Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
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Free Music Notes for Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Free Music Review: Actually, I think this is their best yet
Hit: 4 Stars
Considering that I reviewed this band on a whim in the first place, I wasn't exactly enthused when I heard about this album. I mean, come on, it's been six years since their last studio album, which wasn't great in the first place. And what have they released in those six years? "Accidentally in Love", which makes me want to kick the radio in whenever I hear it. I could care less about those stupid "Come on, come on"'s - I'll take "Mr. Jones" instead, thanks! So this one was a damn big surprise to me. In fact, unless these guys knock me out in ten years with their sixth album, I'm gonna go as far as saying this is the group's best. Basically, the "Saturday Nights" part of this album is dedicated to blistering rock that's about 1.02x10^28 better than anything from Recovering the Satellites, with lyrics that criticize the most extreme of indulgences in the sex, drugs, and rock `n' roll scene, and the "Sunday Mornings" half is devoted to quiet country-folk ballads that wallow in regret. Out of the rockers (and everything else on the record), my favorite is "1492", the best song they've done in quite a while, if not ever - it's like "Rain King", but even better, because it lacks the wimpy falsetto "yeaaaah!" at the end that ruined an otherwise stunning song. But there's no way that's all: you also have the lyrically striking "Hanging Tree"; funny satire "Los Angeles"; "Insignificant", with a cool guitar solo; the folky, delicate ballad "Sundays"; and the almost Springsteen-esque "Cowboys". Then we get to "Sunday Mornings", which is where the group's folk influence becomes explicit - the main hook on "Washington Square" is played on mandolin, and it's got a Dylanesque harmonica, as does "On Almost Any Sunday Morning"; "When I Dream of Michelangelo" has a delicate piano part that might have came off August and Everything After; and the piano ballad "On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago" has an intense vocal. And there's an anomaly on each side: the lead-off single "You Can't Count on Me", found on the "Sunday Mornings" side has a heavy electric guitar riff to contrast its folksy verses; and "Sundays" is an acoustic ballad on the "Saturday Nights" side, while the closing "Come Around" mixes both extremes. Bits of this slog by without much hint of melody ("Anyone But You" and its really annoying synthesizer; "Le Ballet d'Or"). Still, the odds were definitely against these guys here (I expected this to suck), and I'm pleased to report that this is the best they've ever put out. Not to mention the parts about it being a big hit and getting good reviews. Oh, and if you weren't a big fan of Duritz's voice from the '90s, he's eased up on the falsetto significantly.Free Music Review: Hard Candy...Round 2.
Hit: 2 Stars
Adam Duritz wants you to know that he hangs out(or sleeps) with movie stars. What a narcissist. This band has been giving me irritable bowel syndrome ever since Hard Candy was released.Free Music Review: Very very good!
Hit: 5 Stars
Let me start off by saying I am not a BIG Counting Crows fan. Don't get me wrong, I loved their debut album "August & Everything After", (a masterpiece) but everything since than has been a drop in notch. And without great songs and music, lead singer Adam Duritz's voice just gets boring album after album. But finally, with "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings", the band has hit a more unique hard rockin and bluesy style and better yet, the songs are VERY good. Not just lyrics which have always been profound and dark, but the music and the instrumentation is fantastic! Every song is catchy! Adam's voice is being put to VERY good use here, this is material aorthy of the artist and the band. The experimentation done on this album was a big winner! I know some people liked the album "Recovering the Satellites", which certaintly had some good songs, but for me the album was uneven. So I'll go out on a limb and say the new CD is the best releases since "August And Everything After". That's because every song is good, it's good all the way through. The style is catchy, after several listens, I still like the sound of it! I see it started off number three on the billboard charts, I hope that a lot of people will appreciate Counting Crows return to form. This album should be a comeback for the band! Free Music Review: Counting songs
Hit: 5 Stars
Counting Crows have become a band made more important in their silence. 6 years? Well, there have been several lives or best of's and such and this band has left a significant legacy made even more significant with this release. Hard Candy struck at no decibel I enjoyed until the songs got interpreted live. (Can we say wrong producer?) I think I took ten years to appreciate the beauty of August and Everything.
Regardless, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings is a great album. (What's with them and REM suddenly finding how to use electric guitars in a rock song? CC does it better this time) Adam's lyrics have gone from Sophomore Syracuse University to Graduate Student Midwest and this is a good thing for the most part. He still tackles obvious things like um-let's see...Saturdays Nights are, like, loud you know and party like atmosphere-hard rock! and you know, Sunday, is like chill out time, you know? Ballad man... But you still have to love him, his angst is real it appears and nothing beats sincerity when the band is up to it.
And the band is up to it here. The rockers on the front end rock and the ballads are some of his strongest. Washington Square is just beautiful.
I think, while they've appropriately taken their time, Counting Crows, is one of our best bands. Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings show the band in a great light. A great place.
Free Music Review: Worth the wait
Hit: 5 Stars
I approach every new Counting Crows CD with same apprehension, but that's the problem when your debut is as origional and creative as August and Everything After. I had to listen to it twice before I could really decide, but I really have say it is as good as everyone else has already said. I particularly like the second half of the CD, the Sunday Morning side if you will, especially tracks 7-14. They just really reminded me the somber, melancholy feel of Perfect Blue Buildings and the like. My favorite has to When I Dream of Michelangelo and far the criticism of repeated phrases, who cares. If you are already a fan, you will not be disappointed, for everyone else, I think its worth a listen.