my synopsis. i'm not sure i could truly convey my emotional attachment to this record. it is one of their lesser known albums, but in my opinion it is their best. while "big chair" was full of quality hit singles, elemental is a flowing, layered, lush album from start to finish. it covers the spectrum of emotions, it's easily their most versatile album to date. i am completely biased towards this record because this was the band and album that made me obsessed with music for life. highlights: "elemental", "mr. pessimist","fish out of water" and "brian wilson said".
Contains some good songs, and a ton of photos of the band's lead singer I like this album enough that I still own and (occasionally)listen to it twelve years after it was released. That said, it's not that great. "Elemental" is a nice song--Roland Orzabel's vocals are strong, and the song hits powerfully. It's slightly reminiscent of the band's earlier song "Shout." "Break It Down Again" is a classic song with classic lyrics. It's got a great build and it makes the world feel nice and wild. My only complaint with it is that now, in 2005, I can't believe how cheesy and dated some of its minor synthesizer parts sound. Prior to a few years ago, I never really noticed that any of it was synthesized, yet now it's impossible not to think about its phony-feeling keyboard fills. The entire middle of the album just wanders and trudges around. It's nice in the way that a hot desert's nice, but it's not really engaging. It's slow. "Brian Wilson Said," the album's second-to-last song could be a lost Beach Boys track, and is very tender, and "Goodnight Song" features excellent electric guitar and captures the feel of growing up and grieving one's youth almost perfectly. It may be the album's best. The songs that are good on this CD make it worth owning, but it's not the sort of thing you'll listen to without ever skipping through a track.I still like it after all this time I used to listen to this album in college, nearly 10 (!!!) years ago, and I still like it. I gave it 4 stars because I think "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending" is the best album TFF has done to date. This album has some really good songs, but nothing really mindblowing, and nothing that really sucks either. Actually, the lyrics for "Power" are pretty powerful when you think about it.
