Angelfish - Angelfish
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Free Music Notes for Angelfish
Free Music Review: Recommended for Shirley Manson/Garbage fans
Hit: 4 Stars
I got this album--most likely the same as the majority of the people who bought this album--because I am a fan of Garbage and wanted to listen to Shirley Manson's older band. I wasn't sure what to expect. As a huge fan of Garbage, and as someone who thinks Shirley Manson is one of the greatest frontwomen of the last 20 years, I decided to give it a chance, with no real expectations, one way or the other.
The result was that I was very pleasantly surprised. The sound of Angelfish was far more primitive than Garbage. Angelfish didn't have the the gloss and the synths of Garbage, so it sounds more stripped down and basic. Compared to Garbage, the songs are more straight-forward and guitar oriented, but still have the same pop-sensibility. The band, Martin Metcalfe (guitar) Derek Kelly (drums) and Fin Wilson (bass) are all competent musicians, but to be honest, aren't of the same caliber as Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker. The entire CD is a fine collection of songs, and although some tracks are better than others, there isn't really any filler. The overall tone/vibe of the album is somewhat dark and cynical, as song titles like "Dogs in a Cage," "Suffocate Me" and "The Sun Wont Shine" would suggests. And as much as I enjoyed these songs, I find that the more pop oriented material are the album's high-points. "You Can Love Her," "Sleep With Me," and "Heartbreak to Hate" remain some of Manson's most memorable enchanting songs to date.
Angelfish was a young band, just starting out, and this was an excellent debut. If Manson had not gone on to sing for Garbage, I imagine they would have improved over time. Angelfish is a relatively short album, only about 35 minutes total. In sum, it's a good, short-but-sweet, somewhat cynical pop album. Although Angelfish's lone album is not as good as anything Garbage has released, it's still a fine album and highly recommended for Shirley Manson/Garbage fans.
Free Music Review: Wonder what would have happened to them
Hit: 4 Stars
I got this for Christmas because I am a huge Garbage fan. I wasn't sure I would like it at all, but I popped it into my CD player.
WHAM. "Dogs In A Cage" came on, and I was just blown away. She sounds even better in that one than she does in a lot of Garbage songs! It is one of those rare songs that you just have to crank up until you are truly worried about permanent hearing damage.
The full rundown:
"Dogs In A Cage": Blowout. I don't know or care what the title means.
"Suffocate Me": Sensual and threatening at the same time. It sounds to me like she wants to suffocate someone rather than that she is being suffocated. That quality is what made me a Garbage fan in the first place...
"You Can Love Her": Surprisingly upbeat. I liked it, though not as much as "Dogs In A Cage" or "Mummy Can't Drive."
"King of the World": Not too bad, though I find it weird that she is hoping to become a king... aren't queens good enough?
"Sleep With Me": I'm sorry, but I did not like this one. Was she asleep when she sang it?
"Heartbreak To Hate": Eh. Really not very good.
"The Sun Won't Shine": A nice tinge of desperation on a good song for rainy, maudlin days.
"Mummy Can't Drive": Loud, menacing, and really, really wonderful!
"Tomorrow Forever": Depends on the mood you are in. If you are having strong feelings of any kind, this will probably bore you.
"The End": Shirley Manson nips it in the bud for a good closing song.
If you like banging your head\Shirley Manson's voice, you will enjoy this. The high points are awesome and the low points would not be construed low points on other albums.
Free Music Review: Vintage Shirley Manson still rocks!!!
Hit: 4 Stars
I found this album by a pure "stoke of luck" one night while combing through a file of available CDs at a record store..I was amazed to know that Shirley Manson was in another band ( 2 actually.)before joining Garbage. The intro song blasts u into the world of Anglefish, much like "supervixen" does on Garbage's debut album. Don't expect this album to be a pre-Garbage CD...it may have Shirley, but is missing many of the aspects that is making Garbage the succesful band it is. First and for most is the sound. Angelfish is no where near the in depth, electronic, gloom and doom sound that Garbage has come to develop so well. Instead, Angelfish has a less complicated, and sometimes 80's sound to them...but make no mistake, they still know how to rock. Next there are the lyrics...though not as gloomy as Garbage, this band can easily depress anyone's day. "Dogs in a Cage", "King of the World", "The Sun Won't Shine, and "! Mummy Can't Drive" were easily the best songs on the album, but were never heard by public...what a pity. But overall, any hardcore fan of Garbage, or even of Blondie( for Shirley does sound like Deborah Harry on some of the songs.) should buy this CD right away. Although finding it may be a chore, it will be well worth the search.Free Music Review: Somwhere between Blondie and Concrete Blonde....
Hit: 4 Stars
Shirley Manson's pre-Garbage garage-rock outfit could just as easily have become her catapult into the limelight.
It leans much more to the rock side, but Manson's alluring whispers and vulnerable rock goddess wails work just as well here. It's obvious early on in this disc that Manson has her own distict style, though it builds from the dark gothic tones of Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano in "Suffocate Me" to the restrained vibrato of the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde in "King of the World" to echoes of Blondie's Deborah Harry in the melodic phrasing of "Heartbreak to Hate" and "The End."
If Angelfish is to be compared to Garbage, the more straightforward punk-ish vibe of the two more recent Garbage albums ("BeautifulGarbage" and "Bleed Like Me") is the most obvious place to start. Add some electronic blips and polish the production a bit, and "Mummy Can't Drive," "King of the World" and "Tomorrow Forever" would be right at home on either.
But it's nice to hear Shirley Manson's smooth seductive voice against rougher, more stripped-down rock - and something that all Garbage fans should hear.
Free Music Review: You Can Love Shirley With This CD
Hit: 4 Stars
This CD was a great listen. I always wanted to hear some of Shirley Manson's early work and what her band Angelfish sounded like. Her vocals are all great on all of these songs. I would call Angelfish's music as gothic-rock/alternative from the 90's. I enjoyed most of the songs off this CD, even though most of them are short and there's only ten of them on the CD.
My favorites are: "Suffocate Me", "You Can Love Her", "Sleep With Me", "King Of The World", and "Tomorrow Forever". The song "The End" was also great, and it didn't mark the end for Shirley, just the start of a wonderful career with the group Garbage.
If you are a Garbage fan, and better yet, a Shirley fan, this CD is a great one, more like a must have, to add to your Garbage collection.