'This Desert Life' is the latest offering from Counting Crows and is equally as
good as their previous albums.

Although I'm not sure its as breath-taking as 'August and everthing after' its still
a great album and well worth listening too.

I must admitt to being a huge Crows fan so this review will no doubt be a little
biased.

The album contains 10 tracks all of which I really enjoyed.
I think my favourite tracks are "Hangingaround", "Amy hits the atmosphere"
and "Colourblind".

'This Desert Life' is in the usual style of Counting Crows, which fans will be used
too.

All the words are written by Adam Duritz and are as depressing as ever. The
songs are in their own way beautifully written and express the pains of life and
death and love.

Much as I love Counting Crows I think they find it impossible to write happy
songs, so its really not an album for a rainy day.

People complain that a lot of Counting Crows songs sound the same, which can
be true although I don't tend to notice 'cause I know so many of their songs off
by heart.

If you've never tried Crows this is a great album to start with.
The musicality behind it is great as are the words, which are often moving and
touching.

The only disadvantage with this album, is that it is quite short and I couldn't get
enough.

" If I could make it rain today
And wash away this sunny day down to the gutter
I would
Just to get a change of pace
Things are getting worse but I feel a lot better
And thats all that really matters to me."

Amy hit the atmosphere.

For those who are interested heres a bit about all the songs.

Hanging Around.
This is one of the livelier songs on the album. It has a great tune and its very
catchy (I'm listening to it right now).
It gives the impression of being a generally cheery song until you listen to the
lyrics..about missed oppotunity, boredom and the ties that bind us.

Mrs Potter's lullaby
My favourite line from this track is
"If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame. And though
I'll never forget your face sometimes I can't remember my name"
Yes, another not particularly happy song but definitely one of their best (in my
humble opinion). Its longer than a lot of their stuff about 8 minutes long.
It leaves me thinking who the heck is Mrs Potter? Answers on a postcard....

Amy hit the atmosphere.
I'm not entirely sure why I like this one so much but I just do. Its quite slow and
depressing and I have no idea whats its really about, which sometimes is a good
thing.
Counting Crows songs can mean everything to someone and nothing to the
next person, which is part of their value.

Four Days
"All I want is something good
It gets harder every time
She is leaving here tonight
Take a breath
Take your time
Spread your wings and rise"
I think this is one of the songs people would condemn as sounding the same as
the rest but I think its got its own merits such as great singing and a snappy
tune (for want of a better word).

All my friends
This is also a long song and buckle down its pretty melancholy. I love the guitar
and the piano in this song, I think they are more noticeable than in some of the
others.
"One way or another I just wish I had known
To go out walking in the sun
And find out if you were the one."

High Life
"All my friends got flowers in their eyes
But I got none this season
All of the last ten years blooms have gone and died
Time doesn't give a reason
Hey baby, do you ask yourself sometimes
What you need to be forgiven?
<br>Everything that you've ever done wrong
is the reason that I'm driven
Straight to you."
Its almost poetic, now just imagine that sung in Adam Duritzs amazing voice.

"oh apologies, no apologies, this apology
Doesn't desrcibe the way it feels to feel for you"

Colourblind.
This is another of my favourites for no particular reason again.
I think its just really sad for some reason, you need to listen to it to feel the real
impact.

I wish I was a girl.
"They're gonna make a movie of all the things that they found crawling round
my brain"
I think we all feel like that sometimes don't we?
This is a great song. Its sung passionately and with all the feeling that make
Counting Crows more than just your average american band. I'd love to hear it
live someday.

Speedway.
Still not sure how I feel about this song even though I've listened to it a hundred
times. It doesn't stand out as one of the best tracks on the album.

St Robinson in his cadillac dream
Odd title for a song. This track is also pretty lively but once again not if you
listen to the lyrics. I think its about how we never turn out the way we think we
will when we are kids.
"Carrie's down there is the basement all toe shoes and twinned
With the girl in the mirror who spins when she spins
From where you think you'll end up to the state you're in
Your reflection approaches and then recedes again."

Despite all the melancholy and the big ideas Counting Crows have no
pretensions in their music which makes it so much more appealing and easy to
listen to.