Reviews are subject to opinion more than anything else, and many a CD has been overblown or blown up all because of the reviewer's opinion. Now, I'm not saying that this is a great album, but the truth is if you understand it, then you will love it.
Champion Birdwatchers' sound could be called a hybrid of several others, combining the full guitars of Bloomsday, the emotional tension of Tool, and the intelligent lyrics of Bumblepuppy, but with an overall minimalist tendency.
The band never really overpowers you musically, but they do emotionally. The vocals are very passionate, sort of like a soft-sung emo style. At times the feeling of the songs is almost like that of a poetry reading or a jazz club. Also worthy of note is the use of a cello, which seems to add just the right touch when called upon.
Lyrically, the band takes high honors. The lyrics, and for the most part the songs, are laid out in poetry form, which I greatly appreciate as an aspiring poet myself. Just read those to the song "Resolution":
Immanuel,
the sunrise,
i shall
wait
for
you.
Immanuel,
my love,
compose
thy
horizon
and bring me
into view.
Bring me in
to view.
The packaging is worthy of note too, being plastered with quotes from C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and Eric Campuzano. This is obviously a well-read band, and the influences definitely show. The overall production is good, though at times it falters and fails to carry across the music as well as it should.
If you are a fan of moody alternative bands like Bloomsday and Bumblepuppy, then you will definitely want to buy this album. If you're not into the whole poetry coffeehouse scene and don't like your music deep, then you'll probably wonder what all the fuss is about.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #75Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernOoh, hear the rich woodgrain in that cello, underlying where a passionate vocal floats, and random rock guitar sounds have their way with the mixing board. Always a fantasy-laden story, calling on some CS Lewis/Eric Campuzano tendencies, this record seems to be a continuation in the previous record's musings. "Overswept" is basically a song in Hebrew, and is said to be II Kings 18:6. Every second…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerI'm glad I live in a universe with classical music. I'm joyful that ours is a world with something called "indie rock." And I'm exhilarated that I inhabit a country which burped out psychedelic jamming years ago. Why? Because of the existence of those things, Champion Birdwatchers are able to come up with their sprawling, almost improvisational mess of guitar, drums, percussion, bass, cello, and…Similar sounding releases
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