Customer Reviews

Binocular

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I somewhat unintentionally stumbled across this cd. I gave it a listen, and I was hooked. To be honest, it sort of scared me that I was hooked so swiftly. I hadn't heard of Binocular before, and I didn't really know what market it was that he was/is after. SO, the boy-band-hating side of me sort of said, "do you really want this, not knowing where it's headed?" A piece of me feared that this cd would be bought by someone who would also buy Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls.

Then, I continued listening to it, and it was/is simply too dam* good to pass up. The songs are absolutely beautiful. Some are forlorn/melancholic type songs, others are totally uplifting. Musically, he sounds a little like Savage Garden, or, if anyone remembers them, When In Rome (of "The Promise" fame). However, this guy writes and records all his own music, and he plays all the instruments. This is truly a one-man show.

Given the fact that he has chosen to go with the enigmatic name "Binocular," I'm suspecting he isn't after the mass-market, teeny-bopper, boy-band-crazed world of sugar-coated, MTV thrill of the week garbage. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have opted for the name Nick G. (or Justin, Blake, Mikey, Johnny, etc), and I know he wouldn't have written, recorded, played and produced the ENTIRE album himself in his NYC apartment. So, I feel pretty dam* secure owning this cd and having it my collection years from now.

Whatever your tastes, this is truly beautifully crafted, well written and well played music. It is a cd that, very unusually, can be played in its entirety, without having to skip certain tracks. Every song on this cd is awesome.

To give you a little more about the gist of it, he's on the Maverick label, which is what Madonna has been putting her stuff out on in recent years. Given that, if you know Madonna's recent sound (the techno-ey/synthed stuff underlying her music by the likes of William Orbit and Mirwais productions), expect that here too. Also, the cd was mixed by Mark Saunders who, for years now, has been doing stuff with Erasure and Depeche Mode. So there too, expect that highly-synthed keyboard sound underlying the rest of the music. But, having said all that, please understand that this isn't a techno-ey cd. Note I stated UNDERLYING. The most prominent feature of the cd is beautiful acoustic guitar and amazing vocals.

You will not regret getting this cd. Come what may for this guy's future (huge super-star sellout, or 102nd avenue street bum), the music (and that's really what it's all about, not image), is amazing, beautiful, and touching from start to finish. Period.

To Trebla62 : The song Maybe you're gone is NOT available on any album. It can however be ordered directly from the songwriter (D. Scherr) via www.soundclick.com. You then get the song as it is performed in the movie "the girl next door" and the original demo by Scherr. Ciao.

This is my second review for this item (with another user). I have managed to listen to the whole album and I think only one word can characterize it : AWESOME . On a scale from 1 to 10 I would give it 20 !! I am a big music fan and I've listen to great songs but in my opinion Binocular's album is the BEST album I've ever listened to . What makes it so good is the fact that each song is beautiful in it's one way .
"You" has a great guitar single at the end but you can hear great guitar chords all over the song .
"Never" is an explosive song with good guitar chords and good lyrics.
"Everything Turns" - this song is one of my favorites - lyrics containing life facts and great background vocal.
"Deep" - I think it's the weirdest song I have ever listened, because of it's lyrics ... but it's excellent ; amazing song.
"You Were The One" - it has a very nice rhythm ... you'll surely be captivated by this song.
"Gone Away" - great lyrics and a good guitar all over the song.
"Don't Say Goodbye, Say Goodnight" - even from it-s title you can guess that it's a special song ... there is a part in it (at about 3min and 15 seconds) that I really love , it's the best in the whole song...whenever I listen to this song I become relaxed and all the sad things go away.
"Fire Burns Bright" - my personal favorite ... great rhythm, lyrics... the whole song is super-super .
"Let Me Fly So Long" - again you can hear excellent guitar chords (this guy really knows how to play the guitar !!)
"Wait Until" - I really love this song .. especially the end.
"As The End Of The World" - one of my favorites ... the lyrics are very good and as well as the music .
"Paradise Club" - another excellent song that ends an excellent album !!

If you haven't made a clear idea about this album then just buy it, listen to it and you'll be captivated. I can't express my feeling in words but I've been listening to this album for over an year now and I just can't get tired of it ... it's a classical !!! I gave it a 5 star rate but I think it deserves all the stars in the world !!!!

I came across this CD by chance and I'm so glad that I did! Binocular is one guy, he writes all the songs and plays all the instruments. It's incredible to hear what he is capable of. Binocular is unlike anything I had heard before, he definitely has a unique sound, and it's a good one. It's not just pop, it is so much more than that. There's a lot of depth to his sound and his voice blends perfectly with the music. Every song on this album is a good one. Here's a run down of each track:

1) You - A great opener, an upbeat song. Actually my favorite part of the song is the last minute or so...wonderful guitar solo.

2) Never - Love this one, has a great chorus. Also some excellent guitar work in this one.

3) Everything Turns - Catchy sound, I like the lyrics.

4) Deep - This is my personal favorite on the CD and has turned into one of my favorite songs ever (which for me is saying a lot). A beautiful, beautiful song. The chorus is wonderful. The vocals are wonderful, there's so much feeling to this song. I can listen to this song over and over, love it!

5) You Were the One - Another great, catchy song. Love the drums at the beginning and end.

6) Gone Away - This is a slower one. Focuses more on just the acoustic sound. It's a nice change of pace and shows Binocular's great vocals.

7) Don't Say Goodbye, Say Goodnight - Starts out smooth and slow; builds up to a great chorus. I also love the lyrics to this one. It's about trying to hold on a little longer to a relationship that's over, how it's hard letting go.

8) Fire Burns Bright - After "Deep" this my favorite song on the album. I love the beginning, the layers build up to a great sounding song.

9) Let Me Fly So Long - Love the chorus and the beautiful piano work at the very end.

10) Wait Until - Has some nice, interesting sounds. I also love the lyrics.

11) As the End of the World - It's got a great beat. Another wonderful song.

12) Paradise Dub - This one really stood out to me, it's one of my favorites, it's a perfect song to end the album. I think there is a lot of feeling to this song and especially in the lyrics and vocals.

This is one incredible album - every song is excellent! I'm so glad I came across this great artist who is truly talented at what he does, I hope we will hear more from Binocular in the future.

.... The entire album flows together so well, as if it were a hand crafted Ferrari. The last song on the CD is by far the best song written of the year in my book. Binocular is NOT a boy band. He's an extremely talented individual who can weave music like silk. Truly an amazing disk. Try it out, you won't be disappointed.

Hey Trebla62,
The CD single of "Maybe You're Gone" can be bought at Soundclick

http://www.soundclick.com/Store/ShoppingCartInfo.cfm?bandID=139263

It has the original acoustic version by the writer Danny Scherr plus the Binolcular version from the soundtrack.

Great new artist. Very well written music and great vocals. I highly recommend this artist. Every song is very good on this CD. Mellow rock and good tunes. This is a CD you should have in your collection. He does all vocla s and plays all instruments. This is a very talented singer/song writer. AAA+++

This music is like poetry for the soul! I personally love the obscurity of the artist because it makes everything more mysterious, but the music is so enticing I'm sure he'll be all over the pop-tart magazines by this time next year.

This is the real thing. I hadn't realized how much I had lowered my standards until I listened to this album-oh yes, music is supposed to have melodies, vocals, lyrics, musicianship. Why have people been trying to convince me otherwise for so long? The best album since 1992. Period.

(I agree with Mr. Tokyo, if Binocular isn't world famous soon then "The world is wrong.")

I can't figure out why this album hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves. It's a classic.