New Sarah and Peter

[Ethan_Straffin@NeXT.COM (Ethan Straffin)]

RDT-ers: warning, non-Tori content ahead!  Ectophiles, what did you expect?   
:)

Well, I just got a few happy new things!  The first is the new Peter Gabriel  
video compilation, _All About US_; the second is Sarah McLachlan's new album  
_Fumbling Towards Ecstasy_ (thanks Christian!).  I know _FTE_ isn't being  
released worldwide until early February (the 1st, is it?), but you could  
always contact Nettwerk at nettwerk@mindlink.bc.ca and mail-order it.  Or you  
could wait a while and pick up the new Tori and Sarah releases in the same  
week, and what a wonderful week that would be!

So, let's see.  While Peter is undeniably a master of the music video form,  
I'm going to have to give _All About US_ a thumbs sideways.  Here's my chief  
gripe: these videos just don't seem to capture the moods of the songs  
(especially the most emotionally compelling songs) as well as their  
predecessors on Peter's last collection _CV_.  That compilation was a  
masterpiece.  Both videos for "Don't Give Up" were wonderful.  The more  
"traditional" video is filled with haunting slow-motion imagery; the second  
video shows us nothing but a slow pan around Peter and Kate hugging as the  
sun is eclipsed behind them, but we don't get bored.  The videos for "Red  
Rain" and "Mercy Street" accompany those songs perfectly, "Shock the Monkey"  
is still powerful after all these years, and "Sledgehammer" always grabs and  
holds me despite the fact that the song itself gets old fast.

Now on to the new compilation.  I feel like Peter may be getting so into the  
flashy visuals, animation, time-lapse slow motion, compositing, etc. that  
he's forgetting what a video should be: a visual reinforcement of musical  
themes.  The video for "Blood of Eden" should NOT have Peter pretending to  
fall speeding to earth in front of a brightly-colored animated building.  The  
video for "Come Talk To Me" should capture the amazing sense of catharsis as  
that song goes from verse to chorus, not spend half its time lingering on  
Peter's face in various weird lighting.

Am I disappointed?  Not really, because there are still some great moments.   
The video for "Zaar" is excellent: it's a series of oil paintings projected  
rapidly to create a unique type of animation.  "Kiss That Frog" (re-recorded  
for the video) succeeds because it's precisely the kind of silly, throwaway  
song that is well-served by visual gimmickry.  And there's no denying that  
"Digging in the Dirt" and "Steam" are lots of fun to watch.  Also, the  
compilation is 55 minutes long and features interviews, clips from live  
performances and studio sessions, and behind-the-scenes features on the  
making of the videos.  Peter is in fine form in some of the interviews.   
(From the credit sequence: "A lot of ideas have been put forward as to why a  
record may or may not be successful: groove, melody, musical content,  
performance...but many years ago I realized, the key factor in determining  
the success of a record is the haircut.")  So this isn't a BAD use for  
seventeen of your dollars; it's just not the masterpiece of which I think  
Peter is capable.

On to Sarah's new album, which is (no surprise here, considering how she  
keeps evolving as an artist) wonderful.  It falls off a bit in the middle,  
but there's none of the filler that was so painfully evident on the second  
half of _Solace_.  I'd go so far as to say that this feels like her first  
truly complete, unified work.  So, after a lot of listens, here are my  
favorite songs:

"Possession" -- a great way to lead off the album, upbeat and beautiful.  Be  
sure not to miss the "hidden" acoustic reprise at the end of the album.
"Plenty" -- this would be my pick for a first single.  Nice backing vocals on  
the chorus, and just a bit of guitar crunch that reminds me of Sarah's  
Nettwerk colleagues Moev.  (Whatever happened to Moev, anyway?)
"Good Enough" -- a very pretty ballad with a touch of gender ambiguity to  
keep things interesting.
"Hold On" -- a moving tribute to a dying friend or lover, although I'm  
partial to the remixed version on the _No Alternative_ compilation.
"Fear" -- WOW!  Never has Sarah used studio tricks so effectively and  
beautifully.  Really neat stuff, and an amazing vocal performance.
"Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" -- an optimistic personal anthem, the perfect  
album closer in the tradition of "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" from _Solace_  
(or "I Say" from _Equipoise_, for that matter).

Finally, I wouldn't exactly call it a highlight, but "Circle" gives us Sarah  
as top-40 dance diva.  Okay, so only a kinda twisted top-40 station would  
play it, but still...

Well, it's been a pretty quite day here at work (or couldn't you tell?), but  
I DO have a meeting now.  Hope this was useful info!

Ethan
"comfort all the way to comfort
 peace in the struggle to find peace"
   -- sarah mclachlan, "fumbling towards ecstasy"