Release the Stars - Rufus Wainwright
Firstly, I need to say, this album definitely made me love Rufus again. I’d sort of gone off him recently in one of those sort of stupid, “actually, he’s okay, it’s just the majority of his fans that piss me off, so I’m out,” sort of deals. That combined with the concert I went to of his that was just very disappointing in a lot of ways (again, not entirely to do with the man himself). What I’d hoped for from this album, following the extremely self-indulgent “Want” project (“Want Two” in particular – not saying they weren’t great albums, but sometimes the classical stuff was a little overwhelming), was the most unabashed pop Rufus is able to deliver. For the most part, I can’t complain. It starts brilliantly – “Do I Disappoint You” sets the hairs on the back of your neck on end within seconds, and it’s followed by my absolute favourite by far on the album, “Going to a Town” (“I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down – I’m so tired of you, America …”)
The first half of the album is better than the second half, which ends on the hugely disappointing title track, which is about the most pointless song I’ve ever heard – the title of this record evokes so many things, and what the song turns out to be about is just … really, really, pointless. Maybe if it wasn’t the title track, maybe if it came somewhere in the middle of the album, sure, it’s an okay song … but not a title track or finale, not by a long shot. But like I said, for its highlights, I really can’t complain about this album. For better or worse, it’s the best album of the year I’ve heard so far, and I’m sure people will want to crucify me for saying so, but it only narrowly beats out the new Avril Lavigne record in my books.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:34 pm
[...] « Release the Stars – Rufus Wainwright [...]
April 29th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
[...] I guess I’m really writing about this for one reason (two if you count my promise at the beginning of the year to write more about music) – there was a point somewhere around the middle of this album I found myself thinking, “Can I really put this above Rufus Wainwright’s new album in my list of the year so far?” It truly struck me – considering the Wainwright release is definitely not one of his best – as being that good. I wasn’t keen on the first single that came from it, “I Wanna Have Your Babies” – but the first track here absolutely blew me away, and though the feeling dulls slightly towards the end (mainly due to the seemingly endless stream of “bonus tracks” separated by silence), it barely lets up for a second. Natasha Bedingfield falls for me somewhere between P!nk and Milla Jovovich, but there’s something else about her voice, it’s just so consistently, astonishingly assured, I think with this album she has easily become one of my favourite artists. The answer to my question, can I put it up there? is yes … this is just how I like my music right now, it’s simple as that. While you can take your Grindhouse and 300 in the cinema and give me more serious and considered matter to chew on, when it comes to my tunes, I want Avril Lavigne and Natasha Bedingfield, and I can’t wait for Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s new one too. It’s probably incredibly uncultured and dumb, but I say the same for the Tarantino fanboys, so nerrrrrrrrrrrrr [...]