Customer Reviews

The Desert of Shallow Effects

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

 

 

The first record from Miles Kuorksy since his former band Beulah's dissolution in 2003, "The Desert of Shallow Effects" is a welcome return to form from one of indie rock's great unsung heroes.

From out right rock songs like "An Apple for An Apple" and "The World Won't Last the Night," (With a line toward the end of the song that I especially like: "History bleeds remember me, but try to be kind.") to more mellow and slow songs like "She Was My Dresden" and "Housewives and Their Knives," (Which includes the memorable lyric: "Where housewives play with their knives, and study their husbands necks at night, she couldn't have been more then a summer socialite in training," which eloquently paints a disturbing scene with a humorous non-sequitur.) to the epic that is ultimately the album's swan song "West Memphis Skyline," which sounds as if 6 or 7 different songs were written and then put together.

If you're a fan of Beulah, chances are you'll like this, and if you're someone who's never heard of Miles before "The Desert of Shallow Effects" is an album well worth looking into.

Received my order as described and quickly, maybe five days. This entire album is solid. There are some really special tracks on it too. Beulah fan or not, it's truly remarkable.

Don't be turned off to this great album by its detractors. Could the production have been taken down a notch? Sure. Was it enough to justify omitting one star? Not at all. This album is definitely a progression from Yoko. A lot of the rawness and simplicity that I liked from the earlier albums wasn't as ubiquitous here, but it wasn't missed either. It takes 2-3 listens to completely sink in, but when it does the brilliance of it really hits you. Miles' songwriting is by far the best to date, and for me what solidified the album. Give it a go. If you appreciate good music, you won't be disappointed.

This album is like hearing from a long-lost friend. It is a logical progression from the Beulah albums...I hope we don't have to wait another 6 years for the next one!

I have all of Beulah's CD's, saw them play live, big fan. This probably would have been a good project for the band. The problem, as I see it, is that there is no subtlty here...the songs are played at an almost frantic pace, every instrument (and ALL of them are used here) is in your face, nothing is background. It is almost as if Miles said "let's see how much sound we can cram into this song." Everything but the kitchen sink is in here, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sound for that as well. Listening to the whole album can be exhausting. I like the artist, will support him, but I just have to be honest about this release. It should have been WAY better.

I have been buying albums for years, and this is one of the best I have heard in a while. He uses a variety of instruments creating a complicated, poppy album that combines guitar, horns, xylophone, etc. I have listened to this over 50 times and really like the song progression. The last gasp he does on the album after the fast strumming sounds like he has put everything into this.

I really wanted to give this cd 5 stars because I really really like and respect Beulah. However, I can only muster 3 stars for it for, as the title of this reivew says, the cover tells the story. The cover is overstimulating, so is much of the music. The cover is a mish mash of images, the music is a mish mash of sounds. Though the cover is overloaded with color and picture, you're bound to find one thing you like in it's array of images. Likewise, you're bound to find something you like about the music despite the fact that Miles Kurosky has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into the production.

To be specific, if you are a fan of Beulah you will most likely enjoy half the tracks on Desert of Shallow Effects. There are songs that sound like outtakes from Yoko, one example being the first track Notes from the Polish Underground and songs that sound like outtakes from The Coast is Never Clear (see She Was my Dresden as an example). The melodies are familiar yet not recycled. The instrumentation is modest yet not understated.

I feel like one of the biggest reasons Beulah worked so well is that the songs were intelligent but not pretentious. They were catchy pop songs that were not bubble gum pop. They had drive, energy and great hooks dressed in a consistent helping of horns and guitar. When The Desert of Shallow Effects doesn't work is when it strays from this formula and pushes the envelope musically in a way that simply sounds forced. Don't get me wrong, I don't fault a musician for trying something new. However, trying something new at the expense of the flow of a song or the cohesiveness of an album? That's a different story.

Miles Kurosky seems to have gotten into multi part songs. The Verse Chorus Verse Chorus format will not be found here excepting a small handful of songs. More likely you will hear songs with 5 or 6 parts. One example is The World Won't Last the Night. The intro starts off with multi tracked vocals, which then give way to rhythm guitar which then gives way to yet another guitar part before the first verse finally starts. Three parts to an intro? Unnecessary and a flow killer. Take the intro out and you have a shorter, catchier song.

The lowest point of this album is without question I Can't Swim, track 4. This song epitomizes what is the overall problem with the disc; far too many parts that leave the listener wondering what is what (where's the chorus?), instrumental breaks that seem to only exist for the sake of breaking up all the components of the song, and an unnecessary song length. It sounds as though it is taking itself too seriously on a musical level, not that much different from the feeling one gets listening to McCartney's Live and Let Die (pseudo theatrical garbage if you ask me- I'd rather listen to Junk or Let Me Roll It).

With all that said, the cd does have some nice moments where Miles Kurosky manages to get to the point and do so in a melodically memorable way. I don't mean to sound as though I require music to be predictable or formulaic but honestly, when dealing with Rock and Roll, the more straightforward the better. Leave the drama and self serving experimentation for some other genre. Standout tracks on this cd are Notes from the Polish Underground, She was my Dresden, Pink Lips Black Lungs, Dog in the Burning Building and West Memphis Skyline. These songs sound like they could've been part of the next Beulah album.

Should you get this cd? Yes, if you are a very big Beulah fan who just wants to hear more. Should you expect to be fully satisfied? Probably not. It's kind of like growing up in the 70's with the original Star Wars movies, hearing there's going to be a new trilogy and then having to deal with the likes of Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson.