Nominated by: Lew
Music club: MNAC
MNAC playlist addition: Seraphina
Full disclosure here: while I like this album, I don't get it like Lew does. I like Ed's voice, but for some reason, I don't love it.
I'm also not very clued up on his career. The only album of his that I own is Lustre, which I like, but it didn't prompt me to search out others by him.
In a curious tilt for me, I appreciate the quieter, slower numbers more than the up-tempo ones on El Magnifico. Repeat listens drew me more and more towards songs like Seraphina (with a Hallelujah resonance), The Violence Of The Rose, Ghost Ship, My Heart Can't Keep Up With Mind (again with a Leonard Cohen-esque vibe to my ears), At The Dead End Of The World.
There are more, in fact these quiet ones vastly outnumber the faster ones.
Death, grief, ghosts. The whole album has a moody, sad, lonely feel to it, but it's not a depressing listening experience. I don't know his personal history, but he must have lost some friends and family along the way. Seraphina must be drawing on something personal, right?
Lyrically speaking, I find myself nonplussed at some points and intrigued at others - often in the same song.
Seraphina is a case in point - Fly to the moon in a row boat/ and they'll cheer your fall = nonplussed reaction. What is he on about? Fly to the moon in a rowboat?? I can't grasp hold of that.
But then he produces a great sequence - Dancing like narcissists trapped in a carnival's/ Looking glass/ Smash it all up seven years of bad luck will disappear/ Into the past.
He obviously is very talented, and so, I feel slightly disloyal not being able to engage with it like Lew obviously does. Probably because of my limited exposure to him and I bet the rest of MNAC have seen him perform a few times and have formed an attachment that I can't.
Never mind, even if feeling late to the party, I still really enjoyed the experience of playing this album on my commute.
Thanks for sharing it Lew.
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