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Semisonic Feeling Strangely Fine MCA Records So many bands today are not only one-trick, they're one-song. Get a shiny cut out, it hits big, count your money, and fade away. I'm very happy to report that Semisonic is neither one-trick nor one-song. I was first captivated by the all-at-once gentle and explosive pop of "Down in Flames" and irresistible appeal of "FNT" from the band's major-label debut, The Great Divide. Feeling Strangely Fine introduces a welcome expansion of the band's sound, while still holding true to its simple midwest-trio origins. The album starts out with the first single, "Closing Time." In exquisite pop form, the song starts gently, with an underlying tension that builds to explode into a chorus that you won't get out of your head anytime soon. I'm usually leery of a record that leads off with its biggest gun. I was pleasantly surprised when the second track appealed to me even more. "Singing in my Sleep" sucks you in for good. It would take a hammer and nails to keep you from tapping your toes to this one. The band demonstrates it's ability to craft a smoothly flowing pop-song but still keep the subject matter on the intellectual side; "I've been living in your cassette / It's the modern equivalent / Singing up to a Capulet / On a balcony in your mind." Semisonic throws another curve at you with "Made To Last." But perhaps the greatest departure from the pop-norm is the grooved-out smoothness of "Secret Smile." Yet another twist, "DND" starts out with jangly-acoustics and progresses with a loop of spacey tremolo keyboards before the string accompaniment breaks. Capping off the experience is the slow and sweet "Gone to the Movies." With its varying styles and arrangements, this album is sure to inspire comparisons to a host of other bands. The hard-strummed acoustics and tortured lyrical pop of Better than Ezra or the piano-pounding quirkiness of Ben Folds Five come to mind in fragments of what Semisonic gives you on this release. The difference is, Semisonic takes little pieces of all these sounds an incorporates them into a seamless, enjoyable experience that will leave you humming a tune and Feeling Strangely Fine. -Mike Release Date: March 24th, 1998 Website: www.semisonic.com (band info/lyrics/tour info/merchandise) Email: semisonic@aol.com |
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