Thornhill

From daancing_queen@hotmail.com Wed Aug 25 11:54:27 1999
Subject: First Impressions - Thornhill Review (probably long)
From: "Winnie da Fru aka Sara" 
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 15:54:27 GMT

I'm apologizing in advance if I say something that was covered in previous 
threads - I skipped over all the Thornhill reviews before because I didn't 
know any of the songs from before, so they didn't make any sense to me.  I 
tried to go to Deja, but of course I couldn't access any of the threads I 
wanted to see.  So here's my story:

After waiting impatiently for work to end...I ran home (okay, I drove, but 
that's besides the point - no CD player in the car!  Argh!).  And I finally 
got to pop the CD into my stereo and sit back and listen.

My first reaction - WOW!  I love this CD!  I don't know what it is about it 
- it's very different from their other CD's, but different in a good way (as 
I tried to explain to a friend last night, I wouldn't say in a better way, 
neccessarily - I couldn't define which album I liked best), but still a good 
way.

I was one of the people who took a long time to get used to Wood.  I knew 
the band from the initial Indie days.  I remember going to a concert just 
before Wood was released and coming away very disappointed - I thought "wow, 
they've gone all slow and sappy."  I really don't like listening to live 
music when I don't know the words, which is why I never really get into 
opening bands very often unless they are *very* entertaining.  But I 
eventually warmed up to Wood, and after repeated listenings, it became one 
of my all-time favs.

However, Thornhill was different - it struck me right off the bat, that I 
like this album.  It will take me a while to learn it, but I like what I 
hear.

My main complaint with the album is the lack of lyrics - when I get a new 
album, I like to sit and asorb the whole album.  And reading the lyrics is a 
big part of that.  I know they're available on FDC but sitting there reading 
them on a computer ruins the mood a bit.  It will definately take me a while 
to learn the lyrics (and I'm sure there will be more Frudegreens in there!). 
  As a result I can't comment much on the songs since I haven't totally 
figured out what they are about yet.  But they sound great to me!

Also, I completly missed all the talking bits - I was trying to figure out 
what on earth you people were talking about.  Then it occured to me that I 
had to turn my stereo up and there was some quiet murmers going on back 
there.  Will have to take another listen now that I know what I'm looking 
for.  :)

I love the design of the album as well - terrific pictures, and I like how 
the different styles of photos are used for the lads, showing their 
diversity.  Any comments about what the different styles show about each 
guy?  Just a thought.

I tried to go back and look at the thread about the Splatter Splatter 
possible controversy that it could cause, and couldn't access that thread.  
My initial reaction to the song is that it is saying that it's not movies 
(and probably throw tv, music, etc) that are responsible for violence in 
society, but people.  That is my basic interpretation from the line "it's 
just a movie".  Maybe that's too basic, I don't know.  I need to take a 
closer look on FDC.  But I'm curious about this song, and would love to hear 
further interpretations.

My other thought for comment is IWHO as the first single.  After hearing the 
album, I'm not sure if that is what I would have chosen - the production of 
it, just doesn't sound like a "radio song"  I don't know - it just sounds a 
bit more acoustic than the other songs, is the best reasoning I can think of 
for thinking it doesn't work.  That's not to say I don't like it - I am 
completly moved by it (but I still prefer to think of it in terms of a love 
song, not a stalking song).  But I don't know - the reason the song touched 
me so much was that the first time I heard it last summer, it was watching 
Jian sing it that really moved me.  And whenever I hear it, I can picture 
that.  But that wouldn't come across to someone who hadn't heard it before.  
I guess my main concern is how it will fit into radio rotation - I know that 
we don't want Fruvous sounding like every other band on the radio, but at 
the same time, radio stations aren't going to play them much if they don't 
fit in with the flow of the music.  I don't know, maybe I'm completly wrong. 
  I don't know which song I would have chosen though in it's place.  I 
haven't listened enough to it to pick a single, but I'm sure there is more 
than one likely single on their (since most albums hope to have a few 
singles played on the radio).  What else would people have picked and why?

Anyways, if I don't stop now, I never will!  I'm sure I'll have more 
thoughts to add later on.  Sorry for the length, and hope I didn't repeat 
too much from other posts!  :)