Steffi |
Each track is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest score, 10 being the highest score.
SAVAGE GARDEN (FIRST ALBUM)
OVERALL = 7.7
Savage Garden is walking in the shadow of the boybands. Their debut album Savage Garden should have entered them into our pop culture consciousness, but it has been overlooked in a world of Backstreet Boys and NSyncs.
- TO THE MOON AND BACK = 9.0
Musical Arrangement - “To The Moon And Back” is alternative-rock, with some tinges of techno.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren draws out his syllables like he is gossiping (see Lyrics).
Lyrics - Darren talks of a girl with a troubled past: “Mommy never loved her much/ Daddy never keeps in touch/ That’s why she shies away from human affection…”
- I WANT YOU = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - It has an infectious, up-tempo dance beat.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is fumbling through the lyrics, attempting to keep pace.
Lyrics - The lyrics are sometimes incomprehensible: “Chica cherry cola…”
- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Truly, Madly, Deeply” is a romantic ballad, backed by a bass beat, piano and Latin guitars.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren’s deliverance is minimalist, with no overdrawn harmonies.
Lyrics - The lyrics are romantic, yet not formulaic: “I want to stand with you on a mountain/ I want to bathe with you in the sea/ I want to lay like this forever/ Until the sky falls down on me…”
- TEARS OF PEARLS = 4.5
Musical Arrangement - “Tears Of Pearls” is an 80s retro flashback.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is being over-dramatic, trying to make this song work.
Lyrics - The lyrics are too philosophical for their own good: “All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls…”
- UNIVERSE = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Universe” is a deliberately paced, “baby-making” song.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren serenades us in his bedroom voice.
Lyrics - They talk of love making without being offensive: “Put time in a capsule/ Two minds consensual/ Entwined to perfection/ If we could…”
- CARRY ON DANCING = 4.5
Musical Arrangement - They use their techno-pop formula on “Carry On Dancing.”
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is as unmotivated by this song as I am.
Lyrics - "Carry On Dancing" is the song.
- VIOLET = 5.0
Musical Arrangement - Like “Tears Of Pearls,” “Violet” has a retro 80s vibe.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is average, at best.
Lyrics - Darren is straightforward about his intentions: “I've got a dream to take you over/ Exploding like a supernova/ I'm going to crash into your world/ And that's no lie…”
- BREAK ME SHAKE ME = 7.5
Musical Arrangement - “Break Me Shake Me” is the rockiest song on the album, with a rumbling bass and a guitar solo.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren carries the song as well as a falsetto can.
Lyrics - This song is not a stand-out for mental imageries: “You abused me in a way that I've never known/ So break me, shake me, hate me, take me over…”
- PROMISES = 6.0
Musical Arrangement - The 80s. Savage Garden’s musical influence.
Vocal Deliverance - Again, Darren is uninspired; hint: stay away from the 80s.
Lyrics - Only Savage Garden could salvage a train-wreck with their lyrics: “So let you're body move a little bit closer/ Silent like the sound proceeding a cyclone/ Don't you know that powerful thinking/ Can be a force you don't want to relinquish…”
- SANTA MONICA = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Santa Monica” is a mellow, easy-listening song.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is passive, giving a musical commentary.
Lyrics - The lyrics are introspective-while-watching-people-pass: “Santa Monica/ On the boulevard/ You’ll have to dodge those inline skaters/ Or they’ll knock you down…”
AFFIRMATION (SECOND ALBUM)
OVERALL = 8.4
Savage Garden has circumvented the “second-coming curse” with Affirmation. They are the pop band with wisdom; so much so, that the pop label seems unwarranted.
- AFFIRMATION = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Affirmation” is upbeat, set to alternative-sounding guitars and drums.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren’s commentary about life is realistic, yet optimistic.
Lyrics - It is an affirmation about life: “I believe in karma/ What you give is what you get returned/ I believe you can’t appreciate real love til you’ve been burned…”
- HOLD ME = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Hold Me” is a ballad at heart, with alternative and electronic vinaigrette.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is vulnerable, emphasizing the theme of the song (see Lyrics).
Lyrics - Lovers are confronting and seeking comfort from each other: “I might need you to hold me tonight/ I might need you to say it's alright/ I might need you to make the first stand/ Because tonight I'm finding it hard to be your man…”
- I KNEW I LOVED YOU = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - This is a romantic ballad, without the alternative and techno-electronic tinges.
Vocal Deliverance - Sugary and sweet, Darren is professing his pre-known love.
Lyrics - Although romantic, the lyrics are not cliché: “Maybe it’s intuition/ Some things you just don’t question/ Like in you eyes/ I see my future in an instant…”
- THE BEST THING = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “The Best Thing” is an up-tempo with guitar rifts and drums.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren’s performance is bubbly and full of life.
Lyrics - Darren is crazy in love: “Never want to fly/ Never want to leave/ Never want to say what you mean to me/ Never want to run/ Frightened to believe/ You're the best thing about me…”
- CRASH AND BURN = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Crash And Burn” is a marriage of ballad, alternative and electronic.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren not only reassures, but also inspires.
Lyrics - “Crash and Burn” is the comfort song: “Let me be the one you call/ If you jump I’ll break your fall…”
- CHAINED TO YOU = 8.0
Musical Arrangement - It has the bass beat of a dance song throughout, and guitar garnishing in the chorus.
Vocal Deliverance - Although falsetto, Darren is seductive.
Lyrics - It is a dance song about dancing: “We were standing all alone/ You were leaning in to speak to me/ Acting like a mover shaker dancing to Madonna/ Then you kissed me…”
- THE ANIMAL SONG = 8.0
Musical Arrangement - The drumbeats are the center-piece of the song.
Vocal Deliverance - Like the song, Darren is free-spirited.
Lyrics - The song is about freedom: “I want to live like animals/ Careless and free…”
- THE LOVER AFTER ME = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “The Lover After Me” is a ballad backed by guitars, piano and drums.
Vocal Deliverance - A heart-wrenching performance by Darren, who was divorcing his wife during the recording of Affirmation.
Lyrics - “The Lover After Me” is about longing for a past lover: “Here I go again/ I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today/ It's been seven months and counting/ You've moved on/ I still feel exactly the same…”
- TWO BEDS AND A COFFEE MACHINE = 10.0
Musical Arrangement - “Two Beds And A Coffee Machine” is unadorned, accompanied only by piano and violins.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is sympathetic and empathetic to the woman in the song.
Lyrics - Darren talks of spousal abuse: “Another bruise to try and hide/ Another alibi to write…”
- YOU CAN STILL BE FREE = 4.5
Musical Arrangement - It has a soothing, Enya-like musical arrangement.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren hits some interesting falsettos in the chorus.
Lyrics - It progresses the theme of freedom: “You can still be free/ If time can set you free.”
- GUNNING DOWN ROMANCE = 3.5
Musical Arrangement - Sound–wise, it is sinister and Satanic.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren tries too hard to sound ominous.
Lyrics - Darren is rejecting love: “I’m gunning down romance/ It hasn’t done a thing for me…”
- I DON’T KNOW YOU ANYMORE = 6.5
Musical Arrangement - Like “Two Beds,” “I Don’t Know You Anymore” is a piano ballad.
Vocal Deliverance - Darren is thoughtful and introspective.
Lyrics - Darren is attempting to re-kindle a relationship: “I would like to visit you for a while/ Get away and out of this city/ Maybe I shouldn't have called but someone had to be the first to break…”
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Steffi |
