Customer Reviews

A Thousand Shark's Teeth

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Re-listening to My Brightest Diamond's debut, Bring Me the Workhorse, in anticipation of this album would be like setting myself up for disappointment. It is for that reason that I made sure to steer clear of the album that effortlessly made it into my Top 5 Albums of 2006, and could be considered nothing less than one of the best female solo albums of the past decade. Of course, Asthmatic Kitty and Shara Worden herself often shy away from calling My Brightest Diamond a solo project. There are, after all, other musicians on the album, and Shara never does tour alone. But when your front woman is also your only songwriter, vocalist, arranger, and even shares production credit on the entire album, the whole "band" facade starts to seem a bit silly.

That's part of what makes A Thousand Shark's Teeth so surprisingly wonderful. At its heart, this is an album conceived by, written, and made through one woman. The fact that it is so diverse, so dense and intriguing is nothing short of miraculous! Forget imminent disappointment, this album completely shatters any bleak expectations I may have had about it. From the very start, with the familiar sounds of a brooding composition and sliding electric guitars, I knew I was in for something special. "Inside a Boy" is very much like the album-opener before it, "Something of an End." And why not? There is no better way to ease fans into a completely new experience than by giving them something familiar to hook them. And what a beautiful song to begin this journey! Shara sings in her trademark operatic style, "In his arms I'm unwinding/ Under his kiss I am falling into love," the last word emphasized by an out of the blue deep minor chord that will put the fear of God into many an unsuspecting listener!

"Ice & the Storm" follows in much the same vein as its predecessor, with a darkly catchy chorus ("I want a storm to blow it out/ I want to shake myself and turn my heart inside out") and familiar instrumentation. It is not until "If I Were Queen" that fans are given something remotely "new" to listen to. This short, minimalist song features little more than Shara singing acapella with the occasional string orchestration to remind you that there's something worth listening to here. When Shara swoons "...ah close by" over the orchestration, I can't help but picture some sort of Alice In Wonderland-esque scene, albeit one performed by a medieval chorus.

The album continues careening into controlled chaos, with the undeniably weird "Apples," whose muted marimba is one of the coolest-sounding instruments that can be found on the album. Shara's vocals are just as strange. Singing about doing laundry, she explores the highs and lows of her range with a peculiar melody that will be enchanting to some, off-putting to others. "From the Top of the World" slows the pace down, and finds Shara nurturing her admitted love for Radiohead. The chord progressions and pace of this song just remind me of something that Thom Yorke & Co. could have written, but she makes sure to add in enough string instrumentation to keep it fresh and exciting. "Black and Coustaud" is Worden at her most frightening, with dark, looming string instrumentation completely overpowering her compressed vocals, which are just as often yelled or spoken in French as they are sung. The bassoon is particularly frightening, as is Shara's shyly-spoken line of "Punch your nose," told like a secret too good to keep to herself. The French lyrics ("aver ma voix je marm'lad toi") translate to "With my voice I turn you into marmalade," which for any other artist would seem a bit half-baked. For My Brightest Diamond, it's oddly appropriate.

By far though, the most impressive track on A Thousand Shark's Teeth has to be "To Pluto's Moon" a nearly 7-minute long song that uses every second to great effect. Starting with solemn swells of strings and Shara's moving vocals, it eventually transforms into a mildly grooving, albeit sullen pop song. She sings in the chorus, "Why did you go like this?/ I slam against the wall/ It's crushing my skull/ Why did you go like this?." The lyrics are absolutely beautiful, about chasing someone or something to the end of the solar system, and who can't relate to the feeling of being left behind? It is this album's version of "Gone Away," but it surpasses that song in almost every way imaginable.

