picking and if you want to use this album to fall asleep to, the slower instrumentals serve this purpose well.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in jazzy, chillout ambient tunes.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop, ... more
as found on their debut long-playerSimple Things, would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chillout connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately, ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop, ... more
as found on their debut long-playerSimple Things, would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chillout connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately, ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop, ... more
as found on their debut long-player Simple Things, would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chillout connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately,...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: THE chillout CD of them all! I dare you to feel stressed after listening to this! Disadvantages: No-one on the planet should dislike this CD, but if you're into Rammstein, maybe not!
very helpful by (60%):
helpful by (40%):
![You've Come A Long Way Baby [PA] - Fatboy Slim](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/051/prod_small-39051.jpg)
![Gatecrasher's Club Anthems 1993-2009 [Digipak] - Various Artists](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/861/prod_small-7337861.jpg)
![Human After All [ECD] - Daft Punk](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/538/prod_small-5833538.jpg)
![Ministry Of Sound Anthems (1991-2008) [Digipak] - Various Artists](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/406/prod_small-6791406.jpg)
