Customer Reviews

Catastrophe Keeps Us Together

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Catastrophe Keeps Us Together" was actually the first Rainer Maria album that I purchased. After hearing "Catastrophe", I immediately went out & bought the CD. Caithlin De Marrais has one of the most haunting and elegant voices that I've heard in a long time. The music and lyrics of this CD are so well written, that it's definitely one of the best cds so far of 2006.

I rated ths songs on this album on a scale of 1 to 5.

Catastrophe - 5/5 (A solid song to start the album with.)
Life of Leisure - 5/5
Burn - 3/5
Bottle - 4/5
Terrified - 5/5 (Excellent Song!)
Cities Above (Mainly Instrumental)
Already Lost - 5/5
Clear and True - 4/5
I'll make you Mine - 5/5 (My personal favorite.)
Southpaw - 5/5 (Another favorite of mine.)
I'll Keep it With Mine - 2/5 (Bob Dylan Cover, not perfect, yet..they still did a decent job with it.)

For those who found Rainer Maria's last full length release to be "too poppy", Catastrophe Keeps Us Together should be well received. The latest release from the trio delves into a more conceptual piece with the "Cities Above" interlude serving as a motif throughout the album as well as a haunting Dylan tribute with "I'll Keep It With Mine". While the opening tracks "Catastrophe" and "Life of Leisure" keep the upbeat sound of Long Knives Drawn, it's toned down enough to suit the sensitive lyrics of the tracks. Without reverting back to the sometimes brash experimental sound of their past nor keeping with a pop format, Catastrophe Keeps Us Together appears as a fully evolved artwork for Rainer Maria.

A near perfect album that strikes a remarkable balance between the powerful and plaintive. With such brilliance of writing this band would make Rilke proud to be their namesake; my only complaint is that there are no lyrics in the liner notes (I mean, come on, they named themselves after one of the greatest poets of the 20th century)! Since you can't read the poetry, shut out the world and listen carefully to every word sung on this CD. These are songs of such profound sincerity they will weaken the heart with recognition.

Stand out tracks: "Bottle" and "Terrified"; the only song that didn't really do it for me was the Bob Dylan cover, "I'll Keep it with Mine," but nobody is perfect.

As for "David N. Shichman 'Dj Sheik-mon'" I defy you to call the vocals "bland." Listen closely to her delivery; every syllable she utters is wrought with authenticity. She will make you feel just as deeply as if you were the very one who broke her heart.

Not a whole lot of CDs have a heavenly mix of edge and a very melodic sound. This CD has just that mix. The vocals are also very strong. They have gone away from any emo roots, but that doesn't mean the passion is gone. This is a must-have CD.

i've been a fan of rainer maria's since they wrote that unforgettable tune 'artificial light'.
their previous album, long knives drawn was my go-to music to any day i was having, i was obsessed (sorry neighbors).
and now they release catastrophe keeps us together. it is by far the BEST rainer maria album. they've grown up in all senses, as a band and as individuals, and you can tell. it still astonishes me that this is a 3 piece. yeah kyle isn't singing on this record, but when i want my kyle-singing fix i just go to their live shows as i'm guaranteed to hear some old tunes.
be prepared neighbors, as this is not leaving my stereo!

This album is a few years old but but has really stood the test of time: it still has the power to move me greatly. "I can tame all the tigers in your bloodstream: can you lay all my ghosts in their graves? What you couldn't find in books, when you've broken every spine..." Beautiful.

I had been a latecomer to Rainer Maria, discovering them after seeing their "Ears Ring" video. Shortly thereafter, they released this album and disbanded. I loved "Ears Ring" and, to be honest, was disappointed with most of their earlier offerings, in which the songs seemed to lack any kind of cohesion. I had dismissed them as a band that has a couple of great songs, but the rest was "meh". Then, I heard "Life Of Leisure" from this album, and I loved it, but thought it might be the one-off good song. Then I heard "Catastrophe" and thought "Hm, an album with two great tracks." Then I heard a third great song, and a fourth, and a fifth, and, and, and, and.... In short, I love this album. It is one of those that stands head and shoulders above anything else I've heard. It's like the band saved their very best songs for their last album, and I don't think a day goes by where I don't hear at least one of the songs from this. This is brilliance in audio form. This is definitely one of my top ten favorite albums of the 2000s.

Simply wonderful - song structure, vocals, musicianship and production. I heard they broke up but hope that Caithlin De Marrais will stay close to a microphone.

Great, it's about time for this trios return. Really layered, but still powerful. Caithlins vocals are still devastatingly beautiful, but more sophisticated than on previous outings. Kyle's input is equally dramatic and pulls the album along a thru-line that allows the band space, but still maintains focus. Nice one

If you are already a fan, you will love this new album. Less heavy guitar and more vocals, it is an easy and pleasant listen.
One of thier best!