Self Help Serenade

Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 724359360324
EAN: 0724359360324
ASIN: B00022GJWY

Release Date: 2004-05-18

Self Help Serenade

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Album Description

Hailing from Los Angeles the four piece, have created an album that is as rich as it is beautiful, packed full of slow burning melodies & soul-inspiring songs. Tapping into the same vein as Mercury Rev, Grandaddy, Coldplay & Doves whilst drawing inspiration from Neil Young, John Lennon & Brian Wilson, they present a glorious vision of West Coast pop that deals as much with gentle melancholy as wide-eyed wonder.

Customer Reviews:

Serenade us.......2005-07-10

If Mercury Rev had a more intimate sound, and had a more melodious lead singer, they might sound something like Marjorie Fair. And this is only their debut. If they receive the support they deserve, one can only imagine how beautiful their music will be in ten years' time.

The Los Angeles quartet creates a dazzling first impression in "Self Help Serenade," a polished indie pop album that combines slow, eerie melodies with panoramic sound. Like a strange dream full of stars and rainy spring forests, this album sticks to your mind even when you wake up... I mean, when it's over. Why did this languish in limbo for three years?

Faint sound effects and a guitar melody kick off "Don't Believe," a dreamy pop song that starts the album off on a dark note. "Don't believe a word they say/they're only there to take you away... don't believe a word they say/they're only trying to scare you away..." Evan Slamka sings in the opener, sounding like a cynical, sad young boy.

Things don't get much more cheerful as the album goes on, using the same kind of epic pop sound that Mercury Rev and the Doves made famous. But in addition to that, Marjorie Fair dips into catchier art-pop, murky ballads, and acoustic laments that are colored by ghostly keyboard.

The songwriting is even more tragic, with Slamka singing, "They found her in a plastic veil/with blood stained boots and glass in her hair." But it ends on a startlingly mellow note, with Slamka resigning himself to his girlfriend leaving. He sounds peaceful as he sings, "My sun is setting over her magic/equal parts caring and tragic/I'll be burning for awhile..."

Marjorie Fair is not just a talented bands. It's also one of the few bands where the musical influences aren't worn on its sleeve -- there are hints of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Flaming Lips, and others woven into these songs. But they aren't blatant hints, nor does "Self Help Serenade" ever harken back to other musical eras.

Nor does it succumb to trends, like stripped-down garage-rock. Its fours members manage to create unusually lush sounds. Usually the combined sound is uniformly smooth and sweet, but for example, "Halfway House" has a rich, gritty solo by bassist Scott Lord. "Waves" lets drummer Mike Delisa get to shine. Dain Luscombe' panoramic keyboard is a ruling influence in almost every song. Slamka plays guitar as well, adding a grounding acoustic note to the swirling music. He also sings each song, lending extra poignancy to the already sad songs. This guy has a beautiful voice, and he smears it all over the dismal words ("staring at junkies and cracks in the wall")

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