Daniel Lanois - Shine
Daniel Lanois is one of those artists who record new albums very rarely, but whose output I await eagerly. Given the quantity and quality of his ‘other work’, I’m amazed that he gets anything of his own recorded at all: he has produced albums for U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, and collaborated with other eminent musicians like Brian Eno. I have his two previous albums (‘Acadie’ and ‘For The Beauty of Wynona’), and I love them to bits. ‘Acadie’ is a very intimate album, with a lot of allusions to Acadian/Cajun culture and song. It’s almost roughâbut I mean that in a good way! ‘For The Beauty of Wynona’ is different again, evoking industrial landscapes and the lives of blue-collar workers, and has a darker tone, especially on the title track. So I was curious about where he was going to go with ‘Shine’.
I’ll put it simplyâit’s one of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard in a long time. The songs are very gentle, warm and intimate. It’s a perfect album for late at night or lazy Sunday mornings, but you can appreciate the subtle mix, fantastic guitar playing and warm vocals at any time. Daniel Lanois is a bit like Peter Gabriel in that he doesn’t have a great vocal range, but he has a wonderful emotionally expressive voice and uses it superbly.
The feel of the album reminds me a little of the mellower moments of Cream (for you young ‘uns, I’m referring to the 60’s supergroup, not the Manchester clubbing empire). The unlikely combination of Bono and Emmylou Harris guest on a couple of tracks (separate ones, you might be glad to know), and do a great job adding to the atmosphere, but my favourite tracks are the later solo efforts. ‘Slow Giving’ is a wonderful, sensual song, and ‘Shine’ is pure feel-good music, without ever being soppy or saccharine. Daniel Lanois is something of a hidden gem; do yourself a favourâdig him up, dust him off a little and lose yourself in the shining facets.
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Oh, wow! It's so hard for me to find music like this! I've never heard of Lanois before, but I just listened to and purchased 'Acadie' and am enthralled. I was about to do the same with 'For the Beauty of Wynona' but noticed that the iTMS had it listed as the "American Version". I'm curious about the difference.
Once I can get to the record store, I'll get my hands on a copy of Shine. This goes right up there with Craig Armstrong, Eno, Gabriel, and my other favorites. Thank you.----- Glad you liked Acadie! I got introduced to that album by a friend about 9 or 10 years ago, but I would probably never have heard of him otherwise.
I've just had a look at iTMS (grumble, can't buy music on it here, grumble..), and I think I might have solved the mystery with 'For the Beauty...'. Comparing the tracks with what I have on my UK edition of the CD, they seem to be identical (though I can't tell if some of the lyrics might have been changed). The only difference is the sleeve: my copy has no 'American Edition' obscuring the woman's nipples. I remember seeing a copy of this CD when I visited the States a few years ago, and thinking that it was slightly ridiculous prudery -- they didn't actually cover up the disturbing bit.
For anyone who hasn't seen the sleeve, it's a fantastic photograph of a side view of a very thin, boyish, naked woman who has one arm making a fist behind her back, and the other gripping a dagger at her groin, pointing outwards at a 45 degree angle. It's a very arresting image, but I find the dagger -- rather than the naked breasts -- the disturbing part.
Anyway... I agree totally with Eno and Gabriel, though I hadn't heard of Craig Armstrong -- will give him a listen, since you've piqued my curiosity in turn.
by bsag @ 28/07/2003 5:08 pm • Permalink •
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Craig Armstrong is consistently among my top five favorite artists. He has two studio albums out at the moment, 'Space Between Us' and the more recent 'As If to Nothing'. Both are excellent albums, but I'd recommend starting with 'Space'.
He's composed music for Massive Attack, U and Madonna, and has recorded songs with Bono and Liz Fraser (of the Cocteu Twins). He's also done a number of motion picture soundtracks/scores, including for 'Moulin Rouge', 'The Bone Collector', and 'Plunkett and Macleane'.
I've heard that Armstrong has some of his classical music on album in the UK, but I haven't been able to verify that.
If you could somehow combine Eno and Gabriel, then mix in some Massive Attack, you'd have a good idea of what he sounds like. Another artist who's style is similar (and who I'm currently really digging) is Rob Dougan (especially now that Furious Angels has been released in the US).
by Nathan Ladd @ 29/07/2003 4:07 pm • Permalink •
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