Customer Reviews

Bright Red

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

 

 

Ten years after recording her most optimistic album, "Mr. Heartbreak", Laurie Anderson released the brooding, haunted "Bright Red". The name itself seems bitingly ironic; there isn't a "bright" song in the bunch. Rather, these tracks are suffused with a pervading darkness, courtesy of Brian Eno's atmospheric textures. Anderson's voice, usually an inviting, conversational one capable of inducing subtle sparks of emotion, now seems strange, confrontational and ghostly. Her love interest at the time, Lou Reed, participates in a grave duet with the artist on "In Our Sleep", and Adrian Belew turns in appropriately subtle guitar work, but the entire CD is permeated with a creeping sense of inevitability. As if to underscore this undercurrent of dread, Anderson's lyrics speak of lost control, isolation and lost threads of sanity. For those unaquainted with her work, neophites may find such a description unappealing; even so, this is an uncompromising, mature work that ranks as one of Anderson's best. Personal Favorites: the gauzy feeling of dislocation evident in "Speechless" and the creeping insanity of a scorned lover in "Poison". Representative Lyrics: "Daddy daddy, it was just like you said/ Now that the living outnumber the dead." ("Speak My Language"); "A small bullet, a piece of glass/ And your heart just grows around it." ("Poison"); "If this is the work of an angry god/ I want to look into his angry face./ There is no pure land now./ No safe place." ("Love Among the Sailors")

I don't normally write reviews (in fact, this is my first one!) however, having read some of the negative reviews for this album, I feel I must add my two cents.

This is possibly the most played cd in my 500-strong collection. There are no dud tracks and it really is quite unlike other Anderson albums: generally her soundscapes are awesomely sparse, but Eno's influence on this is unmistakable and provides a richer, more musical 'background'.

The two-tiered track Night in Baghdad/Tightrope is possibly the most incredible song(s) of all time. Her grasp of the profundities and inanities of life astound me. This song is the only one in my 30 years to have made me cry ("'Did you ever really love me?' 'Only when we danced'").

Bright Red is perhaps not the ideal introduction to Anderson (for that I'd recommend Home Of The Brave or Strange Angels, far and away her most 'accessible' album), but if you've heard and liked some of her previous output and are tossing up whether to make the purchase, do it. Definitely go for this rather than the more recent Life On A String which, for me, is a mediocre replica.

Quite possibly one of the most innovative musical/performance artists around, Laurie Anderson never disappoints, and Bright Red is no exception. Sonically amazing, that's just window dressing to the incredible lyrics through which Anderson weaves amazing stories. Listen carefully, for hers is a land in which meanings shift subtly with repetition or revelation. Whether she's telling us of a shawl owned by her grandmother or a dream involving her ex-boyfriends, their new girlfriends and a water-logged ferris wheel, every number here is full of new surprises on each listening. If you're an Anderson fan, this CD is a must-add to your collection. If you have no idea who she is, this is a good place to start before moving on to her more intricate works, such as "O, Superman" and "USA Parts I-IV."

Way back in the day, friends and I used to enjoy watching Anderson's "Home of the Brave" concert tape while... um... under the influence, but it's a true tribute to her talent that you require no chemical enhancements in order to enter an alternate reality while experiencing her work. Rarely do words and music mesh in such a transcendent way, but with Anderson they always do, and this CD is no exception. She truly is a goddess of art.

I also find this album extremely well done. One of my most played in my collection, as well. When Ms. Anderson hits the nail on the head, it's a direct hit! Two tracks, in particular, are my favorites. 'World Without End' and 'Tightrope' are both tracks that I play over and over. They have the ability to grab you by your soul. The album has an overall dark characteristic (maybe Ms. Anderson needs to get out of the city occasionally?), but that same darkness is what makes these two tunes, in particular, so mesmerizing. Here voice is very immediate, right in your ear, as if she is speaking quietly just to you.
I am also a big fan of Brian Eno, and his work on this album is the perfect compliment to Lauries keyboard work and lyrics. The magic is in the subtleties.
I have liked most of Lauries albums previous to this one, but `Bright Red' shows how polished she has become over the years.
This is one hard act to follow.

I like "Bright Red". It is a dark feeling album, reminds me of her "Big Science" album, however it is less minimalistic. I like the arrangements on this album, Bryan Eno did a great jod producing it. "Freefall" and "Pea Green Boat" are my favourite songs. Get it if you in a mood for listening and thinking.

Seeing Laurie Anderson perform Bright Red live at SMU's McFarlane Auditorium, I was gladdened by her return to the spare abstractions of her earlier work. But what was effective on-stage seems to have fallen short as a recording. In fact, I'm not quite sure of what to make of this latest entry. Unlike "Strange Angels," a melodious foray into more traditional songwriting style, "Bright Red" is a monotonic and often one-dimensional ride through the kindled causeways of Ms. Anderson's mind. Regardless of the fact that Eno's production here is, as always, one of the best in modern recording, much of the content of "Bright Red" is pervaded with an annoying sameness in tonality and coloration.

Think for a minute about her signature recording, "Mr. Heartbreak." While it's a comparison to "Bright Red," each track on "Mr. Heartbreak" rises in the mind like a new shade of the reality (or unreality) of the music.

All this is not to say Laurie Anderson's "Bright Red" is a failure. "Bright Red" is still evidence that Laurie Anderson is by far one of the most creative recording artists in modern music. But, hey, Laurie, try writing in a few other different keys, next time, O.K.?

Up to this release, there was always something to Laurie Anderson's releases that seemed to emphasize a connection to the listener and/or their experiences. But "Bright Red" seems to be much more about dis/misconnection...and somehow, this thematic imperative has gotten into the works here to the point that I, myself, have some real trouble listening to this one. Maybe there's something that's rubbing me the wrong way here, or maybe Laurie's doing her job a bit _too_ well in communicating the underlying themes. At any rate, this also marks something of a return to a more stripped-down style, more akin to her early work, yet retaining some of the pop complexity of later albums in the playing. I just couldn't connect with this, though...and it doesn't seem to want to connect with me.

Product received in condition promised and on time. I'm in the process of replacing some stolen cds and I'm very glad to have this one back. In fact, it's the third time I bought it. The second time was to replace it when it was accidentally stepped one. Well worth every purchase.