Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Showing Their Colours, May 15, 2003
Is it any wonder that I Mother Earth's least commercially successful album also sparked the most debate of the three? This album took along parts of the "old" IME, like their signature jams and percussion. It also left behind some of the elements many fans loved about them, like the alt-rock sound and their instantly recognizable singer, Edwin. In this "post-post-grunge" gem, it turns out change did them good.This album often meets Dig's progessiveness and Scenery And Fish's sticky hooks somewhere in the middle, with jams that touch both on the former's technical excellence and the latter's great atmospherics. Loops, samples, and effects add to that atmosphere. As for the then "new guy", Brian Byrne's voice is richer, fuller, more emotive, and possibly more powerful than Edwin's, though at this point lacking Ed's polish on record. Guitarist Jag Tanna discovered his knack for writing perfect mood music and delivering it with a greater depth than the other two albums. Bassist Bruce Gordon often layers his sound with Tanna's in the same way as before, but also in hypnotic, repeating riffs over which the guitarist makes all the chord changes, resulting in a different, interesting sound. Percussion is back in a big way here, with broader world music arrangements and a Christian Tanna who shows the intensity of Dig and the subtle nuance of S&F. His lyrics are even stranger than before, but arranged in a well-structured, aesthetically pleasing way. Byrne himself writes the lyrics for the final track, but it's almost impossible to tell the difference. This disc has no all-encompassing feel like the other two, and its journey into so many different moods takes away the listen-straight-through quality the other two albums had. However, the thicker bass and lighter guitar tones render even the three or four bottom-heavy riffs stripped of any alt/grunge sensibility, and that is a definite step forward. Each song is great on its own, but doesn't necessarily lead into the next one, thus interrupting the flow. Still, this is a rewarding listen, and paves the way for even greater things.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All The Colors Of The Rainbow, June 30, 2000
A very colorful cd (sorry bout the pun) that introduces Brian's different style, which undoubtedly has some impact on the rest of the band. First of all, I think it's irrelevent to bash the former singer (Edwin) to the present, or vice versa. If you're familiar with "Scenery and Fish", their former album, you won't find a lot of the same tones as BGO. BGO has a raw, youthful energy to it; S&F was mellow in comparison, as well as having a softer rock-alternative feel. "Autumn on Drugs", "When Did You Get Back From Mars?" , "Good For Sule", and "Summertime in the Void" are my favs, as well as "Gargantua", but I feel a promising opening of tracks ends rather dismally. Bottom Line: Don't buy into it if you think you're going to get the same moods and themes as S&F... and be prepared for a new edge that replaces the mellowness Edwin gave. It's a harder rock alternative. While I felt that it wasn't refined to the extent of their former album, it still deserves a chance to be listened to!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blazing their own trail, May 5, 2003
By A Customer
Pop quiz. It's 1999. The Alternative sound of the 90's is out. Bubblegum pop and rap-metal are in. Your band is one of Canada's cornerstones of the former, seemingly obsolete sound. To top it off, the voice (and maybe the face) of your band has split to pursue a successful solo career with a more pop-oriented rock sound than you ever had, and you've picked up an unknown to take his place. What do you do?I'll tell you what I Mother Earth did - they went their own way. The attitude projected in Blue Green Orange, the band's third album and first with vocalist Brian Byrne, is simply, "We don't care." Rather than playing it safe and going about "business as usual" to show they're the same band with or without Edwin, they go in a new direction. That direction still has their signature sound stamped all over it, but if Scenery And Fish was the next step forward from Dig, Blue Green Orange was a left turn. Grunge-free rockers do battle with mellower, more heartfelt explorations as prog-rock does battle with mainstream, and the band is equally effective at all of these. There are fewer of the soaring pop hooks found on Scenery And Fish, and Byrne adds a more rock-sounding voice to the mix. Even the relatively commercial Scenery And Fish took a few listens to sink in with me, and that's the rule here, too. The best thing is to come to the table with no expectations. Then you won't be disappointed that it doesn't sound exactly like the other two records, or any record in that year or any year in the 90's. This one stands all on its own.
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~ I Mother Earth
~ I Mother Earth
~ I Mother Earth
~ Edwin
~ Temple of the Dog
by I Mother Earth 
