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| 1 | The Lancet | | | | 2 | I Once Was Gold | | | | 3 | The Magus | | | | 4 | All I Had | | | | 5 | Suite for S.W. (They Are Not Gone That Are Lost to Us) | | | | 6 | Waxwing | | | | 7 | Time | | | | 8 | Graduation Day | | | | 9 | Waltz | | |
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cherryeater
 Wolf Blass Shiraz
CD-R
[Rating8558687]
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The fourth and final album from Pickering Pick I have downloaded sees Sam in a very introspective and reflective mood. This is probably due to the fact that Sam had experienced a number of personal losses in the months leading up to this album’s recording. As such, it is certainly the most poignant and personal of his albums. The almost cathartic manner in which the words and sentiments are expressed mark this album out as one by the artist principally for the artist. It is as if the album was a painful but necessary one to record.
It may seem a bit churlish then to offer criticism, but in all honesty, unless you listen deeply and thoughtfully, the overall effect can initially come across as somewhat maudlin. This may be due partly to the production. The voice is very much to the fore, and the solitary acoustic guitar sometimes seems a sparse accompaniment to it. I can hear notes, but somehow do not seem to be able to pick out chords. Yet, oddly, when the guitar is to the fore, as it is on the instrumental title track which, in my view is the best track on the album, the music is at its strongest and most vibrant.
Of course, as with all Pickering Pick songs, the strength is the lyrical quality. I hate rabbiting on about this (as I have done now in all four reviews) but it really cannot be overstated. This is music direct from the heart, from an artist whose command of the flow and rhythm of the English language is matched and indeed surpassed by his ability to form that language into imagery as vivid as if it were a physical image. Any criticism of the album needs to be tempered with the consistently high quality of the lyrics. For it is the lyrics which enable me to continue to want to listen to this album. |
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Jock
[Rating2964675]
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Another consistently great album. |
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SeaBelt
 9/10
Digital
[Rating2645857]
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Another look at Pickering Pick.
Words like; thoughtful, silent, introspective, haunting, beautiful, fresh, dark, familiar, bittersweet and heartfelt, have already been used by other reviewers, and yes, they all accurately describe the way the music sounds. The only thing I'll add is, --If you haven't heard this yet, turn off the world for a little while and give Waxwing a listen. Whether you like it or not, it's the sound of an artist expressing himself honestly. Something I wish there was a lot more of in music today.
Thanks Pick. |
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Prkl
[Rating2642656]
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Severe lack of Clapton, songs about cosmonauts & great naval battles, but it's still pretty damn good. |
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tobeanecho
Digital
[Rating2635839]
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Waxwing was a mild disappointment for me after how well Trafalgar turned out as my first Pickering Pick experience. Comparing the two 2005 releases with one another -- which is not really the point at all, I realize -- Trafalgar was a consistently good album with some serious highs, and Waxwing is quite spotty, which is its ultimate downfall.
The opening track, "The Lancet," is one of my favorites here, but "I Once Was Gold" is a nearly identical track musically and follows just after, plus it's an inferior song in my opinion. "The Magus" and "All I Had" were somewhat forgettable if pleasant, but after that it picks up with "Suite For S.W.," which is the best offering on the album, and the excellent instrumental title track. Sam Pickering Pick's instrumentals are really quite good, as they do get me to imagine something going on, to connect with the music and make something of my own out of it, and to me, that's the best thing an instrumental can do.
"Time" and "Graduation Day" both failed to really grab me as I hoped they would, but the closer, "Waltz," is a definite winner.
Actually, saying I was disappointed is an overstatement. I like this album (loved half, thought the other half was OK), and I'd encourage anyone to check it out. Furthermore, I'm still inspired to go back and get all of Sam's albums, because the good stuff here made the whole thing more than worthwhile in the end. |
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JE_Androcoen
 poltergeist
Digital
[Rating2636137]
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I saw this album on home page and i liked the pic, then i learned that we can download it from this site!
Silent, melodic, nice album. It is better than i expected. Production is weak. vocal can be noisy sometimes. but songwritting is very very good. My favorite song is I Once Was Gold.
If you like this, try other albums, especially Trafalgar. |
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Goregirl
CD-R
[Rating2633744]
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I must say if I had to chose between Trafalgar and Waxwing that Trafalgar I found to be just a wee bit better, I think it was the fact that it came together so entirely. Waxwing however is certainly nothing to disregard. It is hauntingly beautiful, in fact I'm on my third listen today, I'm on the track "Waxwing" and it is actually giving me goosebumps. "All I Had" reminds me very much of something off of Sufjan Stevens' Illinois album, with the faint chanting and the gorgeous guitar work and vocals. It's a very minimalistic album, but it really enhances Pickering's sound, nothing is hidden it's so clear how tremendously talented this man is. This is an album that is worth ridiculous import fees, and worth looking everywhere to try to find it. The good news is, it's here, for free... |
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multiverse
Quality Certified
Digital
[Rating2619873]
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Don't think that most people was expecting a second album from RYM's most talented singer/songwriter in 2005, but here we have it.
Intimate, deep, straight from the heart Waxwing competes with On Rocket Rapture as the best Pickering Pick album till date.
It has been said enough that nobody understands why he haven't got a record deal yet, but let me tell you that there isn't too many artists that can be compared to Nick Drake and make honor to that comparison without falling under the burden of carrying such status at the next attempt.
