Damien Rice - BSides (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

Damien Rice's Odd Gems

Juan Mobili | Valley Cottage, NY USA | 08/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Enough has been said, lauded, and expressed in amazement of this young man's talent, both musically and lyrically. Certainly "O" was one the greatest debut CDs in a long., long time, and wanting more from him is the inevitable feeling you probably were left with, after listening to his first full album.

Now comes, not the first, but possibly the best EP released in the wake of "O." Most selections included are either unreleased demos ("Lonelily"), sketches of songs you'll know ("Volcano"), great live stuff ("The Professor & La Fille Danse" or "Delicate"), and, probably, represent the best of this EP.

Among the several EPs Damien Rice has released over the last twelve months, I consider "b-sides" to be his most satisfying one, and representative of Rice's deep talent and promising career.

"

Raw emotions erupt on "B-Sides"...

A. Gyurisin | Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia | 06/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After finishing my first introduction into the world of Damien Rice with his Closer album, "O", I had to immerse myself into more. His music is lyrically beautiful and his sound will pull you from wherever your life is into a state of serenity and emotion. His music is like an addiction, and I couldn't just stop with one album, so, as a gift I was handed "the B-sides" which holds some of Rice's lesser-known songs.

What I loved the most about this album was the raw taste that Rice presented. There are a few more moments of profanity, less of a "album" feel, and so much more emotion that you can literally cut it with a knife. There is this sensation of going on an adventure without any money in your wallet when listening to this album. Rice unplugs himself for some of the songs like "Woman Like a Man" and "Volcano (DEMO)". For me, this gave me a deeper insight into the music of this great artist. I adored the instrumental version of "Volcano" because it showed me another side of his musical talent. If you listen to the "Volcano" version on "O" then listen to this instrumental version, I think you will feel two different things. The instrumental version seemed haunting and extremely sad, while the other was a bit more uplifting. This is what I love about his music, you can find yourself in two places while listening to the same song.

My personal favorites from this album were "Volcano (DEMO)" and "The Professor". I recommend this album to anyone wishing to explore more of what Rice has to offer. If this is your first taste of Rice, you may be a bit disappointed, but for those growing number of fans out there ... this is a perfect album to add to your collection!

Grade: ***** out of *****"

Words cannot begin to describe the greatness!!!

B. Drake | USA | 08/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Damien's is absolutely amazing. He can do no wrong!!! I haven't heard a song I didn't love! From the covers he's done at concerts to the B-sides collected here the music is just beyond words. It had been so long since I heard true talent in a musician that I begun to think I would just have to live in the past but then Damien came along and with Lisa, Vivian, and Tomo has revived a raw natural music that is so awesome. It is so refreshing to hear something that is what it is. It's not synthetic, it's not fake or toyed with. It is pure brilliance at it's best!!!"

"What makes her come?"

Damian Gunn | I am everywhere | 07/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge fan of Damien, for out of most new acts he is the only one with the guts to really create something new, fresh and different. He tries to give us a taste of something we've never had the opportunity to experience before. 'B-Sides' is no exception. While not as solid as 'O', I say this only because it's not as long, for the musical selection here is still very strong.

Damien starts us off with 'The Professor & La Fille Danse' which is the most effective track here. It's musical arrangment perfectly fits the lyrical message about the using of women for pleasure. The song describes, in a somewhat explicit and disturbing nature, the fact that this man knows nothing about this woman. The line "and the d*ck left inside only half understood her" perfectly (while vulgarly) explains the predicament that this poor woman is being used for a purpose.

The next track is 'Lonelil y', which appeared on the single for Cannonball (another brilliant track) and this song, while not as strong as the previous, has a possitive message about love and being with the ones you love. None of us want to be lonely. I like the lyrical message in this song, almost as if they took their relationship for granted and then realized they'd rather be together. The chorus chanting "your coming home" and you believe that.

'Woman like a Man' is one of my favorite tracks by Damien. This song is ellegantly done with beautiful harmonizing. The song itself is a little difficult to follow, I'm still trying to figure out what he's getting at, but I think I got it. It appears as if he's pointing out the role-factors of the sexes today, how men and or women want the bennifits received by the other sex and that sex alone. That's just my take though...

I LOVE 'Moody Mooday' if not for the brilliant lyrics then for the way Damien tackles this song. There's a track on 'O' that makes me feel this same way, and that track is 'Cold Water'. On that song, Damien sings as if he were drowning. You believe him. Here it's the same. He sings "I find it hard to breath" and he sings this with such strain in his voice you know he's struggling to deliver each word. The lyrics are deep in their simplicity, and wording it the way he has, with "why d'you have to break free" almost as if she was his captive and then "why d'you have to phone" letting you know she left him in an impersonal mannor but then his comment "someone else you'd rather phone" leads you to believe it was never personal. I personally think she's a hooker...but that's just my take on the song.

The live cut of 'Delicate' is a little to soft. I just think it was poorly recorded. I know it's live but it's no where near as polished as the live cut of 'The Professor...' It's still a wonderful song, it just loses a bit in the translation.

The album closes out with an instrumental and demo version of 'Volcano' which suceeds on both efforts. The instrumental is beautiful but to me it's the demo that stands out as one of my favorite additions to this album. It's raw and downplayed, slow and passionate and it really adds to the umph you get from the powerful lyrics of an immature and maybe even quilty relationship. I just love the whole feel of it.

So there you have it. Yet another brilliant offering from Damien, and something that should hold us over until his next album...let's just pray it comes soon!"

High Quality

S. Furlong | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thoroughly enjoyed this ep. The lyrics, guitar riff layout, and personal intimacy surpasses that of so many other artists I've heard. This is my favorite product that Damien Rice has put out, hope he does more simple ep's like this."

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