Customer Reviews

Black Out

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Honestly, The Good Life is outstanding when it comes to lyrical talent, and voice. Tim Kasher, I believe, has one of the most amazing vocalists in the music business. This CD, Black Out, in particular is unbelievable. The lyrical content is so unique and it's like every sentence has a story behind it, one that so many people can relate to. I was actually struggling through a family relationship at the time I bought the CD, and the track `Don't Make Love So Hard` kind of helped me through that time. I really feel as if anybody could enjoy The Good Life, and relate to the deeper meaning within the lyrics. I would definitely suggest this CD to anybody who enjoys Cursive, Bright Eyes, or Planes Mistaken for Stars' softer stuff.

Never.

Never in a million years would I have expected this to happen. A band (The Good Life) I've never heard of before, with a lead singer (Tim Kasher) that I've never heard of before, who's main band (Cursive) I've never heard of before, puts together an album like this. All of this even ignores the fact that The Good Life is Kasher's SIDE PROJECT.

Black Out is a truly special album that literally came out of nowhere, got very little attention, and wasn't big enough to be considered for any major publication reviews. And there isn't a bigger injustice in the music world, except for maybe the overlooking of Pauls Botique and Pinkerton (which, ironically, are now considered "classic" albums).

It's an album with depth that I have never heard in any album before, with a sound that is grand, and a purpose which is clear. On top of all of that, it was carefully planned, both from a lyrical standpoint and a design standpoint. There is a story to be told with this album, unlike 99% of all other music produced these days. And the most impressive thing is, Kasher hasn't even come close to creating another album like this, and he probably never will. It's just one of those rare CD's where everything sort of came together, and it almost makes you feel priveleged to own it, as if it's this little secret that nobody else knows about.

I would even go as far as to say that this album is more than music. It's one of "those albums" that goes beyond music, almost takes on an artistic form, but without being weird abstract stuff. Black Out was an album that was thought out, and that required its author to be in a real place emotionally to be able to write. Kasher couldn't have faked his way through an album like this even if he wanted to. I truly believe that he wrote what was in his heart and what was on his mind, and the result was this CD.

And if you don't know how rare it is for someone to do that successfully (as Kasher did), then you don't really listen to music.

Going to the Bright Eyes show at Echo Lounge was one of the best things I could've done. I got the chance to see/hear The Good Life for the first time. After their performance, I immediately bought the album.

Every song on the album is worth listening to... definitely not one of those skip-songs albums. The great thing about this album is that the songs flow together so well. I can sit and listen for an hour and not realise it. The wide variety of instruments make their sound more unique than a lot of indie/emo stuff you here out there.

Buy this album or better yet see them live! You won't regret it.

For me it is a rare occurance that I find a truly stellar and stunning album that I am blown away by. The Good Life's "Black Out" is among them. I was a Cursive fan for quite some time and recently have discovered The Good Life. Black Out is equally as good as anything that Tim Kasher has done. I actually believe that "Don't Make Love So Hard" is Tim's single best song.

This album is remenicient of Cursive only in the calamity of it. Tim's calm Voice takes you on a journey through every track. THe repetition of the Black Out tracks is truly impressive. If you are at all a Cursive fan or "indie" (whatever that means nowadays) buy this album and I assure you that you will not be dissapointed.

A little biased here in Omaha, NE, but have to say that this is the best ALBUM that I've heard all year. Saw The Good Life at the Sokol about a month ago and had goose bumps the entire show. The album offers much the same. Kasher is certainly expressing some deep emotions and does it very well. I just hope I get a chance to see them live once again. SUGGESTION: BUY THIS ALBUM!

Anything Tim Kasher lends his talent to is amazing... after seeing The Good Life with Bright Eyes live...I bought this cd. Pretty much a chronicle of some bad times he went through. Depressing but compelling lyrics, interesting electronic effects, and the Voice. Definately a must have for any Saddle Creek fan.

I play sevreal musical instruments. I've listened to hundreds of alblums in every genre of music, and I would easily consider this one of the top 5 most brilliant alblums ever created. Tim Kasher is a natural-born musical genius. The combination of lyrics, music and raw emotion elevate the listener to another world.

i could never say enough great things about this album. i could listen to it on repeat forever. if i could marry it i would.

This album is truly amazing, Tim Kasher has the most melodic, beautiful voice. Don't hesitate to buy this cd, it is worth every cent. You won't be dissappointed!

I was just personally reviewing the works of Tim Kasher (of The Good Life, Cursive, and now as a solo artist) and had a realization that he's had some GREAT albums. As I now listen to his solo album (The Game of Monogamy) for the 3rd or 4th time I'm realizing it will likely go down as one of his better works. There's also his great Cursive album, Happy Hollow, proceeded by an almost equally great album, Mama I'm Swollen. Of course this is on top of another very good Cursive album, The Ugly Organ and a pretty good earlier album, Domestica (plus there's the early Cursive stuff which is by no means bad). That's not even counting his albums from The Good Life, of which Help Wanted Nights is simply amazing, Novena on a Nocturn is very good and Album of the Year, although my least favorite, is still very good. Tim Kasher has a list of works that is absolutely amazing lyrically and musically.

Yet...

Nothing has lived up to the greatness of Black Out. Seven and a half years later, this remains my favorite album from either of Kasher's band. To be sure, Happy Hollow at least came close to the same greatness, which is quite good for Kasher considering that was one of his more "mature" works. Still, there has yet to be an album one of his bands has released that is as good as Black Out. So it turns out that the best yet from Kasher came early in his career. Thus, it's almost as if he struck gold on one of his first attempts (or bowled a perfect game on his first try... hence the title of this review!). Some of his other albums flow very well, yet none are as coherent. In particular, there are no two consecutive tracks that seem disjointed in style, which means fairly smooth transitions throughout. Furthermore, I absolutely love the use of the 3 "Black Out" tracks that mark the beginning, middle and end of the album. He's had albums that are fairly spot free from those dreaded "swing and a miss" tracks, but none are so well put together musically. There are certainly no tracks that are worthy of skipping because they are the weak link(s) of the album, and I rarely find myself even tempted to skip ahead out of impatience to get to a favorite track. In other words, 50+ minutes go by from start to finish and, even 7 1/2 years later, I find myself thinking "what, it's already over!?" by the time it's done. He's had songs on albums that have deserved to be lauded as incredible works of music, still no other album contains as many personal favorites as Black Out. "Don't Make Love so Hard" is easily my favorite Kasher song and there are a half dozen other songs that I absolutely love listening to ("Some BS Escape," "O'Rourke's 1:20," "Early Out the Gate," "The New Denial," "O'Rourke's 2:10," and "Empty Bed").

This album has stood the test of time better than most and this album remains one of my favorite all time. Tim Kasher could continue to release albums as a solo artist or with one of his bands of the same quality as what he has been recently and he would still go down (or deserve to at least) as one of the better artists of our time. Truthfully, I'd be more than happy to continue to build my musical library with those kinds of albums. Still... to have one more of the quality of Black Out would be simply amazing.