"I Once Was Gold" almost made me cry and I mean it. It's so damn beautiful that it hurts. "Suite For S.W." is another great achievement alternating beautiful melodies becoming one of his best compositions. The instrumental "Waxwing" is the most similar song to Nick Drake's Pink Moon vibe with only an acoustic guitar taken to a intimate simplicity.
So at the end, even though "Waltz" is sort of a poor end to the album, this will remain as one of 2005 bests albums.
Oh... and the best of all is that you can download it right from RYM. |
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Kevvy
Downright Great, Spead The News
Digital
[Rating2632246]
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According to Pickering Pick, I'm not listening to Waxwing in the right context, and that's what's wrong. He figures I listened to On Rocket Rapture (which I loved to death when it was released, and I still love to death now) when I was in a different mood entirely, so the songs registered better. Now Sam's got me pegged as a happy joe, so I have no patience with misery-folk.
He might be right. So my review might be skewed.
But, I'd argue that misery-folk doesn't swing too far from deep soul - and everyone I'm sure knows about my obsession (even currently, as a so-called happy joe) with deep soul. Misery-folk and deep soul is human emotion exposed with frailty and uncompromising honesty. They differ in the urgency and outlying rhythm of the message, but the fundamentals and internal rhythms are still there. I really like Waxwing. Not as much as some of his past albums, but I still like it.
But Sam's my friend, so reviewing this album is very difficult for me. Even though I'd love to rate all his albums 5-stars (he deserves it just for the advice and reliability he has shown me in the past), I know he'd rather I be honest.
Waxwing stirs me just like great folk music does. You can close your eyes and imagine his voice weaving in and out and through something malleable. The connection is there. What isn't always there for me are the melodies. "Time," "Graduation Day," and "Waltz" have melodies that move me just as much as the message and delivery do, but the a lot of the remainder of the album comes up a bit short.
It doesn't take something grand to hook me... how do you describe what hooks you? Something that's unique yet instantly familiar I guess. Something that'll sway you a bit and make you feel lighter. "Graduation Day" is a simple rhythm but it pulls the listener in with tremendous force. "Waltz" is a stunner that can freeze a listener with sweet harmony; a top-5 Pickering Pick song for sure. "Suite for S.W." is a melodic experiment that pays of in bunches and will reap a lot of repeat listens and its fair share of raised eyebrows. That's my kind of misery-folk!
Maybe if I weren't such an alleged happy joe then I wouldn't be thinking about melody or rhythm - I'd just want the intellectual connection or sympathy. And that's fair. I don't think you're unable to appreciate downtempo music when you're not down in the dumps though. A hook is still a hook. A melody is still a melody. Waxwing is (at least) consistent with Codex Aureus and Trafalgar, and towards the end of the album definitely transcends them. You could combine the high points of Pickering Pick's last three and make one hell of an album, but the rest of the songs blend into each other, almost indistinguishable (an obvious example is the one-two opening punch of "The Lancet" and "I Once Was Gold" which sound remarkably identical and seems like a very questionable and potentially damaging way to open an album).
Sam's voice has a gift for melody like few others and when it truly shines through, it does so with outstanding results. We're treated to Sam's talents in full force for at least half of Waxwing (mostly the second half) while the remainder of the album simply offers us a few teasing tastes. Albums that tease me like this almost always have me eagerly anticipating future relases by the artist. With Pickering Pick's blazing pace of late, I shouldn't have to wait long.
Click here to download or listen to the album for free. |
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barlights
 Worth Full Retail Price
Digital
[Rating2631515]
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Yesterday morning my grandmother died. It was no tragedy, she was 85 and had been in very bad shape for a very long time. A blessing, actually, she is no longer in the miserable state she had been in for so long.
Later that evening, Sam began sending me the mp3's of his new album. I've only become familiar with his work over the last four months or so, but I've been astounded at the talent and maturity that have gone into the work of this artist, who for some reason is unknown to the music world at large. He's just a guy who likes to make music, not for anyone but himself and the few people lucky enough to stumble upon his songs while surfing around this website.
I've been amazed at how his music has come to me at exactly the right moments in my life. I received his album The Attic Tapes as I was missing my best friend, and the song "Egypt" spoke volumes to me.
Sam sent me a description of the album along with the mp3's, and I'd like to quote from it here: "There's no 'concept' to this album - it's more of an examination of a theme of absence and missing. Listen to the development of the songs over the course of the album - it's really an elegy to the people who we knew and loved intensely for a brief period in time, and then they were gone - our brothers, fathers, lovers... it seems like a lot of people i have known have died in the last few months, and that fact - for better or worse - has permeated the album. It's not necessarily a sad record, but there's a shadow of departure which hangs over it..."
Now, how could this have come into my life at a better time, as I mourn the loss of my ancestor. "If all I had was time, I wouldn't see your face in mine....." As I look in the mirror, I see her blue eyes, I see her smile. How can such a thing not touch you deeply. "My friend is lost to me, I could not help in time," brings me to the day another very good friend attempted suicide. Thankfully for me, she DID survive, and is doing quite well, but I think of what might have been and how thankful I am.
I hate to compare Pickering Pick to Nick Drake yet again (the third review in which I've done that), and I have rated two of his albums five stars, so I don't know exactly how to mark that this is his finest work yet. Perhaps by saying that, in my opinion, he has surpassed Drake on this album and is perhaps one of the finest folk artists of his time.
VERY highly recommended, and Lordy, it's free on RYM! How can you go wrong? |
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rym
