Misery likes company (9 - Damien Rice)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	9 - Damien Rice
Date:	25/08/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Obvious passion and skill

Disadvantages: Far too miserable and depressive

Damien Rice's debut album, 'O', was a bit of a hit in certain circles, with his powerful and emotional lyrics hitting home to those who like a bit of heartfelt poetry in their music as opposed to the full concentration being on the musical element.

Four years on, in 2006, '9' comes onto the scene, evoking more haunting lyrics and sounds, with an element of mature quirkiness than was present before. Indeed, lyrically, it is incredibly personal and profound as an album, with progression presented through the the music and not necessarily the lyrics, which ensure each track is individual.

I must admit, I really have to be in the right mood for Damien Rice's music. I have to feel completely relaxed and contemplative, in a casual setting. The music is quite dark and full of pain, and it's not something to listen to whilst driving or getting ready for a night out, for example. It's a slow and thoughtful album, and yes, it's very dreary in places, intentionally so.

In many ways, this detracts from my overall enjoyment of the album. I prefer a bit more of a balance, perhaps erring on the side of upbeat sounds with a few downbeat tracks. Rice gives us a majorly depressive feel from his heart, which, powerful though it is, confuses me in terms of whether I actually enjoy it or not.

For a track to kick things off with, '9 Crimes' is by far and away for me the best of the 10 tracks on offer here. The melodic and not completely depressive instrumental sounds are offset beautifully by the soft and haunting vocals of Rice, and the equally soft vocals from fellow folk musician Lisa Hannigan. The combinations and timing in this track are what makes it so powerful and emotional.

Similarly, 'Rootless Tree' has a bit of a rhythmic feel to it, with expression coming forth in the use of swear words as much as anything else. These two sandwich a couple of hard to handle tracks, where Rice flits between singing and talking, with no real rhythmn evoking a feeling of uneasiness, one that in fact tends to continue as a theme for the remainder of the album after 'Rootless Tree'.

Personal asects come into his music as much as hurt and pain and misery that is projected to us. Things such as the discovery of masturbation in 'Me, My Yoke And I', as well as the battle between lyrics and piano in 'Accidental Babies'. This album has many reasons why it should not be taken lightly, and these are just a couple of examples. There is an immense amount of personal passion on show here, with Rice seeming to not really care for commercial appeal, but just writing what he feels like telling us.

The resultant effects of all this are that we have a very unrestful album, with lyrics and instrumentals often at loggerheads, melodies battered by depressive words, and soft and calming words battered by grating sounds and uneven melodies. The whole balance is a furtive and misery laden effort, and while the magic of this is not at all lost on me, I would have wished for something a bit more inspiring, something a bit less taxing to understand and appreciate. Rice has definitely found his own personal niche, but it is sadly one that I'm not that ready to have a look round yet.

Perhaps with time, and the occasional track being given a chance here and there, I may actually grow to like this as well as appreciate the skill and passion involved, but for the moment, it's one I shall respect from afar, and it can sit on my shelf until I'm ready to drown myself in contemplative misery once more.

Summary: Damien Rice's 2006 album, full of misery and passion if you're in the right mood