Sixpence None the Richer

Item: Divine Discontent
Author: John J. Thompson

Divine Discontent

(2002)

Reviewed by John J. Thompson

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Label Reprise Records / Squint Entertainment / Curb RecordsHM Magazine #98November/December 2002

adult alternative alternative rock jangle pop pop rock

Sixpence None The Richer's long awaited new album has finally been released. After numerous changes at the label and management level, and several missed release dates, the band's fourth full-length album takes its bow under the auspices of the prestigious Reprise label.

Divine Discontent is a perfectly balanced demonstration of tension, grace, beauty, anger and hope, in instrumental perspective, melody and lyric. From aching romance to heartfelt despair, the songs play out like scenes in a beautiful foreign film. There is an exotic quality amidst the complex neo-classical arrangements, progressive chord and rhythm structures and the sublime lyrical poetry — most from the mind and hands of Slocum — that is set ablaze by the flawless and emotive vocal interpretation of Nash. Whether it be the startling rage of the emotional high point, "Paralyzed," or the intimate wisdom of the album's lyrical centerpiece "Tension Is A Passing Note," each song strikes the perfect balance between simple and sublime. Not unlike the deceptively sweet Lennon and McCartney classic "Michelle," Slocum and Nash combine seamlessly and arrive at a place of pop perfection to which few dare even aspire.

The collection of thirteen tracks manages an impressive balance of stand-alone singles and album congruity. The lead track, debut single, and most obvious "Kiss Me" follow-up, "Breathe Your Name" sounds ready-to-use as a soundtrack song or VH1 video. In fact, the first four songs, all the newest to be recorded for the album, are a relentless set of irascible pop gems. The thematic thread traces visions and versions of love, tension and the frustration of being a work-in-progress. Fortunately the album takes a deeper and more textured tone with "Still Burning," a sparse and melancholy piece that reiterates Slocum's place as one of the greatest lyricists working today, and takes the whole record in a different direction. One of the earliest songs written for the album, and possibly the best worship song released in years, "Melody Of You," has survived intact and is followed by the lone rocker, "Paralyzed," which echoes and amplifies the pain and desperation felt by a journalist whose best friend was killed covering the war in Kosovo. The tragic story provides the perfect example of bad things happening to good people, and sets up the counterbalance to the album's bittersweet romantic ditties. The record closes strong, with the driving "Eyes Wide Open," (a lovely McCartney-influenced tune written by Nash,) the beautiful "Dizzy" (which brilliantly casts the tension of the Christian experience of perpetual brokenness and rebuilding in the form of a lump of clay spinning on a potter's wheel and King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant,) and the stunning "Tension Is A Passing Note." The disc ends with another newer song "A Million Parachutes," and a cover of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over," a song that might be considered a throw-away shot at following up their cover of The La's "There She Goes" if it wasn't so perfect lyrically and melodically for this album.

Divine Discontent, though certainly born in a furnace of frustration, arrives as one of the strongest examples of faith, art and accessibility that this critic has ever heard. The real feat is this band's ability to craft such eloquent pop music that deals so artfully with the most difficult issues facing mankind. It certainly ranks as one of the most beautiful pop albums ever to come from the faith-art community.

Editors' ratings — Doug 4/5, Lonny 4/5