All of this is a step forward for Worden who spent most of her time on Bring Me the Workhorse singing about childhood memories and dead or dying animals. A Thousand Shark's Teeth is, for the most part, about relationships. Yet one has to wonder whether these tales are pure fiction or somehow based on Worden's personal experiences. Surely they are too separated from reality to be taken as literal stories, but if meant to be symbolic or poetically introspective, they are easily some of the most impressive lyrics in recent memory. They're just as unique as Workhorse's, though much more relatable. The biggest change on this album is Worden exposing her more theatrical side, be it in the grandiose arrangements, the small inflections in her voice, or simply the collection of pictures for which she poses in the CD booklet. The end result is an album that - as surprising as it may be - surpasses Bring Me the Workhorse on so many different levels that I can't help but love every second of it! Believe it or not, Shara Worden has somehow managed to starve off disappointment with A Thousand Shark's Teeth. Maybe next time...

Key Tracks:
1. "Inside a Boy"
2. "Ice & the Storm"
3. "Black & Coustaud"
4. "To Pluto's Moon"
5. "Bass Player"

9 out of 10 Stars

The ultimate mastermind and amazing voice behind this, Shara Worden, is genius. This is the second album of this brilliant project, and even more refined than the first, in my personal opinion. It is this martian-child of the rock genre, an avant-garde sonic painting of dreamy tones, filled with an exhilarating mass of instrumentation riding alongside Shara's cabaret-operatic vocal stylings, making it one of my favorite albums ever. Really.

If you are a newcomer, listen to the song "To Pluto's Moon", and it will ease you into what this album is all about.

. . . but in this case, I see a performer more interested in experimenting than actually refining her sound and leveraging it into a CD with a single message. However, that's why we have indie distributors, so folks like this can experiment and be heard. There's no doubt she has a wonderful voice, but so do a number of other women. I believe any listener would find at least one song that grabs them, so take a listen and then download the individual songs that appeal to you. For me, that would be 'Inside a Boy,' which I first heard on XM radio and loved instantly. I bought the whole CD and did give it a few whirls, so don't think this review is cursory.

This second full-length from asthmatic kitty heroes My Brightest Diamond is a phenomenal outing, both in its endless creativity, and intense emotional feel. The emphasis here is of course on Shara Worden's breathe taking, classically trained voice, which on more than one occasion brought goosebumps to my arms, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The musical backdrop is almost as intriguing though, as strings dominate the soundscape (this cd was originally intended to simply include a string quartet) rather it be the slow seductiveness of If I Were Queen, or the strong dark feel of Black and Costaud. But not lost in the mix is the rock punch that made their debut Bring Me The Workhorse a cult favorite, like the driving opener Inside A Boy, and the bouncy fun of Apples. This cd is undoubtedly one of the best releases of the year, and is strongly reccomended to anyone out there looking for something a little different.

I stumbled across the artist a few weeks ago. The vocals are beautiful and etheral. Reminds me of Portishead, Mazzystar, and just a bit of Sarah McClachlin. Highly recommended

This album is very much like a cosmic opera. Sort of a calm version of PJ Harvey.

I must admit, when I first heard this album I was a bit let down. I was expecting something more on the lines of My Brightest Diamond's excellent Bring Me the Workhouse. Thankfully, I soon realized throwing that pre-conceived notion out the window is necessary to truly enjoy this gem. A Thousand Shark's Teeth is one of the most original and imaginative albums I've ever heard. It's sometimes dark and disturbing, sometimes downright eerie and at other times positively euphoric. I would consider this album quite experimental so I don't think many, including myself, will instantly be able to appreciate its depth and beauty. However, give it some time and you may soon find yourself with a brand new top-tier album in your collection!

I'm not very good at writing about music, so I won't, but I will say that I think this is a brilliant album.

And if you love Shara Worden's unique, fabulous voice, then check out The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love". They're a good band, too, and Worden sings on a few tracks.

so, I am fascinated by the fact that a woman who has the vocals to break glass would invest in the time to try and make the world love her as an up and coming artist. It's wonderful and i love her! I love the fact that she ( as am I ) regrettably disappointed when our love is not manifested and it must be put in to words to be able to cope with the loss and our hearts but feel that sound that gets so jumbled in the mind but comes out with vibrant and multifaceted rays of sounds. It makes me ache to listen to her, only because I feel the betrayal, the heart wrenching longing that bows from her soul. I am truly glad she tries because I am completely enchanted and fascinated by her! love love love!!!

I love her music, the atmosphere that she can create..It's a great album, with intense and inspired songs.