Battle of the Nudes

Gordon Downie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ZOE
• ASIN: B00009AAFS
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,662 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #62 in Music > Dance & DJ > Techno > Minimal Techno

Track Listings

1. Into The Night

2. Figment

3. Christmastime in Toronto

4. Willow Logic

5. Pascal’s Submarine

6. 11th Fret

7. Who By Rote

8. Steeplechase

9. Ace Bailey

10. More Me Less You

11. We’re Hardcore

12. Pillform #2

13. Pillform #1

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hip singer's solo effort is innovative but inconsistent, April 20, 2004

By 

Eddie Konczal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle of the Nudes (Audio CD)

Gordon Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, offers a highly personal musical statement with his second solo album. Downie's songs are uncompromisingly innovative and experimental; his work with the Hip seems mainstream by comparison.

Downie courageously begins the album with the quiet "Into the Night," a moody and atmospheric tone poem. He revs up the tempo with the aggressive "Figment" and the infectious holiday number "Christmastime in Toronto." "Willow Logic" has a nice melody, though I find its spoken word sections contrived and annoying. "Pascal's Submarine" is a near work of genius, a colorful and upbeat track whose catchiness belies its grave subject matter, the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk. (This song continues Downie's obsession with maritime tragedies, previously illustrated by The Hip's "Nautical Disaster," "50 Mission Cap" and "The Dire Wolf").

After the incendiary "11th Fret," the second half of the record downshifts into mellower territory, with mixed results. The stream-of-consciousness poetry of "Who by Rote" runs out of steam quickly, leaving the listener wandering in a wilderness of experimental tone color. "Steeplechase" features some impressive dynamics; I would have preferred further musical development to the hockey spiel that abruptly ends the track. The dissonant harmonies of "More Me Less You" walk a fine line between haunting and grating. The commentary of "Hardcore" works better in theory than in practice, while "Pillform" doesn't quite gel in either of its two different versions.

Downie takes pride in his poetry, and rightly so. However, his lyrics can't quite carry a song on their own (as they did for that other great Canadian singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen). Though few, his excursions into spoken word are somewhat disappointing, since they deprive the listener of Downie's greatest talent, his inimitable and idiosyncratic vocal style.

Gordon Downie's experiments in poetry and sound assert his individuality as an artist and constitute a style independent of his work with The Tragically Hip. Some of it works and some of it doesn't, but he succeeds frequently enough to justify the time spent on his extracurricular activities.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite the "hip" your used to, July 29, 2003

By 

S. Urquhart "shakespears_happy_ending" (Woburn, Ma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battle of the Nudes (Audio CD)

Gordon Downie's new album "Battle of the Nudes" is fantastic.

What shines most brilliantly is Gordon's songwtriting. He manages to bring poetry back to music in the proper manner.

One of my major complaints with modern music is that it seems to follow a certain formula. The breaks in the rythym, the inclusion of the chorus, and the often used word combinations. Both musically and lyrically most music is predictable. It is rare to find an album which challenges the listener like this one can. It is hard to explain in terms of popular music what is meant by challenging. If this were Jazz, it would rank near Monk's work. Monk would play his melody, explore every musical facet around it and eventually bring it round-a-bout'. Gordon does this throughout the album; never straying far enough away from the melody to confuse but rarely just playing it straight. If this music was Classical I would compare its' anticlimatic nature to that of Beethovens work. Many times teasing with a conventional sound only to deliver something far more creative and expressive. This music makes you feel!

Of course there are a few songs recorded on this album that show Gordon's routes as a rock musician; most noteably singing with the Tragically Hip. Coincidentally these are not my favorite songs but are quite catchy and well performed.

In a time a where rock stars and Idols are litterally cast on a telivision program or created by using a formula this album may not find listeners easily. However, If you are one of the minorities who love to stray away from convention and loathe the new age Idols, then buy this album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Live, July 11, 2003

By 

Sabina (Detroit Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle of the Nudes (Audio CD)

Just got back from seeing Gord live in Detroit and WOW! They played most of the songs on the cd and I gotta tell ya I'm a fan for life. AND he's super nice to boot, signed autographs etc.(although the thread would have been great)..Pick up this cd if you want some serious quality both lyrically and musically. Very well done!