Customer Reviews

Anchor

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Records like this remind me of why I try not to patronize the major labels. This independent record is stunning in respect to songwriting, production and the tasteful guitar playing of Matt Brown. Add to that the flowing vocals of Anna Williams, and you have a unique and intelligent set of songs probably done for a tiny fraction of what the majors would have spent. Ms. Wiiliams vocal style of controlled "cracking"(if you've ever sang, you know how hard this is to do) is reminiscent of Eillen Henry(Chimera) and certainly of the Cocteau Twins. I can see how her style could become a bit much but it does not bother me. "It's been a shame" has sleeper, non-commercial radio single written all over it. If you pride yourself on being ahead of the game in your music selections, you should be all over this. Very promising debut effort.

What a fabulous debut! This is one of those truly great albums that stays with you. Most of my favorite recordings are either deeply emotional and touching or captivatingly melodic. Trespassers William manage to be both. The songwriting is uniformly strong (I like every track!) and even the most delicate and beautiful arrangements possess power thanks to earnest performances and moving lyrics that are filled with poetic imagery.

Anna-Lynne Williams' vocals are amazing! I've heard her compared to Sarah McLachlan, Cranberries and Cocteau Twins, and I do hear some of that, but her voice is unique and, in my opinion, even more dynamic and emotionally direct than those other talented singers. To my ears she possesses the "special something" elements of many of music's great singers - like Patsy Cline and even John Lennon. Matt Brown's innovative and unpredictable guitar work also runs throughout the album - creating atmospheric sonic landscapes for Williams to stand in as she delivers her powerful vocal messages. People who like warm, direct emotional music with memorable melodies and innovative arrangements (like Daniel Lanois, Aimee Mann, some Fiona Apple and recent Neil Finn) should definitely buy this album!

Moody and melodic, graceful and beautiful. I just got this CD in the mail and it is unbelievable. It will make you smile while the tears are running down your face. Matt's guitar playing is incredible. Each note seems to pluck at the heart strings. Anna-Lynne's voice is like the cry of angels. I highly recommend this CD. It will take you to a place of dreams!

This is a beautiful debut album by one of Orange County (CA)'s fastest-rising bands. Especially impressive here are the tasteful production and mature performances by these young artists. Anna-Lynne's vocals move from a whisper to a wail without ever sounding histrionic or overdone, while Matt's guitar work is spare, mature, and creative. The percussion and accordion used on the album are inspired, allowing the music to fall somewhere between AAA pop and an edgier contemporary folk. I'd like to see the band tackle broader themes lyrically, but this is a light complaint. Cuts I just can't get enough of: "I Know", "My Eyes Were Closed" and "It's Been A Shame." Enjoy!

An almost hypnotic affair. At once melancholy and uplifting. A must have for lovers of the heartbroken and poetic in music!

In creating this review for Trespassers William, I couldn't help but think of a scene from the film The Piano where the central character played by a mute Holly Hunter finds her voice through music. Well, somewhere in the middle of the film as Hunter plays the piano, a woman remarks that the music she creates is like a mood that passes through you...

Why am I mentioning this film? No, I am not doing the wrong review, ha ha. If anything at all Trespassers William is a band that creates an eclectic variant of sounds and harmonies while still maintaining a feel of intimacy and heartbreak. Their music not only reminds one of the early days of the 90's where bands such as Mazzy Starr ruled the charts with Fade Into You, and Sarah McLachlan introduced us to Fumbling Through Escasy. Trespassers William is not a mimic of those predessors but more of an innovating band that reminds me of what mainstream music has lost. In these dark days where flashy costumes and recycled sounds dominated the airwaves, it is a sheer pleasure knowing that all is not lost.

Perhaps it was Coldplay that opened the doors for the return of lyrics over sounds. But Trespassers William does both, as I've mentioned above, this band generates music which takes its listeners through a rollercoaster of emotions while evoking images of loss, anger, and at moments bliss. Their songs are moods that pass through you; if not only to leave a chill down your spine at its utter honesty.

So where does this leave me at the end of this review? Let's put it this way...Last week, I never heard this band before. Listening to brain-drain sounds on the local FM station, and more or less feeling content with what I was hearing. But since I've discovered them, I have fallen in love with music again. Because in the end there is a distinct difference between enjoying music, and feeling changed by it.

i have held off on posting a review here for this long, but i can't do it any longer! this cd is a must have if you are a music fan, particularly of songs with thoughtful lyrics and haunting melodies. anna-lynne's voice has been compared to so many people but it is truly unlike anything else. far more soulful than dolores o'riordan or sarah mclachlan. you can hear her emotion in her voice, and the lyrics are perfect. matt's a great guitarist, too. enjoy!

After downloading 2 hours of music of various female artists on Mp3.com, only one caught my attention, and that was Trespassers. I decided to see this group live, and was absolutley amazed. I was so glad to buy their album, with Anna-Lynne's impressively emotional and natural voice mixed with Matt Brown's ethereal and atmpsheric guitars and rifts, the music completley captivated me. I would recommend Trepassers William to anyone, their album "Anchor" is a must have!

I actually have two copies of this CD. One copy stays in my truck at all times, and the other floats between my home cd changer and the office cd player.

This is a great CD...everyone should have at least two.

My eyes were closed is my favorite, but the others are close behind. The music has a haunting quality and the words are moving to say the least. An excellent first CD. I wonder how long the world will take to find these Trespassers.