Pros: the maturing with this album shows, live is not trying to top anything they've done before or just be "trendy", the lyrics are beautiful and intelligent as usual, these guy's sound is still doing great w/ even more variety, and positive themes
Cons: a few songs slightly drag, there's only like one song that has any cursing, though the many messages of love in this album may prove overwhelming to some
shimmer_grl's Full Review: The Distance to Here by Live
It’s just in front of your face, descending before your grasp! Are you going to follow the "The Distance To Here" to reach out and embrace the musically inspiring new album from LIVE? I’d highly advise you to take the plunge. I don’t think these guys could do a horribly bad album even if they tried, they’ve always got something for you! Even if every song isn’t lovable, there’s always a strong point, a smooth genuinely cool vibe, and definitely unforgettable writing to be found.
Like most their albums, the new one is no different in bringing forth electric messages of love, plus life, dreams, strength, hope, peace, and hardships; invading them into your brain. But, this one has it’s own new twists and cool points of maturing that we’ve never seen in quite the same way from the band before. I really love the new album, though I still don’t think it can do too much for topping, "Throwing Copper", though it could truly and easily be named as that album’s equal. This album takes the bleak, dark, introspective anxieties of their last album, "Secret Samandhi" and turns it into bittersweet messages of love, peace, hope, optimism, a re-discovering of the soul, a renewed horizon of clearly bright perceptions, and the perfect CD to get live back on track amongst a path of muchly deserved glory.
Don’t let the overly eccentric album artwork with this CD facade you! Though the CD jacket could be deemed as a culturally extravagant, almost thrift store like collection of spiritual images greatly flowing through the whole thing, it does have some cool points & it’s own creative feel, whether it be overwhelming or not; just as the music that lies inside! The lyrics may be printed in all directions, scattered around, or inside objects, but atleast they’re included and still readable, which is more than you can say for some cds!
Though, don’t think all this uniqueness is trying to build a fabricated mirage before your eyes to make up for something, because if you know nothing of music, then you must know - this band doesn’t have to make up for anything! They have grown, as most bands do, but as far as lacking or trying to compensate, it’s not even comprehindable to say about Edward Kowalczyk, Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Taylor, and Chad Gracey, the four guys that hail from PA and call themselves, LIVE! Like I said before, I love the energy and emotion that LIVE grasps upon in almost every one of their songs, the lyrics, and their distinct vocals amongst a great alternative mid-tempo rock sound, make them a unparalleled band who offer
a lot more then just lazy tunes to brighten your day. Their songs will shake you with a chilling inspiration, curiousity, and envy, while forcing you to take another look at your perceptions of the moment.
Below, is somewhat of an outline of songs:
"Dolphin’s Cry" the starting track invades your ears, </i>(“Love will lead us, alright, Love will lead us, she will lead us, Can you hear the dolphin’s cry? See the road rise up to meet us, It’s in that air we breath tonight, Love will lead us, she will lead us. Life is
like a shooting star, It don’t matter who you are, If you only run for cover,- It’s just a waste of time. We are lost till we are found, This Phoenix rises up from the ground, And all these wars are over!”)</i> This is a great song to start things off for LIVE in 2000! It’s got a great sound that becomes powerfully emotionally inflicted as the song goes on, and the lyrics are refreshing, as you’ll find most with LIVE tend to be.This song tells us love will lead us all together, love will lead us to make the world happier, peaceful, put out the fire of hate, and making all things possible. But, if you run from your problems, you’ll never fix or change anything, you’ll never let anyone in, you’ll never know what could of been, you’ll never find peace. Quit making your own war and let love put out the fire. Coming together in love and peace, can never bring anything bad, just lessons learned. Though, that may seem corny, it’s nothing really nothing less than the truth.
"The Distance" This song starts out very cool, a good beat, a deep, dreamy, eerie, dementing, yet intriguing song, nice guitar chords, and a grippingly enchanting brief keyboard solo. Though, the chorus has a good message, this song isn’t anything too catchy, somewhat slow and repetitive; though still cool. If a band tries to make every song a hit or top something they did before, they will either fail terribly, or have no unique elements or diversity, growth, and unrestricted creativeness in their songs, which often is where the best songs come from. This song sends a message that "in bodies of clay" (or rather being human) has it’s difficulties, things can be hard, and though the "distance" may seem uncomfortable or impossible, never give up, never run from it, "hold out for something sweeter", because the nature in the effort of the distance itself is what brings all the glory, not necessarily the destiny that follows or comes from it. The distance is what makes you appreciate all the sweet things in life that much more! Remember that people, ‘specially if you ever feel like the path for you is longer & harder than for others.
"Sparkle" Again, another song that starts out with a really cool beat and lyrics, though it starts to sound a lot like the previous track. This song is similar to the "Dolphin’s Cry" in the message, it says "Love will overcome, Love will make us men, Love will draw us in, To take our fears away, To dry our tears". This whole theme of saying that in the moment love can seemingly cure all, or atleast make things that much better, helping us get through the hard times that much easier, making us learn to grow, and most definitely drawing us in. Is there such a sin in that? Some may have their own opinions, but LIVE is focusing on the good things, and giving you a song that will push you on, get you through, maintain and instill your faith in hope. Only a special band that so truly does that.
