Johnny Flynn - A Larum
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CD Details
Artist: Johnny FlynnEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-07-29
Music Label: Lost Highway
Soundtracks:
- The Box
- The Wrote & The Writ
- Tickle Me Pink
- Brown Trout Blues
- Eyeless In Holloway
- Shore To Shore
- Cold Bread
- Wayne Rooney
- Leftovers
- Sally
- Hong Kong Cemetry
- Tunnels
- All The Dogs Are Lying Down
- Shore To Shore - reprise
Music reviews of A Larum
Music Review: I Would Rather Be Listening To Rush Limbaugh?????
Rating: 1 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I love all kinds of music. I like classical, rock, intense, thought provoking, there is a wide range of music that I will enjoy if it is put together well. One thing that I love is folksy "bardish" music.
When I saw the chance to review an album of music that was written by someone from England who reflected the *bard* type of folksy music, I jumped on the chance. One thing I enjoy is reflective music that tells stories, or talks about life leaving an impression that lingers on the musical palette of the listener even after the music has long ceased.
In the last week, things have been rather unsettled in life, so I did not get a chance to devour the album by Johnny Flynn A LARUM by myself at first. So, on my way out the door to a rather lengthy car trip, I figured my family would not mind so snatched it and gave it to my husband to look at before he put it in the CD player while I did the driving.
My husband read through the insert calling attention to the music of Johnny Flynn as being a bard in the tradition of olde England whose music "resonated with drama, humor, knife-twisting wit and unabashed romanticism."
Wow, that sounded so interesting.
A Larum was referring to the ruckus going on offstage during a Shakespeare production where real life was taking place.
This sounded so intriguing!
The cover art is very nice, and we were looking forward to a pleasant experience.
WHAT IS THIS CD LIKE?
When my husband popped in the CD, we were all in a great mood- very up. By the time the first song was done, we were all sitting there quiet with no comments.
By the time the second song came on, the mood was declining some.
Halfway through the CD, the atmosphere in the car was decidedly darker, and growing darker every moment.
Bu the time we got to the end of the CD, it was almost torture to listen to. The mood was dark, depressing, and almost hopeless in nature.
My husband (who is a very avid music critic) said, " Every song sounds the same- this album is boring and depressing."
I replied that it made me want to jump out of the car while moving at 55 MPH.
From the back seat came the voice of the 9 year old who had been listening quietly with no comment the entire time with an exasperation hard to put into words,
" Geez! I would rather listen to Rush Limbaugh!"
---which brought about a quick head turning from the front seat as that was a program that we did not even know she "heard" before let alone formed an opinion on already. From the tone of her voice, that was not a compliment either. HAHA
FINAL COMMENTS
I am entirely aware that music is very subjective to the listener, the mood of the moment, a period of time where it might be enjoyed more than others- it is very difficult to write a review of a CD for that reason.
In this case, however, I tried several times to listen to this CD and the result was the same each time, it is not the story telling music that I have heard locally, on CDs through the years that leaves you thinking, and musing for hours later- in my situation, anyway, it makes me want to get away from it as soon as possible.
If you are into depression or a rather dour frame of mind that you want to feed with music, this might be one for you to check out. But if you are not interested in the bleak almost hopeless approach to life being fed in music form, you might want to pass this one up.
The best advice I can give to you is to listen to the online samples and see if you might want to try this out.
In my case, no one in my family (including my older son who also has a wide range of music taste) - not one of us- liked this CD much. It is just too depressing and boring for our tastes.
Description of A Larum
Lost Highway debut album from British singer songwriter, Johnny Flynn. Flynn's music is brimming over with heart, soul and intelligence. Drawing on diverse influences - The Pixies, Vaughn Williams and anti-folk pioneer Dianne Cluck are all name checked on his Myspace page - Johnny draws on a century's worth of Folk, Blues and Country to create a sound that dwells profoundly in the now.Acknowledging his debt to these musical traditions but never being overwhelmed by them, Johnny Flynn offers an alternative of substance to those who have grown sick of flimsy singer songwriters and their inane observations. A Larum was recorded deep in the Seattle countryside with producer Ryan Hadlock (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) at his secluded Bear Creek studio. Here they managed to capture the raw energy of Johnny Flynn's shows, underpinning the acoustic guitar, cello and ukulele with muscular drums and bass.
Johnny Flynn Photos
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The title, A Laurum, is Old English for "alarm," and certainly Johnny Flynn's debut is setting off bells. One of the guiding lights of Britain's folk revival, Flynn, 24 at the time of recording, is equal parts busking troubadour and past-century romantic poet. In 13 original songs, where he's backed by his band the Sussex Wit, Flynn muses on death, sex, God, and the wretched state of humanity, often with pointed wit and even sharper intelligence. Melding English/Irish folk songs, American blues, and influences as vast as the Pixies, Richard Thompson, the Pogues, Pentangle, and the literary sensibility of Henry David Thoreau and Shakespeare, he takes listeners on a spirited romp through vivid stories set in cemeteries, trash bins, and churches. The boy, it must be said, has a cheek, asking, on "Shore to Shore," "Jesus, won?t you please us, 'cos you seem a damn nice guy." Lacing his jangly, freewheeling songs with a gypsy's wagon of instruments, Flynn and company often seem like characters out of Chaucer, marking time and making the best of things before the inevitable Grim Reaper. Not to be missed: "The Box," "Hong Kong Cemetry" [sic], and "Leftovers." Simply smashing. -? Alanna Nash
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