Desire Avenue

Some of the album tracks are up on youtube with their accompanying 'visualettes'. I can't believe it, but *every* one so far is the same as the WTE clip - endless shots of her walking around vacantly in fabulous clothes and shoes. They all have the shot that starts at the shoes and slowly moves up to show the clothes. They bear absolutely no relation to the content of the songs at all.

I had some hopes for the lead-off song 'Give' after hearing the 30-second audio clips recently, it's darker than anything she's put out in a while. Having now heard the full track though, I have to say it's completely ruined for me by the fact that the chorus is a blatant copy of Portishead's 'Biscuit'. Almost note for note. I wouldn't be at all surprised actually if Portishead got in touch seeking royalities. Anyway, it just renders the song null and void to me, because it's not hers.

Of the rest, 'Maybe California' and 'Ophelia' are very inferior re-runs of much better Tori songs, 'Flavor' is like a Venus reject with laughably bad lyrics, and 'Curtain Call' is half-decent.

The reviews that have come in so far (Uncut, Mojo, Attitude and Q) are so-so, all making the same complaint that the album is too long and the few good points are drowned out by the rubbish.

I'll be very interested to see how this one plays out. Not that I think anything will deflect her from the path she's on now, she's become too arrogant and convinced of her own greatness, but maybe if the general response to AATS is a big 'meh' it will dent her giant ego a bit.

Flavor is decent, but I cannot make out what most of lyrics is anyway. It`s like the typical Stina song.

The album is out now and reading some of the Tori message boards it hasn't exactly been received as a return to form.
The last Tori album i bought was Scarletts Walk.......I can't see that changing some how.
I think its her 10th album in 18 years so that explains the lack of consistancy.
Stina is still on her 6th album over a similar timespan which is probably a more sensible output.

Since there are millions and millions of songs in the world, I'm not going to worry that Give sounds eerily Portishead-like, but even if she did have to go through her CD collection to find something to rip-off, I wont hold the only good song she's had since TVAB against her.

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists ... actedtosin
Strange: the press is positive about the last Tori Album.

pgss wrote:Strange: the press is positive about the last Tori Album.

But isn't that typical of the press? Anything difficult or unpopular and they love it. Anything popular and they hate it. I think they just like winding people up to attract attention.

The first few reviews that came in just before the album's release were not too positive, I haven't seen any since then due to lack of internet. I think quite honestly that most journos don't even listen to Tori's albums all the way through now, they just trot out the same few comments each time.

I still haven't heard the album yet - I don't have internet at home so haven't been able to get the mp3s the way I usually would. From the 30-second preview clips that were up a few weeks ago though, and the visualettes I managed to see on youtube, I'm not that bothered. I think there were only about six tracks that interested me anyway.

I do like 'Welcome To England' very much, listening to that a lot at the moment.

blue wrote:@I think quite honestly that most journos don't even listen to Tori's albums all the way through now.

Guilty as charged.

The album is so long

Most CDs are far too long. They are great for the legacy of composed music,so that Symphonies etc can fit onto one disc,but for music that comes in mostly four-minute chunks (rock and pop) or six-nine minute chunks (jazz etc),you can't beat the good old LP,where you can concentrate your attention span for 25 minutes and then have a break.Most rock/pop artists can't justify more than about ten songs per unit anyway.

I'm SO happy with the iPod set to Shuffle.I love variety! plus the guessing game that starts with every new track!

aermancer wrote:Since there are millions and millions of songs in the world, I'm not going to worry that Give sounds eerily Portishead-like, but even if she did have to go through her CD collection to find something to rip-off, I wont hold the only good song she's had since TVAB against her.

I'm warming to it, but still very distracted by the Portishead chorus. It's just so blatant, I can only imagine she doesn't realise.

Decent track though.

So I've finally managed to hear the album as a whole today. As expected, it's another case of 'extracting a decentish EP from the 380 million tracks', as with The Beekeeper and American Doll Posse. I'm not actually too bothered by this, it's pretty much just what you need to do with Tori records now.

Give
Welcome To England
Abnormally Attracted To Sin
That Guy
Strong Black Vine
Curtain Call
Starling
Lady In Blue

None of these tracks comes anywhere close to her former greatness of course, but they make for an enjoyable playlist which I'm sure I'll be listening to a good deal, as I still do with my TBK and ADP playlists. What I will say is that these tracks strike me as having a bit more substance in the production and the songwriting.

The bad stuff on the record is absolutely appalling. I almost can't believe things like 'Not Dying Today', 'Police Me' and '500 Miles'. I'm kind of over wanting to fret about it though, which is both good and kind of sad. ForiBot has succeeded in making me not care enough to rant.

Huh. I actually think this is her best album in years. Although there are a few tracks I just forget exist. Like 500 Miles, which for some inexplicable reason is the single.

But "Give," "Flavor," "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" and "Curtain Call" are worth the price of admission alone. I know she at least performs the first on tour (I'm seeing her Friday), so.

Crystallina wrote: I know she at least performs the first on tour (I'm seeing her Friday), so.

Hope you enjoy the show?
Please let us have your review.
I've seen a video clip of Tori performing one of my favourite songs, 'Bells For Her', from the current tour so for me that would be something to look forward to.

I followed the first couple of weeks of the tour via the forums - from what I've heard on youtube she seems to be in quite good form, I LOVE the new band arrangement of 'Icicle', but I didn't book tickets this time. I've been feeling so disillusioned I just didn't see the point.

I'm still enjoying the AATS playlist I posted above, but the rest just hasn't grown on me at all.

Just getting around to catching up with some of the live solo radio shows she did when the album was released, and found this:




Beautiful performance of 'Lady In Blue' that once again makes me want to yell WHY DIDN'T YOU RECORD IT LIKE THIS FOR THE ALBUM?!! Gah. Her stubborn determination to 'get away from the girl and the piano thing' has basically ruined the latter half of her career. It is astonishing how obstinately she continues to reject what everyone else knows she's best at. Even now, six band albums down the line, she can't admit or see that the magic is really when she sits down at the piano by herself.