(The) Most Beautiful Classical Melodies

Advantages: A beautiful, memorable voice.
Disadvantages: Beautiful but not-so-memorable songs.

...This is not the kind of cd that will appeal to everyone. I imagine it was not meant for the average Classic FM listener, but more for Dr. Frasier Crane types. Most of the songs are quite serious and bleak, and some are probably worth skipping over entirely. For example, chances are you'll find the Baudelaire pieces impossible to listen to... I just couldn't find a melody anywhere, and I certainly won't be humming them in the shower. My main reason for encouraging people to buy this disk is the beautiful soprano, who has a voice that-unlike the songs-does have mass appeal. My advice is to listen to just a couple of tracks; my favourites are Extase,Serenade, and Au Soir. Buy this disk just for these, and for that lovely voice.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: masterpiece
Disadvantages: none

...Every artist's dream is to achieve the status of masterpiece for their pieces of work. This involves bringing up something really fresh and beautifully crafted to the audience. Most masterpieces are easy to understand, even by people with no or less knowledge of the subject; they just flow through you and leave you a feeling that you just saw/heard something completely different. Whether to see or hear it again its up to us , but a masterpiece always hides something inside , you'll just have to find it by yourself. "Histoire de Melody Nelson" is such a masterpiece. Consisting of only 7 tracks, it tells an affair of an innocent looking teenage girl called Melody and a middle aged man (presumably Serge itself). But that's only the baseline. It also serves to show the expression of Serge Gainsbourg dirty feelings for her (Melody) making... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Really nice blend of 70's progressive rock melodies with contemporary psychedelic riffs
Disadvantages: It gets too heavy in certain points if you are used to the older stuff

...After the release of their classic album "lightbulb sun", porcupine tree with a renewed line-up return with "in absentia" to give us an excellent example of modern progressive/psychedelic rock. Following the succesfull path of "lightbulb sun" , with the heavy guitar riffs interchanging with floyd reminiscent melodies, porcupine tree move a little bit further and add a minor but important flavor of drum and bass oriented elements to their music(the creator has a mastertape). The new drummer, Gavin Harrisson, well known to the drumming community from his extreme independence books, is responsible for some of the most awkwardly beautiful beats ever played by the band, while the guitar work is once again just excellent. Just listen to "the sound of muzak" to realize how a song can simultaneously be progressive and pop at the same time... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful