O! H!
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Illinois
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"When My Story Ends - It's Going To End With Him" - A Big Whiskey Review
I sit, in my white Brady Quinn jersey with red spots on it(thinking it would be lucky, as usual), drinking a glass of Pino Noir - still sour from the loss I suffered tonight at the Casino, but after several listens to the rough copy of DMB's "Big Whiskey" - I realize what an album is supposed to be, again. It's not a shot at the band and how this decade hasn't provided the greatest music - moreso just noticing the feel I get by listening to this album as a whole. In no way do I feel my reasonings and interpreations below to be true - but moreso it's the feel I get from this album. By listening to the tracks, and comparing it to the time they were writing them - I think they were placed rather smoothly to portrait this album as having its own "life".
We begin with the soft, harmonizing notes of the late LeRoi Moore, which grasp me in a way a track hasn't in a while. Maybe it's the lack of Canadian cheers and shreeks in the background - but this is LeRoi in his purest state, and it's gorgeous. The transition was smooth, the transition was perfect. The gorgeous toned notes of Grux directly into that hypnotic yet funky riff create this atmospheric sound I'm not used to from a Dave Matthews Band album this decade. It's 3:10 in Shake Me, that I realize how great Rob Cavallo was at mastering music. Shake Me sounds wonderfull, but there is an obvious difference in these April Sessions. He added deeper layers, and made it completely smooth - and more "atmospheric" sounding.
Concept: To me this beggining represents a birth of some sort, starting off as something as simplistic as a monkey. "Shake Me Like A Monkey" treat me as yours, he exclaims - no matter how I evolve, and what helps me evolve - it will always be centered around "you". Excellent job on the finished version Mr. Cavallo. Rashawn ends what Roi started and it glides very nicely into, the bongo-free:
Funny The Way It Is
Most know how I feel about this song. I feel its there strongest single since 1998 - but I don't count those horrid attempts of Lillywhite's songs during 2002. It's obvious this song was produced for this exact reason. To promote a strong sounding single, that will not only intrigue us "more knowledged" fans, but gain a larger following for this much-hyped album. As I write this Dave says, "Somebody's heart is broken, and it becomes you're favorite song.", still one of my favorite lines of the decade. I think I really enjoy this song more then the next person. Maybe I'm a sucker for glossy production - maybe I just finally appreciate a good attempt at good music - or maybe it's the vocal arrangements. So far, just through track two, Dave has already attempted 4 different styles of singing - something he hasn't done since Before These Crowded Streets. He is using his voice as an instrument, only adding more layers to an already deep track. They put the best touches on this song by putting that cliche, yet catchy bridge at the end.....
Concept: To go along with the album concept - this is the album in its purest evolutional phases. What's right or wrong? Whose to choose? After birth, there is always that questioning period - where you just simply as why, how could this happen?
Lying In The Hands of God
How many guitars are playing right now? When Carter uses tom-work in his songs, I appreciate my favorite member of the band that much more. This to me has a slower "Say Goodbye" feel to me. Excellent muted trumpet at 2:01. Cavallo can perfectly predict what's important to a song, the way he uses Dave's voice as an accent to that gorgeous riff going on in the background. Several, small yet effective time changes - after two songs that bring a complete new feel to DMB (which I approve of) this brings in a song that most "non-accepting" fans will surely appreciate. This almost sounds as if it a Lillywhite Session B-Track. Very haunting at times actually.
Concept: When evolving, or "aging" - with questioning comes religion. Do I believe? Will I believe? Do I want to believe? Everything could be so perfect, but it seems so upside down - "Now the floor is the ceiling". In a world of love, it's easier to choose love over life - yet, no matter what I will escape to my truest backbone. This song is very well written in terms of his state of belief. He never truly admits to what he believes in. As the album is young, so is this state of confusion - and it can only grow from there. He, can only grow from there.
Why I Am
Slowed down. Crisp. Great small horns at the beggining. It all comes together at :50, excellent echoes making the song very "atmospheric" once again. Bam! 1:20, Boyd Tinsley - I love how you can hear him echoing the riff. Dave finally starts getting comfortable during the "You and Me of the world" - it seems very forcefull lyrically at first, but changes very abruptly. Even at 12:21 at night, with my 2nd glass of Pino gone, I can find myself really digging the studio version of Why I Am - especially the polished version. It's clean, it's clear, it focuses on whats important (guitar, horns, riff, Boyd) - Cavallo does this very, very, very well....which makes me excited for what I know is next.....
Concept: This is the evolution. As he exclaims in the first lyric, "I grew from monkey into man." He notes growing drunk from water into wine, being a slave and a master. This is such an evolution from good to evil, evil to good - in a religious form, in a spiritual form - but either way, he plays homage to the one person he felt comfortable evolving with. Dave once again notes, "I bow to the priest, while I worship the witch" - In such a time, confusion could be the only answer. Questioning, wondering, but believing and realizing.
The lose and the win of the world
The wrong and the right , us and them of the world
The you and the me of the world
This part shows the entire meaning of this song. Though I have grown, there is still so much I don't know about what's to come - but I do know...that the only way in and out of this world is with you. No matter what happens, and who does what - I know you and you know me.
When my story ends, it's going to end with him.
Dive In
How unbelievably gorgeous is this song? It's almost a perfect studio track for me. The intro is epicly haunting, it creates the "not so safe" aspect of the song. Dave Matthews once again realized he doesn't have to make everybody wake up, or demand we don't do something just to get a message across. How great is that bear verse, very effective, very creative. The strings on this track are unbelievable. Can you believe at this point of the last DMB album we finally hit the first decent recording (American Baby). This song is very, very Beatle-like to me - I hear a lot of variations in Dave's voice, once again using it as an instrument. Boyd and Tim's effects in the left channel are so chilling and perfect at times....and the falsetto at 2:50, excellent. Tim's solo is quite fitting and not forced sounding at all.Brings the track together nicely. Piano, big strings, violing, excellent vocals - this may be ahead of Shake me for me right now. This is a "close your eyes" and grasp whatever you can song. I can't remember the last time I had that with a song - everything on tLWS was a different tone - this is so
calming.....yet so demanding in a sense.
Concept: The obvious meaning of the song is: global warming. But Dave has already pronounced hes telling us a story, so why would this not fit? This song seems to be his admitting of
how messed up and unavoidable the world's problems are. He asks to be told that everything is going to be alright, but yet he has to be forced to tell his children of these problems in the
least scariest way possible. What kind of world are we forced to live in?
One day do you think we'll wake up
In a world on its way to getting better
If so, can you tell me how?
He continues to pronounce how there is absolutely no control - we cannot even stop the bleeding of the world, it continues to leak and there isn't a thing to do about it.
Spaceman
How perfect is Steffan on this track? The beggining of the chorus is so perfectly polished and hits you hard. The chorus is incredible. Not much to say that hasn't been said yet for this song
- but the polished version will surely increase any thoughts. Just a very well-written song.
Concept: This is when we find out who the narrator of this "story" is - his likes, his dislikes. What's right with him, what's wrong with him - and his finding of "love" after losing another (Roi). He admits the wrongs in the world (We can't always have the good life) - but theres no reason to cry, theres only reason to love. He brings in religion again, even though realizing how messed up our world is (Dive In) - her kiss/touch makes up for anything that could be wrong. Now it's not just religion and worldy problems he has to deal with - its love, that will ultimately help him cope with death and loss.
Squirm
An absolute haunting and perfect track. The vocal arrangement, melodies, and lyrics provide a backbone for their strongest song on the album. The band createst an absolutely epic and haunting performance, that is one of their farthest from normal tracks - yet fits perfectly on the album.
Concept: This song is an awakening. Open up your head. Open up you primative. - He more then normal proclaims to go back to your purest state, forget about EVERYTHING else, and just remember where we all came from - flesh and bones. How can anyone be perfect? Do we need perfect? No, we need to remember our start, if we want to finish this world/story as best as we can. With so much focusing on religion/worldy problems - people can cause themselves to worry so much they, "Die before their dead".
If kindness if your king, then heaven will be yours.
Remember your start.....
Alligator Pie
The song is all over the place, in a good way, and is exactly the swampy rock song he wanted to write 6 years ago. Musically tight, and the transitions are wonderfull. The sped up verses, into the slowed down bridges are so creative. And like the rest of the album - Carter is showing his greatest work in years.
Concept: This song comes in the middle of the album, out of no where. This was perfectly placed, because like life - you never know what to expect. This song speaks of natural disasters
and people left to just die. No matter what you question in life, or where you think you are going - anything can happen at any moment that completely turns your life around. Maybe for
the better, maybe for the worse.
Grace is all I'm asking
When will Grace return?
Seven
Love the song live. Cannot say much about this until it is finished.
Concept: A very satirical love song. He despises what ever had happened to him - "A dark little place she lets me go". At a time where you cannot find Grace and you cannot even find love, how can you not turn to a dark place and just let all evil run wild? The songs haunting tone creates a part of the life cycle most don't want to admit to - the bad, the wrong, the dark place. With all the wrongs happening at the exact right time, when you've already seemed to loose everything you could - where do you go from here?
Tick, tick, tick....
Time Bomb
The farthest song from their sound ever. This just works. What could I say about this song, that hasn't already made you go "Wow."
Concept: Suicide. In a sense, this is what I get from this song. The lowest point, where you just say "Fuck it" I don't believe in you, I don't want to believe in you - I can't believe in you. The song is slow, builds up, goes back down again - much like the namesake of the song, "Time Bomb". He exclaims when he gets home (heaven maybe) he wants to believe in Jesus, but can he? - he is terrified to. The song builds up, builds up, and instead of just dying out (The stories end) he explodes at the world, fights back at the world, and realizes he wants to go "home" but - he still has time left here. Quite frankly he doesn't even know what he believes in.
My Baby Blue
This is the true homage to LeRoi Moore. Very heartfelt, and pretty unspeakable. This song can grasp a heart like none-other. The riff on the Gryphon is hypnotic. And the emotion in his voice, with no effects, just him - is a message.
Concept: His story has been full of happy times, love, religion, worldly problems, disasters, hatred, suicide, joy - but when looking back at everything...he finally mentions his goodbye. Something he did at no point before this song. LeRoi already left his ghosts behind, and now the narrator is leaving those same ghosts behind, in turn - leaving all of his ghosts behind.
"You and Me Forever."
You And Me
Concept: He speaks of packing the bags, we're gone - not a trace of us left - lets take a boat to the end of the world. This is powerfull. He pronounces that he is ready for the end, he has done what he has had to do to fight any insecurites he has had. He has said his goodbyes to his one truest love (LeRoi) and focuses on whats now important. His family, his wife, his kids - He's ready to just melt away with his wife and watch their children grow, and once they are adults they will fly (leave the home) and make a world of their own. A story of their own. But the boat towards the end of the world is the symbollic ending to his story. We can do anything, but why? We've been through enough.....
LeRoi Track
The story has ended. Dave has realized he'd rather just leave - watch his kids prosper, and enjoy everything that was right in his life - rather then questioning the religion, the problems, and the hatreds. But of course, as he mentioned in "Why I Am" -
"When my story ends, it's going to end with him".
And it did Dave....it really, did.
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