"Run To The Water", the second single released is purely just hauntingly beautiful poetry amongst a intensely serene beat and voice. LIVE always seems to focus on life and love in some sense or another in most their albums, but this song goes pretty deep. This song appears to be to this album, what "Lightning Crashes" was to "Throwing Copper", being a highlight as the most powerful song that detonates into your heart with a demanding fire. I truly love these lines from the song; ("Don’t try to find the answer when there ain’t no question here, brother let your heart be wounded and give no mercy to your fear" - "In the moment we lost our minds here, and dreamt the world was round, a million mile fall from grace, thank god we missed the ground, run to the water, and find me there, burnt to the core but not broken, we’ll cut through the madness, of these streets below the moon, with a nuclear fire of love in our hearts"). This songs presents a sad truth and tells us to stay strong, don’t let loneliness invade, live for the moment, no matter how much you go through never give up, there’s always going to be madness surrounding you, but if you can get through it all will feel so much sweeter, no matter where you are and how lonely you get - you can always look through and reflect on the power in yourself to go on and let love for yourself and those around you lead you on.
"Sun" is just one of many songs on this album that refers to muchly to the sun, okay, so there’s not much to this song, but I tend to like if for catchy chorus.("Sun, Sun - Merciful one, Sun, Sun - Sun, Sun, Won’t you lay down your light on us - Sun, Sun")
"Voodoo Lady"This song has a certain edge driven by the drum beat and guitar chords. It first seems like a song about a one night stand with a mysterious lady, in which both people realize that love with a stranger, not knowing one another doesn’t seem to feel right, doesn’t reach the deeper level and it makes one feel low, still though, the cycle repeats. By the end, it’s hard to tell what this song is really saying, and though it’s not the most entertaining, there’s something dark though inviting about it, that makes you listen to it, anyway. This song deals with a deep nature and has some cursing to reflect that, so it’s really nothing for young listeners.
"Where Fishes Go" seems like it might be a lame, kiddy song, but it is actually pretty cool. It’s a serious song with a dark beat and though it contains spiritual ideas and refers to talking to god, it has a deeper message, one of which relates with escaping to the shadows of: loneliness, depression, not wanting to live, giving up on love, giving up on yourself,& hiding in the darkness of the "sea". This song gets very powerful and of course with going into that kind of message it needs to be overwhelming, in order to take hold of anyone who is in that same kind of place, in order to have them relate and give them something to think about. To make them see that there’s more to this world than darkness. If love from anyone can be let in, it can set them free from that place and those feelings. The theme of LIVE’s songs are almost never stated straight
forward and up right, you have to dig in yourself and the lyrics to find them. But, I think it’s cool how their songs challenge your thought and inspire your mind with gut wrenching rhythms. They’re not just "songs", but stories, feelings, emotions, dreams, fears, intelligent portrayal of life, the world, and just about everything in between. This deeper dimension is among the qualities that make them one of my favorites.
"Face and Ghost (Children’s Song)" is anything but a children’s song, the complex lyrics to this one will have your mind wandering back and forth the true meaning, while easing your worries, and making the outside world fade away. Though, this song is nowhere near one of my favorites from this album, it’s soft spoken and easily relatable. As far as I can tell it speaks of reaching higher things, overcoming sadness to find happiness, moving on, looking at yourself and knowing your alive but living as if you feel you’re dead inside, and desperately wanting to change that. It’s sad how often this is the reality amongst emotionless, alien faces. It’s sad that people don’t open their eyes or reach in to realize and change that, sometimes until it’s too late. Live each day in the moment as if it were you’re last, cause as sad as that thought may be, it could very well be.
"Feel the Quiet River Rage" is a new tune that I really like the title to, but the song itself is not quiet as powerful. It’s about not allowing yourself to be the victim, not allowing any obstacle - person or thing to drag you down, not allowing others to tell you everything you do is wrong, fighting back against a cruel world, keeping your faith in love and averting the turn to hate to reassure you, sooner or later it’ll only backfire and lead you to "always suffer the wound!"
"Meltdown" is among the few mediocre songs on this album, it’s a fair song, but just needs a little something more. ("We’re in a spiritual winter, I long for the one who is, - FIRE! amongst the dreamers, you are in my heart!")
"They Stood Up For Love" is a song that I hope is released as the next single, because it’s a strong, competent, passionate song that takes you on a trip and back. It reminds you what life’s really about, the point of what things really mean, that if we can do what seems impossible in the world then why should we make the simple things be so hard, and love is powerful thing that guides and makes life that much easier. Though, it seems impossible, love can overpower the hate and the bad things in the world. We shouldn’t be over occupied by the bad, but look to the good. Those who find that side of things live in the “light”. The chorus is really inspiring. ("We spend all of our lives goin’ out of minds, Looking back to our birth, forward to our demise, Even scientists say, everything is just light, Not created or destroyed, but eternally bright, Masters in everything, Lord in everyplace, Those who stood up for love, down in spite of the hate, We spend all our lives goin’ out of our mind, they live in the light.")
"We Walk In The Dream" is a fairly mellow track that seems to drag on a bit, and explores making dreams more than just dreams, making obstacles inexistant and dreams possible. Also, realizing if you weren’t happy before your dreams took hold, they probably won’t be the easy answer. You may always feel like something’s missing, unless you disover what’s really up on the inside.
"Dance with You", like a whisper in the wind or watching the sun rise above a beautiful ocean, this one strikes you with a solemn, serene, melodic tone; to end the overall feeling of this album with a calm note. It instills a mellow vision of hope, peace, spirit, inner harmony, and a wondering or appreciation for existing on this earth. When we get caught up in the pain, angst, struggle, and closed minded prejudices of the negative reality of this time, we forget the "place" that holds islands
of knowledge, growth, fun, and carefree things; we forget who we really are and what we stand for. This song just lets us drift back to that and a love for things around us.
Related Artists:Creed, Bush, Vertical Horizon,Smashing Pumpkins, and more.
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