2007-10-24
Leaving aside the sonic bombast and tongue in check songs that marked his work with Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler has crafted a disc of quiet charm and reflection. With the exception of the sinister sounding, quasi-rocking, "Punish the Monkey" the songs on this disc move by at an unhurried pace allowing you to focus on the lyrics about everything from the dreaded 6th grade dance, "Secondary Waltz", to an introspective ode about finding a mate, "True Love Will Never Fade", to a wistful look at getting old, "Heart Full of Hole" and a bittersweet lament about giving up dreams, "Let it all go". Throughout, Knopfler’s elegant guitar work fits alongside all manner of woodwinds, percussion and strings to create the sort of rich sonic pallet that has led to his many successful movie soundtracks. Like J.J. Cale, Knopfler can hit pretty hard even while keeping things spare and quiet. Smitty
DAVID BAZAN
Curse Your Branches
Swamp Cabbage
Jive
Death From Above 1979
Live at Third Man Records
BECK
Modern Guilt
Yo La Tengo
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS
The Age of the Understatement
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.