Customer Reviews

Copperopolis

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

 

 

Giving a Grant Lee Buffalo album four stars is unlike giving four stars to almost anyone else in contemporary music. The truth of the matter is that their albums stand out among the rest based on the strength of emotion alone, not to mention lyrical depth, vocals, arrangement, etc (areas where they topple the popular giants of the modern rock format).

Copperopolis is the most insular, personal work of singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips to date. It is an album of sensitivite expression and deep soul. With songs such as, "The Bridge" and "All that I Have", Phillips displays beautifully personal narrative in ways that few artists can, regardless of genre. "Arousing Thunder" is one of the most delicate love songs you'll likely ever hear. Even the most outspoken and public of tracks on the album, "Homespun" and "Comes to Blows", remain intrinsically personal. Phillips has the ability to relate political and personal ideas in his own unique narrative.

Generally, the rough production and musical movements of a GLB album are as incredible as the sentiment. Here, however, these serve more as atmosphere for the emotions. This is perhaps the only problem. Whereas, the musical subtlety of this album enhances its aim, the production is occasionally overdone. The arrangment of instrumentation teeters on the line between ethereal beauty and overemphasis.

Perhaps the difficulty of this album is in the layering. It truly takes a long time to get to the bottom of it all (lyrically and musically). This is characteristic of all GLB music, but most noticeable on "Copperopolis". Luckily, there's still all of that beautiful emotion that will keep you coming back to unravel the mystery.

Above all, Grant Lee Buffalo's music is classic in the most timeless sense of the word and eventually Copperopolis will prove to be one of the most intriguing albums of the GLB catalog.

Copperopolis is perhaps the most underated cd of the 90's. While its easy to see how it alienated some listeners, its also easy to become enthralled and somewhat hypnotised by the tapestry of sound. Grant Lee Philips voice along with various guitars, wind pipes and orchestral tools makes for one hell of a journey. It just takes a little time and perseverance to fully appreciate Copperopolis in all its fantastic glory. Start with "Bethleham Steel" and "Crackdown" and work your way from there.

Taking a different approach than they did in their previous CD, Grant Lee Buffalo concentrates more on lyrics than music, and the result is a brilliant, if not as arresting, work. The songs are not as accessible as the ones on Mighty Joe Moon, but the depth in the lyrics is exceptional and rare in today's musical landscape. There aren't as many standouts on this one, either, but the ones that do standout are incredible. "Hyperion and Sunset" uses Greek mythological allusions to describe migration, "Even the Oxen" is probably the catchiest song here, "Homespun" is an arresting examination of militia, "Crackdown" is a great rocker, and "Bethlehem Steel" is the highlight, a great examination of middle-class estrangement. This one is definitely worth getting, it takes a few listens to get into it, though.

Listening to this cd makes you feel as though your walking slowly down some dusty backroad in Backwater America. Stunnenly beautiful in most places, slightly inconsistant in others, Cooperopolis manages to take the listener into another space and time. Sublime..

Grant Lee Buffalo is one of those bands you wonder how nobody has heard of them. The emotion and clear vision in the music is soul shaking to say the least. The mix of acoustic and electric guitars as well as the peaks and valleys of the music put you on an emotional roller coaster sure to please the most ardent of critics. This band has received critical acclaim but that should change eventually. They will follow in the footsteps of bands like Smashing Pumpkins And Radiohead. Bands that nobody paid much attention to until people saw the light.

the guy before me set it straight with this record. It is damn good. Its almost like putting soundtrack music to lyrics. Grant lee phillips is so talented it p***** me off sometimes but that is ok. Its good to know that GLB is out there so we dont go insane hearing alanis morissette all the time. Now if radio would get off their butts and play these guys, i could turn the radio back on

This CD in my opinion is precisely where "NOT" to start with Grant Lee Buffalo...The CD Mighty Joe Moon is probably your best bet if you want to get started in the most accessible direction. I agree with a few of the reviewers when saying it takes time to understand this CD, it is eventually rewarding. I believe a 5 star rating is a special thing and this record may not even be Grant Lee's 3rd best record...to complete your collection of GLB's music you will end here with copperopolis but ther is no reason to start here...the Mighty Joe Moon CD is 4 1/2 Stars

I tend to judge great music by how often it turns up in my CD player. By that standard, Copperopolis is a classic, but it wasn't always that way. Having listened to Mighty Joe Moon almost non-stop for a couple of years, I just didn't have the ears to hear Coppoeropolis when it came out. I put it away, ocassionally taking it out again to give it another try. It probably took about two years until that day I tried it once again and I finally heard it - for the first time.

I won't get all poetic in this review, but suffice it to say that this record is incredibly subtle, and if you listen hard and pay attention, you'll start to notice how everthing you hear belongs there. All the pieces, the musicuanship, the singing, the songrwriting, the arrangement, and most importantly, the sound, all add up to something much greater than the sum of its parts.

This is one for the ages. I certainly expect to be listening to it year after year for as long as I can imagine.

Even the oxen: listen for the mandolen (sp) suring the intro!! Arousing thunder: listen to the guitar that sounds like the falling rain The Bridge: listen to the music and myrics that seem to flow like water Crackdown: listen to the guitar that sounds like a raging bushfire Bethleham steel: listen to the chimes and organ/piano that sounds like words from heaven This cd is so great i cant and wont listen to anything else. It accompanies me whereever i go. Spiritual guidence!!

This album hardly makes it into my cd player. The band was experiencing internal turmoil at this point, and I think it shows. There are incredible songs on the CD - especially when they're played live - but Mighty Joe Moon and Fuzzy are much better overall. Also, Grant Lee Phillip's new solo albums have amazing stuff - I recommend you check those out first!